September 23, 2025 | New at BCG

  • Boston Consulting Group and BCG X AI Science Institute have Entered into a Strategic Research Partnership with the Chair of Strategy and Organization at the Technical University of Munich
  • With the “BCG + TUM AI Strategy Research Cluster,” they Aim to Conduct Practical AI Research and Make the Research Findings Available to Companies
  • The Goal of their Partnership Is to Close the Gap between Academic Excellence and Entrepreneurial Reality

Munich—Two key developments are emerging in the global competition for artificial intelligence: the race for technological leadership, and the equally crucial, but often underestimated, race for adoption and value creation through AI in companies. While public discourse often focuses on technical innovations, business practice shows that the introduction of AI solutions alone is not enough to achieve significant increases in sales or profitability. Against this backdrop, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and BCG X AI Science Institute recently entered into a strategic research partnership with the Chair of Strategy and Organization at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). They are jointly establishing the “BCG + TUM AI Strategy Research Cluster.”

Bridging the Gap Between Research and Business Practice

“Many companies have introduced initial AI applications, but the breakthrough in value creation often fails to materialize,” said Dr. Andrej Levin, Partner and AI expert at BCG. “For AI to realize its full potential, it must be deeply integrated into corporate strategy and processes.” This is precisely where the new research cluster comes in: TUM researchers and BCG will jointly investigate how companies can not only introduce artificial intelligence technologically, but also embed it strategically and structurally. In addition to technological issues, the focus is on the role of so-called non-tech leaders – executives outside of IT who, through targeted process changes, represent the lever for actual value creation.

“In close collaboration with partners from business and academia, our cluster aims to establish theoretical foundations, gain practical insights, and actively implement them within companies,” said Dr. Isabell Welpe from the Chair of Strategy and Organization at TUM. The goal is to set new standards for the strategic integration of AI and demonstrate concrete paths to implementation. “The combination of scientific depth and practical experience creates a unique space to rethink the role of AI in corporate strategy – in an interdisciplinary and application-oriented manner.”

Research, Teaching, and Dialogue

The BCG and TUM research cluster will begin its work immediately. Initial research projects and practical projects have already begun, and doctoral students from Boston Consulting Group will contribute to the cluster during their doctoral studies. Starting in the winter semester of 2025, the lecture “Value Creation with AI in Corporates: Lessons from Success and Failure” will also begin, with expertise from BCG, and regularly accompanied by leading figures from the corporate world. Through exchanges with the business community in the form of roundtables and conferences, the research partners aim to actively promote the topic “Strategic AI Value Creation” in business, science, and society.

The partnership therefore aims to conduct research that is as practice-oriented as possible, develop scientific publications, and set new standards for the successful integration of AI into companies, “We want to lay the foundation for excellent research and practical innovation in the field of artificial intelligence – and thus close the gap between academic excellence and entrepreneurial reality,” said Dr. Levin.

Learn more here: BCG x TUM AI Strategy Research Cluster

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