Bosch and ITK Engineering launch new platform „freelancernetwork“

Pick up the phone and call around, research social networks, connect with companies at trade shows – these are some of the conventional ways freelancers try to win new clients and contracts. But old-school door-to-door canvassing is a time-consuming and largely analog chore. Today, freelancers need a quicker, more flexible, and digital way of finding the next right job. A new digital service is here to help with that. The "freelancernetwork" platform provides highly qualified freelancers direct and free access to currently available projects of the Bosch Group. Bosch project managers are looking for specialists in application software, cloud applications, cyber security, data analytics, embedded systems, functional security, artificial intelligence, system architecture, user experience, and web and mobile applications. "freelancernetwork" is the gateway to the Bosch world for highly qualified freelancers seeking direct access to search for exciting projects and get in touch with project managers (https://freelancer.technology).

A fast, efficient way of connecting experts with project managers

Two partners in the Bosch Group developed this digital service – the Connectory and ITK Engineering. The Connectory brand is both a co-innovation community and an ecosystem. Its initial mission was to build physical co-creation spaces around the world to establish an interdisciplinary IoT ecosystem. Recently, it also started offering various digital solutions. ITK Engineering is a wholly owned Bosch subsidiary specializing in software engineering, embedded systems, and model-based development. An international technology company, it provides customer-specific consulting and development support services as well as system solutions. These two partners joined forces to set up the freelancer platform. Bosch is thus among the first companies worldwide to afford external experts direct access to internal projects.

Freelancers with the right skills and credentials can use the platform to land attractive jobs – without having to pay recruiter or agency fees.

"A fundamental change is underway in our working world," says Martin Kröger, founder and head of the Connectory l Digital Solutions. "We are seeing much greater demand for short-term, flexible, and sometimes highly specialized services. This is where we enter the picture. With "freelancernetwork", we can quickly and efficiently connect highly qualified professionals with our project managers who are seeking precisely these skills." This freely accessible platform puts freelancers in touch with international projects pursued by Bosch and its customers.

Free and easy for freelancers to use

"New projects get underway every day at Bosch worldwide and we often bring in outside expertise," says Dennis Böcker, Head of Global IoT Innovation at Bosch and founder of the Connectory Spaces and Innovation Network. "It is often a big challenge to find the ideal freelancer precisely when you need one and quickly integrate that freelancer into the project without a lot of fuss. "freelancer network" will be the perfect platform for the two sides to quickly connect and a great addition to Connectory’s service portfolio." Currently, interested freelancers could choose from around 40 Bosch projects, which stemmed from 14 different Bosch business divisions, subsidiaries, and strategic project teams. The number of projects on offer since the portal’s launch has been increasing daily. Services are only available in Germany for now, but they will be offered worldwide. The launch in Japan and China is slated for early 2022.

Quality control is still a top priority. The customer evaluates each freelancer at the end of a project. Freelancers can make their profile more attractive to customers as they move up the ranking with positive ratings and a rising number and quality of completed projects to their credit.

A combination of freelancers and experts from ITK Engineering

The platform offers another great advantage for very complex projects. Clients can draw on the freelancer pool as well as on ITK Engineering’s workforce to staff their project teams. Around 1,200 ITK Engineering employees can contribute skills that have been honed over many years. "The freelancer network’s launch marks an important milestone in the digital services that ITK Engineering offers in the area of software and systems development," says Kröger.

This platform managed and operated by ITK Engineering is but one of several digital offerings. Customers can get a picture of the various services available now or to be launched in the months ahead at http://digitalsolutions.one. The company intends to roll out a platform for specialized micro companies and a student portal to promote the development of creative innovation.

About the Bosch Group:

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 395,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2020). The company generated sales of 71.5 billion euros in 2020. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT provider, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, Industry 4.0, and connected mobility. Bosch is pursuing a vision of mobility that is sustainable, safe, and exciting. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to facilitate connected living with products and solutions that either contain artificial intelligence (AI) or have been developed or manufactured with its help. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is "Invented for life." The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiary and regional companies in some 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. With its more than 400 locations worldwide, the Bosch Group has been carbon neutral since the first quarter of 2020. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At 129 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 73,000 associates in research and development, of which nearly 34,000 are software engineers.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, https://twitter.com/…

About Connectory:

The Connectory is a global innovation community dedicated to driving co-creation and digital innovation across industries, countries, and ecosystems. The Connectory contains of five physical spaces as well as a portfolio of innovation services offered virtually and in person. The five physical Connectory spaces in Chicago, USA; Guadalajara, Mexico; Stuttgart, Germany; Shanghai, China and Curitiba, Brazil. The Spaces are located in vibrant innovation ecosystems boasting cuttingedge technology and security, expert programming, and mentorship from leading experts in AIoT.

More than a co-working space, the Connectory offers partners a portfolio of cocreation models that fosters collaboration, networking, problem solving, and a new way of doing work in the age of connectivity. Recently enhanced with the Digital Solutions: offering leading edge digital engineering and software development platforms that apply progressive collaboration models.

www.theconnectory.com