Aim of the project

The aim of the BMBF-funded research project JOINOLOG (Jordan Innovation Center for Logistics) is to design an innovation centre for logistics in Jordan. In such an incubator, innovations - also with regard to local and regional characteristics - are to be promoted through cooperation between business, research and politics. This will take the form of direct project cooperation as well as academic collaboration and publication. The aim is also to provide logistics training courses that impart specific logistics expertise. Ultimately, this collaboration and possible innovations should lead to an improvement in the local and regional logistics infrastructure as well as networking between stakeholders. JOINOLOG aims to strengthen the ecosystem for logistics innovation in Jordan in a sustainable way by supporting the framework conditions as well as the application orientation of research and research transfer.

Partners

The project is being carried out by the Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the German Jordanian University (GJU). On the German side, Prof Michael Huth is involved as academic director and Sascha Düerkop and Jakob Grubmüller as active participants. On the Jordanian side, Dr Ismail Abushaikha is leading the project and is supported by Rana Badran, who is acting as Business Development Manager on site. Several organisations with a logistics focus support the project in a Project Advisory Board (PAB). In addition to representatives from the private sector, local politicians are also represented by the Ministry of Transport and the Higher Council of Science and Technology (HCST).

Institutions from Jordan and Germany act as associated partners and supporters. By involving a wide range of institutions from research, business and politics, a broad and deep level of expertise has already been brought in during the preparatory phase, demonstrating the cooperative nature of JOINOLOG.

Methodology

The implementation concept for the collaborative innovation centre was developed during a one-year preparatory phase up to October 2019. For this purpose, a detailed analysis of Jordanian structures with regard to logistics, innovation and research was carried out. The collaborative nature of JOINOLOG was already evident in this phase: key results were developed in joint workshops in Amman, in which the representatives of all associated partners worked together. The JOINOLOG concept also incorporates success factors from best-practice approaches of existing innovation centres for logistics.

The concept developed served as the basics for the application for funding for the implementation phase, which began in February 2021. JOINOLOG is currently being implemented in practice as a local network over the course of three project years.

Framework data of the project

Project period (preparation phase): 01.11.2018-31.10.2019

Project period (implementation phase): 01.02.2021-31.01.2024

Funding by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Project manager: Prof. Dr Michael Huth, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, and Dr Ismail Abushaikha, GJU

Project Advisory Board: Aqaba Logistics Village, Higher Council of Science and Technology, Ministry of Transport, Martin Ohlsen (long-time manager at the UN World Food Programme)