This paper deals with challenges to the development of contemporary tools for collaboration in a global context. To this end, the authors trace the history of technical “communication”, from the distant past until events of more recent times, such as the end of NOKIA as an independent company. From a human perspective, cooperation is what we need; but for a long time technical communication facilitated only the transfer of messages. Technical support for real cooperation arose only in “modern” times, when technical channels become more “performant” and included tools capable of supporting interaction. This development was not limited to technical innovation in engineering and computer sciences. In other fields of knowledge such as economics, sociology and psychology it has become necessary to integrate, and a fusion of several areas of knowledge has to happen. For the given example, it is shown how additional aspects can be integrated into the traditional layer model of communication. Finally, the aspect of “fusion” becomes visible from the structure of the Faculty of Engineering of University of Duisburg- Essen as many of the new aspects beyond traditional engineering, which are required for groundbreaking developments can be found in the departments and institutes of this faculty.