Innovation and applied research

Digitalisation is increasingly transforming all areas of the professions of tax consultants, lawyers, and their clients. To be prepared for these changes, DATEV is working with its customers, partners, and universities to develop innovative solutions for tomorrow.

Artificial intelligence. Big data. Blockchain. New technologies are rapidly and profoundly changing our future. Digital transformation is creating new business models and changing the working environment.

Creating innovation together

Innovation management is the framework for innovation at DATEV and creates a general setup for new projects. These are accompanied throughout the entire process: starting with identifying potential from developments in the market, legislation, society, and technology, through to targeted idea generation and evaluation, and up to market readiness.

Innovation is an open process in collaboration with customers and partners in science and business.

Researching future customer needs

DATEV lab was set up to support the future viability of tax consultants and their clients in this rapidly changing environment. It aims to identify potential at an early stage and to derive and evaluate disruptive business models. The lab is based on the fail-fast principle and the co-creation of ideas with customers, start-ups, companies, and universities.

Technology projects with partners

As an IT company, DATEV relies on technological innovation. In addition to its own projects, it networks with partners from the world of science - including start-ups and universities - and cooperates in applied development projects for key technologies such as machine learning or knowledge graphs.

Collaboration ranges from informal exchanges to smaller student research projects, from PhD and Masters students to strategic consortia projects.

Blockchain and distributed ledger technology

DATEV is a pioneer in accounting technology and provides new services and solutions for tax advisors and companies. Blockchain technology is a foundation that can support the DATEV ecosystem in the future.