University and knowledge landscape

Starting from the AI Centre in Munich, there are four AI hubs in Bavaria: Ingolstadt, Erlangen-Nuremberg and Würzburg, which span a thematically focused network of AI research ­across the state. Science Minister Bernd Sibler launched for the Würzburg AI hub as early as summer 2020. This “Data ­Science Hub” is run jointly by the Julius-Maximilians-­Universität (JMU) and Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied ­Sciences (FHWS), but with separate institutions. For example, the ­Centre for ­Artificial Intelligence Data Science (CAIDAS) at JMU and the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and ­Robotics (CAIRO) at FHWS are the central interface of the AI Data ­Science network. The Free ­State of Bavaria has made ten ­professorships available for this. The core of CAIDAS is formed by 19 professorships ­dedicated to the methodolog­ical foundations and various aspects of human-computer inter­action. The foundations of AI for the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and life sciences are also included. CAIRO’s mission is to be a Bavarian hotspot for technology transfer and a competence and know-how catalyst for all Bavarian companies, universities and start-up initiatives. With four professors from HTB, four AI research professors and professors for AI applications, the FHWS is researching the interrelated fields of cognitive ­intelligence (language, physical movement, learning) and aims to produce a universal system.

And so we come to the second important higher education ­institution in Main Franconia – Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences (THWS), which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021 and was renamed in 2022 by Prime Minister Markus Söder at the inauguration of CAIRO. This reflects the scientific reputation that the THWS, with its two locations in Würzburg and Schweinfurt, represents in the region and ­beyond. The THWS has developed rapidly in recent years through excellent projects, additional professors, cross-disci­plinary institutes and new degree programmes. The cross-faculty Institute for ­Digital Engineering (IDEE), for example, conducts research in the field of with industry 4.0, production technology, the ­Internet of Things and is home to the previously described Centre for Artificial Intelligence ­(CAIRO) and the Centre Robotics (CERI). However, the university also has excellent non-technical ­areas, such as the Faculty of Design, with its many awards, which elevates the THWS to the best design uni­versities in Germany. Over the last ten years, new undergraduate and innovative degree programmes such as e-commerce, techno­mathematics, geovisualisation, robotics and hydrogen have been developed and successfully introduced. THWS offers a creative environment for students with looking to found a start-up at a new innovation laboratory at the Schweinfurt location, called WERK:RAUM. Currently, more than 9,300 students are ­enrolled with 252 ­professors and over 500 staff. The THWS operates 90 laboratories, seven institutes and two technology transfer centres. Another three technology transfer centres will be added at the end of the year.

With the Technology Transfer Centres (TTC), the THWS is creating a research and transfer network spanning across all ­districts in Main Franconia. Started more than ten years ago with the TTC Electromobility (TTC-EMO) in Bad Neustadt, the second TTC for corrugated plastic pipes (TTC-SPPS) was recently opened in Hassfurt. Another TTC for laboratory ­analysis in Bad ­Kissingen, a TTC for 3D printing in Markt­heidenfeld and a TTC for robotics and digitalisation in Kitzingen will ­follow at the end of the year. This means that a TTC will be located in all districts in Main Franconia outside the two ­major cities. With the participation of companies and institutions, such as the Würzburg-Schweinfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce, an endowment volume is provided that supports the endowed professor and the TTC in addition to the 25 million euros of funding from the Bavarian government. Through the close proximity of the TTC to the companies in the districts, the THWS and its founders hope to promote an even better tech­nology transfer, improve the ­attractiveness of the region and ­recruit highly qualified experts.

In addition to the two universities, Würzburg is home to other non-university institutions that form a dense network between business and science. These include the Fraunhofer Insti­tute for Silicate Research (FhG-ISC), the Plastics Centre (SKZ), the Center for Applied Energy Research e. V. (CAE), the Zentrum für Telematik e. V. (ZfT), the Steinbeis Research Center Design & Systems, the Fraunhofer IIS Magnetic Resonance and X-ray Imaging and the Nanotechnology Cluster. There is a Fraun­hofer IPA working group KI-NOW in Schweinfurt. The ­region is also strongly represented in the field of medicine with the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), the ­Comprehensive Cancer Care Center Mainfranken (CCCM) and the Digitali­sierungszentrum Präzisions- und Telemedizin (DZ.PTM), which each run their own cooperation networks. The Zentrum für Telemedizin (ZTM) in Bad Kissingen is also integrated into the network.

A dense research and knowledge landscape promotes the ­necessary technology transfer in cooperation with the Main Franconian economy. This helps secure the long-term future of companies, jobs and prosperity in the region. For this reason, the Main Franconian business community, represented by the Würzburg-Schweinfurt Chamber of Industry and Com­merce, has been supporting innovative scientific activities at uni­versities since 1982 with the “Förderpreis der Mainfränkischen Wirtschaft” award.