The Role of Scientific Research Foundation in the United States, Germany, and China in Developing the Industrial Internet

The Industrial Internet has become crucial in shaping the digital economy and driving transformative changes across different industries worldwide. As major pillars of the global economy, the United States of America (USA), Germany, and China have taken the lead in developing the Industrial Internet, exemplified by state initiatives such as “Advanced Manufacturing Partnership” (USA), “Industry 4.0” (Germany), and China’s Innovative Development of the Industrial Internet. This study analyzes the role of the national science and research agencies of these countries in developing their own version of the Industrial Internet. In these countries, the number of projects that aim to advance the Industrial Internet has steadily increased, with growing funding in the USA and China. Notably, data research is a major focus of Industrial Internet projects across all three nations. However, the three countries also have distinct research priorities that develop different components of the Industrial Internet: China focuses on networks, Germany concentrates on production and processes, and the USA gives precedence to equipment and security. Regarding the specific scientific disciplines involved, China and the USA intend to fund Industrial Internet projects that fall under computer science and information science, while Germany places greater emphasis on promoting projects classified under mechanical and industrial engineering.