ENGAGE-KI supports medium-sized companies in integrating Artificial Intelligence into their development processes. Together with companies, we develop practical applications, test new technologies, and convey implementation competencies. The focus is on AI-supported knowledge management, Copilots, AI agents, and humanoid robotics. The goal is more efficient processes, better utilization of corporate knowledge, and more room for creative development work.

Rising product complexity, shorter development cycles, and a lack of skilled workers pose major challenges for the mid-sized industrial sector. At the same time, engineers spend a lot of time searching for information, creating technical documentation, and handling recurring tasks. Valuable knowledge is often scattered across documents, models, and databases or tied to individual employees.

Artificial intelligence opens up new possibilities to support this work. However, the transition from initial experiments to reliable applications in engineering is demanding: company data must be mined, existing tools connected, and results must be verifiable from a technical perspective. Furthermore, employees need the right competencies for working with AI. ENGAGE-KI addresses these challenges by combining technical testing with knowledge transfer and qualification.

The goal of ENGAGE-KI is to accelerate the use of AI in SME engineering and empower companies to use the technology autonomously in the long term. To this end, the project combines technological foresight, practical testing, and transfer into corporate daily operations.

In use-case workshops, companies identify and evaluate suitable use cases. In subsequent AI sprints, selected tasks are prototypically implemented using company-specific data. The scope ranges from unlocking technical knowledge via Copilots for development tasks to AI agents that support coherent work steps. Additionally, the use of physical AI and humanoid robotics is examined.

Demonstrators make the technologies tangible. A modular, vendor-independent technology stack supports the gradual introduction. Exchange formats and digital knowledge offerings help companies share experiences and build their own competencies.

ENGAGE-KI is to create concrete foundations for the further use of AI in companies:

• Practical prototypes and demonstrators: They show which engineering tasks AI can support and what requirements are necessary for this.

• Transferable solution components: Technical components and reference architectures facilitate the implementation of further applications.

• Better decision-making bases: Companies can assess opportunities for use, integration effort, and technological limits more fundamentally.

• Competencies and exchange of experience: Transfer and qualification offers support employees and connect companies with research and practice.

The desired benefit is shorter development times, less routine effort, and better availability of technical knowledge. This creates additional leeway for demanding development tasks and innovations.