Balancing the Three-Legged Stool of Learning Factories

Learning factories resemble controlled laboratories for experiments, comparable to the natural sciences. Despite their contribution to applied research and theoretical development, their crucial role in the training of students and transfer to industry is sometimes overshadowed. The substantial initial and ongoing investments, often made by the public sector, make society an important player alongside universities and students. In this paper, the metaphor of a three-legged stool is used to illustrate the balance required in learning factories, emphasizing that education, research and transfer must be equally considered to achieve optimal results. The authors recognize an inherent imbalance and argue for a more equitable distribution to unleash the full potential of these educational environments. Using examples from Chemnitz University of Technology’s Experimentation and Digital Factory, the study examines challenges and opportunities and proposes design ideas to create synergy. The sections deal with the implementation of transfer, research and education and illustrate their interdependence. The conclusion underlines how important it is to create synergy effects in order to fully exploit the advantages of learning factories.