Dr. rer. pol. Christian Lerch

• Analysis in the context of innovation and transformation management of services and business models, with a special focus on Manufacturing Industries. This includes the design of innovative business models, the creation of service-oriented innovation strategies, as well as the transformation from manufacturer turning to a service provider.
• Analysis, measurement and evaluation of the causes of servitization of Manufacturing Industries as well as its contribution to industrial and economic change. These findings deliver a background for designing innovation-oriented policies.
• Analysis of the relevance and the consequences of industrial trends and of new technologies for production and value creation in Manufacturing Industries in Germany and Europe. He particularly analyzes the effects of digital change, sharing economy, green economy or E-mobility.
• Moreover he creates and applies System Dynamics Models for his research. These models aim at the quantitative simulation and long-run analysis of industrial innovation dynamics and strategies. These scenario-based analyses support the design of innovation-oriented policies.
• As well Christian uses the ISI-Survey “Modernisierung der Produktion“ for conducting quantitative empirical analysis for the German manufacturing industry. In this context he is also active for the international network of the “European Manufacturing Survey EMS“.
  

In addition to his work at the Fraunhofer ISI Christian works as a lecturer at the Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen and at the University for Applied Sciences in Karlsruhe, where he teaches the courses “Service Economics“ and “Business Model Innovation and Technology Management“. Until 2010 he was also a lecturer for “Innovation Economics“ at the chair of Prof. Dr. Hariolf Grupp at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). During his works Christian visited VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland, (2010) as well as the University of Girona (2015) in the context of research exchanges. Since 2015 he is active for the executive committee of the “Deutsche Gesellschaft für System Dynamics“. Christian is the author of numerous articles in national and international journals and a member of various international societies.

• Transfer-X
• I4.0-Readiness III
• Zukunft Mittelstand Digital
• Kompetenzzentrum KARL: Artificial Intelligence for Work and Learning in the Karlsruhe Region
• Studie zum Stand und Perspektive digitaler B2B Commerce Plattformen für die Großindustrie
• Scientific support for the development of a Digital Maturity Check in the course of the cooperation between Fraunhofer ISI, SAP and Netconomy
• Empirical study on AI use in production (AI readiness)
• Evaluation des BMBF-Forschungsprogramms »Innovationen für die Produktion, Dienstleistung und Arbeit von morgen« (2015-2019) mit der Programmlinie »Zukunft der Arbeit«
• Model-based Scenario Analysis of the Effects of Made in China 2025 on the Value-added and Market Shares of the German Mechanical Engineering Industry (Made in China 2025)
• Assessing the untapped potentials for value creation in manufacturing in Baden-Wuerttemberg and Germany in the digital age (Industry 4.0)
• The future of work: SMEs – innovative and social
• Study on the Economic Relevance of B2B Internet Platforms
• SMEs 4.0 – Competence center Stuttgart
• Strategic orientation of scientific and industrial research in Baden-Württemberg
• Strategic Competence Development in non-research intensive SME of the manufacturing industry
• Industry 4.0 in Kazakhstan: Potential, perspectives and role of policy
• Potential of the Industrial Collaborative Economy
• Digitale Geschäftsmodelle: Sind unsere KMU bereit für den Wandel?
• SME Report Thuringia 2015
• Internet-based self-assessment instrument Industrie 4.0 for Baden-Württemberg
• Developing and testing an innovation-oriented productivity measurement concept for knowledge-intensive services

