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UdZ 2-2021 / 11 support companies in identifying appropriate programs. The participation of companies in such programs ensures their practical relevance, and companies, in turn, benefit from obtaining the latest research findings, which inform their further development. Consortium Projects Companies are often looking for solutions that lead to results more quickly than through publicly funded projects, which tend to run over several years. So-called consortium projects are ideally suited to this purpose – here, companies with similar questions and challenges join forces in a consortium and formulate concrete research questions under the leadership of FIR or one of the seven centers in the Smart Logistics Cluster . This approach usually leads to results within six months, as the participating companies gain far- reaching insights into other companies and benefit from the resulting recommendations for action and best practices. The consortium partners have the opportunity to specify their main areas of interest as questions in advance and thus “define” the topics jointly addressed in the consortium. Consortium projects are regularly offered by FIR , depending on the current needs of industrial practice. Consulting and Industrial Projects With a focus on the topics of production & logistics, digitalization & strategy, information technologies & management, and service & maintenance, FIR offers to guide companies through their transformation process. With a comprehensive consulting portfolio, FIR ’s experts support companies in identifying specific challenges and translating them into strategies and measures to optimize value creation. Frequently, a starting point for this process is the 'Industry 4.0 Maturity Index’ 3 co-developed by FIR , which companies use to determine the maturity of their transformation capabilities and to define structured measures in a roadmap for driving this process forward. Membership in the Smart Logistics Cluster Companies that opt for continuous collaboration, seek to align their company strategically for the long term, and want to stay up to date on the latest research, often decide to “enroll” in the Smart Logistics Cluster. This form of collaboration overcomes traditional spatial and institutional barriers. Within a strategically organized 3 Schuh et al. 2020, p. 41