Kick-off Event for DriFT@HsH

The DriFT@HsH strategy project officially kicked off on 13 April. With this, Hochschule Hannover - University of Applied Sciences and Arts is driving forward its transformation into a future lab for artificial intelligence and sustainability. The project has been allocated €16.25 million from the ‘zukunft.niedersachsen’ programme – a joint research funding initiative of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture and the Volkswagen Foundation.

The focus is on the goal of not only researching artificial intelligence, but also putting it into concrete practice – in teaching, research and knowledge transfer. President Josef von Helden called for interdisciplinary exchange and cross-faculty collaboration. With his statement “Innovation arises from dialogue”, he invited the entire Hochschule Hannover - University of Applied Sciences and Arts to play an active role in shaping the transformation processes in Business, Society and Administration.

As project leader, Martin Grotjahn presented key areas of focus and the next steps in development, and provided an outlook on further implementation. In future, lecturers, researchers, students and staff will work together in two centres of excellence and three innovation labs on specific issues relating to artificial intelligence and sustainability. The scope is vast – and so is the potential for innovative solutions: for example, for a climate-neutral campus, sustainably produced textiles or AI applications to promote greater participation.

The aim is not only to develop new ideas, but also to put them into practice and provide concrete impetus for the university, the region and society.