CeBIT lab has gained the patronage of Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan, the German Minister for Education and Research (BMBF), who will open the Future Laboratory on the first day of CeBIT.

CeBIT lab 2012 will not only provide a platform for the elite of the German research sector, but also welcome representatives from across Europe, South America, Australia and the Middle East who recognize that this is a great opportunity to present their developments and benefit from a global transfer of knowledge. The event will also attract participants representing the European Commission and institutes from Australia, Brazil, China, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Turkey.

In 2012 the conference forum "CeBIT lab talk", located at Hall 26, will take place under the motto "How researchers view the future". The discussion will focus on the so-called "fourth industrial revolution" and on robotics, as well as the topics Urban Vision, Assisted Living, 3D and Open Cloud Technology.

The know-how, creativity and motivation of employees are an important force that can often drive innovation, but this pre-supposes the provision of training, effective know-how transfer and an intelligent approach to managing human resources. This is why the keynote Resources & Career will be part of the CeBIT lab program as of 2012. The program will embrace everything ranging from advice and talent spotting to an online job exchange and on-the-spot recruitment at the show. The organizers of CeBIT have also embarked on new cooperation with monster.de, Germany's best-known private online career portal. Another new development is Recruiting Day on the Saturday of CeBIT.

"We are systematically developing CeBIT as a job platform and hope to make a contribution towards combating the acute and international shortage of skilled personnel affecting industry", explains Pörschmann. "CeBIT is invaluable for everyone seeking vocational orientation or information on the diverse careers available in high-tech sectors. Beyond that it represents an excellent opportunity for job interviews with potential employers -irrespective of whether the applicant wants to work as an IT expert in the user industries or as a marketing manager in an ICT company."