The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK has launched the STARK project together with partners from science and industry. The kick-off took place on March 18, 2026 in Berlin. The focus is on the development of an AI-supported system for securing and passing on knowledge gained from experience in companies.

The background to this is a foreseeable shortage of skilled workers: according to a study by the German Economic Institute, around 20 million employees from the baby boomer generation will retire by 2036, while only around 12.5 million younger workers will follow. Companies are therefore faced with the task of systematically safeguarding the experience and knowledge they have built up over the years.

In addition to the Fraunhofer IPK, the Technical University of Berlin, the BSP Business and Law School and industrial partners such as Harms & Wende GmbH & Co. KG and FBT Feinblechtechnik GmbH are also involved in the project. The focus is particularly on small and medium-sized companies in the manufacturing industry.

The core of the project is a chatbot prototype that supports knowledge transfer as an assistance system. The so-called "STARK-Buddy" is intended to provide context-related information and support employees in knowledge-critical situations. There are also plans to integrate it into wearables such as smart glasses to enable situation-dependent interaction.

The approach is supplemented by a practical guide with templates, checklists and examples for the use of AI in knowledge management. The project also takes ethical, legal and social aspects into account in order to ensure transparency and traceability when using the systems.

The project is scheduled to run until the end of 2028 and is being funded with around two million euros. Funding is being provided by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space and the European Union via the European Social Fund Plus as part of the "Future of Work" program.