• Horvat, D.; Jäger, A.; Lerch, C. M. (2024). Fostering innovation by complementing human competences and emerging technologies: an industry 5.0 perspective. International Journal of Production Research, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2024.2372009
• Lerch, C. M.; Heimberger, H.; Jäger, A.; Horvat, D.; Schultmann, F. (2022): AI-readiness and production resilience: empirical evidence from German manufacturing in times of the Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of Production Research, 62(15), 5378–5399.
• Lerch, C.; Jäger, A. (2024): Industry in a changing era: Production paradigms during the last 50 years. In: Edler, J.; Walz, R. (eds) (2024): Systems and Innovation Research in Transition: Research Questions and Trends in Historical Perspective. Heidelberg: Springer. 
• Jackwerth-Rice, T.; Böcker, D.; Derse, M.; Elsebrock, K.; Jehnichen, T.; Kley, T.; Kriegesmann, B.; Lerch, C.; Monstadt, H.; Weiß, P.; Wernet, M. (2022): Gestaltung einer digitalisierungsförderlichen Unternehmenskultur bei mittelständischen Industrieunternehmen. In: Nitsch, V.; Brandl, C.; Häußling, R.; Lemm, J.; Gries, T.; Schmenk, B. (Hrsg.): Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelt im Mittelstand 1. Ergebnisse und Best Practice des BMBF-Forschungsschwerpunkts "Zukunft der Arbeit: Mittelstand – innovativ und sozial", 99-132. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Vieweg.
• Jackwerth-Rice, T.; Lerch, C.; Weiß, P.; Jehnichen, T.; Derse, M.; Meier, M.; Wernet, M. (2021): "Unternehmenskultur 4.0" bei einem Zulieferbetrieb gestalten − Strategien schrittweiser kultureller Transformation am Beispiel der Einführung eines digitalen Werkzeugmanagements, Industrie Management 3/2021, 16-20.
  
• Baden-Württemberg Stiftung gGmbH (Hrsg.) (2020): Struktur und Dynamik des Forschungs- und Wissenschaftsstandorts Baden-Württemberg. Schriftenreihe der Baden-Württemberg Stiftung Forschung Nr. 93. Stuttgart: Baden-Württemberg Stiftung gGmbH.
  
• Horvat, D.; Stahlecker, T.; Zenker, A.; Lerch, C.; Mladineo M. (2018): A conceptual approach to analysing manufacturing companies' profiles concerning Industry 4.0 in emerging economies, Procedia Manufacturing 17, 419-426.
  
• Horvat, D.; Lerch, C.; Wydra, S. (2017): Dynamics of the European lignocellulosic (2G) ethanol demand: An analysis of policy and learning effects on market growth. The 36th International Conference of the System Dynamics Society, Cambridge MA, Proceedings.
• Lerch, C.; Schnabl, E.; Meyer, N.; Jäger, A. (2017): Digitale Geschäftsmodelle – Sind kleine und mittlere Unternehmen der Metropolregion Stuttgart bereit für die Digitalisierung? Stuttgart: Industrie- und Handelskammer Region Stuttgart.
• Frietsch, R.; Lutz, J.; Neuhäusler, P.; Schubert, T.; Lerch, C.; Bethke, N.; Rothengatter, O. (2016): Der Beitrag der Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zum deutschen Innovationssystem. Karlsruhe: Fraunhofer ISI.
  
• Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und Digitale Gesellschaft (Hrsg.) (2016): Gute Entwicklung. Gute Aussichten. Thüringer Mittelstandsbericht. Erfurt: TMWWDG.
  
• Jäger, A.; Moll, C.; Lerch, C. (2016): Analysis of the impact of robotic systems on employment in the European Union – Update. Final report. Luxembourg: European Commission, Directorate-General of Communications Networks, Content & Technology. Publications Office of the European Union. DOI: 10.2759/176994 .
  
• Lerch, C.; Gandenberger, C.; Meyer, N.; Gotsch, M. (2016): Grundzüge einer industriell-kollaborativen Wirtschaftsform. In: Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung, Band 85, Nr. 2, 65-80.
  
• Walz, R.; Köhler, J.; Lerch, C. (2016): Towards modelling of innovation systems: an integrated TIS-MLP approach for wind turbines (= Fraunhofer ISI Discussion Papers Innovation Systems and Policy Analysis Nr. 50). Karlsruhe: Fraunhofer ISI.
  
• Köhler, J.; Braungardt, S.; Hettesheimer, T.; Lerch, C.; Nabitz, L.; Sartorius, C.; Walz, R. (2016): The dynamic simulation of TIS functions in transitions pathways (= Fraunhofer ISI Discussion Papers Innovation Systems and Policy Analysis Nr. 48). Karlsruhe: Fraunhofer ISI.
• Lerch, C.; Gotsch, M. (2015): Digitalization for Product-Service Systems in Manufacturing Firms – A Case Study Analysis, in: Research-Technology Management, Special Issue: Service Innovation, in: Baines, T; Euchner, J. (Eds.), in Press
  
• Lerch, C.; Gotsch, M. (2015): How digitalization can accelerate the transfor-mation from manufacturer to service provider, Spring Servitization Conference, Aston, UK, - Winner Best Paper Award -.