Cyber Valley Days: The AI festival in the state of Baden-Württemberg

June 24, 2024

Experts from the international AI and robotics community were guests at Cyber Valley. As co-founder of Europe's largest AI campus, the University of Stuttgart stands for cutting-edge research in the fields of intelligent robotics, intelligent systems, and AI.
[Picture: Cyber Valley / Flügelmann]

The Innovation Campus is combining basic research and practice

The AI Innovation Campus presentation at the Cyber Valley Days in Tübingen and Stuttgart. Minister of Science Petra Olschowski opened the world's first ELLIS Institute at the "Finale” and announced the Cyber Valley expansion to include the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). This marks the start of the second phase of the innovation campus model for research into Artificial Intelligence. Key topics such as robotics and health are utilizing AI to an ever greater extent. The University of Stuttgart, which is also home to the newly established Robotics Institute Germany (RIG), contributes its excellent research in the fields of intelligent robotics, intelligent systems, and AI to Cyber Valley.

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Areas of the future: robotics and health

Cyber Valley is based on scientific excellence and entrepreneurial innovation. The Innovation Campus is already regarded as a leading research institution in machine learning and in the field of computer vision. The focus of the second phase, which has now been launched, includes the robotics and health areas of the future. In addition, the newly opened ELLIS Institute in Tübingen offers top-ranking international AI researchers the greatest possible freedom and attractive working conditions. Since the foundation of Cyber Valley, its community has steadily expanded strategically – and is now to include the ELLIS Institute and KIT. The latest accession will bring the AI powerhouse regions of Stuttgart-Tübingen and Karlsruhe even closer together. 

Intelligent robotics and intelligent systems from Stuttgart

"I’m looking forward to working with KIT as a new university partner and the ELLIS Institute in Tübingen," says Prof. Wolfram Ressel, Rector of the University of Stuttgart. "Together we can further advance our excellent AI research". As part of Cyber Valley and as a partner of the Robotics Institute Germany (RIG), the University of Stuttgart is focusing on intelligent robotics and the embedding of intelligent systems in physical systems. Top-ranking scientists from, among others, the Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the SimTech and IntCDC Clusters of Excellence, the Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart (BITS) research network, the Interchange Forum for Reflecting on Intelligent Systems (IRIS), and the Artificial Intelligence Software Academy (AISA) not only want to anchor modern AI developments in the engineering sciences, but also harness the potential of intelligent systems for the benefit of society. One focus is on research into intelligent robots and new materials as well as the development of new simulation technologies for applications in the healthcare sector. Another focus is on ethical issues and utilization options.

The Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart (BITS) research network also presented itself at the Cyber Valley Days. From left to right: Prof. Martin Giese, Minister of Science Petra Olschowski, Prof. Sabine Ludwigs, Prof. Syn Schmitt.

The University of Stuttgart has strong transfer structures

"Cyber Valley not only stands for excellent basic research in the field of AI, but also for the successful transfer of technology and knowledge in this important field," says Prof. Peter Middendorf, Vice Rector for Knowledge and Technology Transfer at the University of Stuttgart. With its TRACES transfer center and the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Science (ENI), the University of Stuttgart has strong transfer structures. Together with the TTI GmbH technology transfer initiative, the University of Stuttgart is promoting a start-up-oriented transfer that transforms its inventions into economically and socially useful innovations and contributes to securing competitiveness, reflectiveness, and prosperity in business, science, and society.

Research transfer and social dialog as important tasks

In future, the Cyber Valley partners want to further strengthen the transfer of research and the ecosystem for AI start-ups. The 67 start-ups in the Cyber Valley start-up network are active in a wide range of sectors – for example, in the healthcare sector, in the construction industry, and in the areas of mobility and agriculture. The scientists also provide information about the opportunities and challenges of AI applications and support critical reflection. Because Artificial Intelligence has the potential to fundamentally change our society and our lives. In the new phase, the overarching goal of the Cyber Valley Innovation Campus will remain the same: Baden-Württemberg is set to be a global leader in the field of AI.

About Cyber Valley
Cyber Valley is Europe’s largest research consortium in the field of Artificial Intelligence, with partners from science and industry. The state of Baden-Württemberg, the Max Planck Society with the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, the universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen as well as Amazon, BMW AG, IAV GmbH, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, and ZF Friedrichshafen AG are the founding partners of this initiative. The Fraunhofer Society has also been a Cyber Valley partner since 2019. In addition, Cyber Valley is supported by the Christian Bürkert Foundation, the Gips Schüle Foundation, the Vector Foundation as well as the Carl Zeiss Foundation. Most recently, the Innovation Campus was expanded to include the world's first ELLIS Institute and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

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