Our partnership with TUM

Celebrating a visionary partnership – with purpose and precision

For nearly a decade, CFE and Technische Universität München (TUM) have cultivated a partnership grounded in a shared vision: to reimagine the architecture of future enterprises in an era of digital transformation, intelligent systems, and global complexity. This vision is not abstract, rather it is operationalised through a portfolio of collaborative research projects that tackle real-world challenges and anticipate tomorrow’s opportunities.

Our joint work spans several high-impact domains:

  • AI-enabled enterprise design: Developing agent-based architectures that enable organisations to sense, decide, and adapt autonomously in dynamic environments.
  • Digital business model innovation: Exploring how emerging technologies—from blockchain to platform ecosystems—reshape value creation and capture.
  • Metaverse and immersive economies: Investigating how virtual environments redefine customer experience, collaboration, and enterprise boundaries.
  • Algorithmic governance and ethical optimisation: Designing decision systems that are not only efficient but also transparent, fair, and aligned with human values.

United by a common thread – a commitment to building resilient, adaptive, and ethically grounded enterprises that thrive in uncertainty – these projects exemplify the diverse and impactful research emerging from this partnership, which has already led to groundbreaking publications, global conference presentations, and real-world applications influencing industries and policy worldwide.

Coordinating across continents – our academic anchors

The success of the TUM-CFE collaboration is underpinned by strong academic leadership and seamless coordination between both institutions.

  • At QUT, the program is co-led by Professor Marek Kowalkiewicz and Dr Erwin Fielt, who oversee research alignment, visitor engagement, and strategic development. Their stewardship ensures that each visiting scholar is embedded in a vibrant research ecosystem and connected to industry-relevant initiatives.
  • At TUM, coordination is currently led by Kim Krueger, following the foundational contributions of Timo Boettcher and Jörg Weking. Each has played a critical role in shaping the research agenda, mentoring visiting scholars, and fostering a culture of innovation and academic excellence.

Together, these coordinators form a transnational leadership team that meets regularly to align research priorities, evaluate project outcomes, and plan future exchanges. Their collaboration ensures that the partnership remains agile, impactful, and deeply connected to the evolving landscape of enterprise research.

Meet some of our current and past TUM visitors

Our collaboration with TUM is brought to life through the talented researchers who join us at QUT – and equally, through QUT scholars who engage with TUM’s vibrant academic community. This two-way exchange fosters deep intellectual collaboration, cross-cultural learning, and joint innovation. Meet some of the remarkable minds who continue to shape this meaningful partnership.

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Tim Bruckdorfer

Research topic: Bridging the gap: AI governance, explainability, and the complexity of foundation models

Veronica Chung

Research topic: Leveraging LLM to solve semantic interoperability in heterogeneous Digital Twins

Sandra Durst

Research topic: Agentic AI business canvas development

Celina Ebert

Research topic: Digital twins for mega-events

Florian Etzel

Research topic: Business models to address software agents as customers

 

Tobias Kotzian

Research topic: Agentic AI in hybrid multi-agent systems: Interaction patterns for autonomous workflows

Kim Krueger

Research topic: Metaverse business models

Elena Mildenberger

Research topic: The influence of digital twins on processes and business models in the construction industry

Jann-Hannes Polland

Research topic: How organisations are adopting generative AI tools for business model innovation

Christoph Scheiber

Research topic: Generative business model innovation

Tim Schneider

Research topic: How business model innovation affects firms’ performance

 

Maria Stöcker-Stafflinger

Research topic: Towards pattern-based business model innovation for industry 4.0

Felix Straub

Research topic: Influence of digital business models on firm performance

Lukas Stützel

Research topic: Artificial intelligence PI platform

Tobias Urban

Research topic: Algorithmic enterprises: What they are and what makes them successful

Lukas Volpers

Research topic: How decentralized autonomous organizations change business models

Michael Weber

Research topic: Toward procedural AI governance: Designing a phase model for AI development projects

Jörg Weking

Research topic: Digital business models and digital platform ecosystems

 

A shared vision for what comes next

At CFE, we believe the future is not something to predict, it’s something to build. Our partnership with TUM exemplifies this ethos, combining rigorous research with bold imagination. As we look ahead, we’re excited to deepen our collaboration, welcome new cohorts of students, and continue shaping the next generation of enterprise innovation.

We warmly invite researchers from around the world to become part of our international network. Whether you’re exploring artificial intelligence, digital transformation, business model innovation, metaverse economies, trust in digital ecosystems, algorithmic design, organizational paradox, or the architecture of robust enterprises, we welcome your ideas, your curiosity, and your collaboration.

Connect

To express interest or learn more, please contact Prof Marek Kowalkiewicz at marek.kowalkiewicz@qut.edu.au or Dr Erwin Fielt at e.fielt@qut.edu.au. We look forward to hearing from you.