​​New technologies are making major changes in our world of work. How we learn and teach is also changing. Factors such as individualization, flexibility and mobility also play a central role in higher education. Digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), open up new opportunities for students, teaching staff and higher education administration alike to rethink and improve study, teaching and administrative processes. Digitalization can help to make higher education even more open, equitable, international and efficient.​​

Our measures to promote digitalization in higher education​

• German Forum for Higher Education in the Digital Age (HFD)
• ​Federal Government/Länder initiative: AI in higher education
• ​AI Campus: the learning platform for artificial intelligence
• ​Research on digital higher education in four funding lines

​​German Forum for Higher Education in the Digital Age

​The German Forum for Higher Education in the Digital Age (HFD) sees itself as a national think & do tank focussed on digitalization in higher education and teaching. The Forum links, supports and advises players in higher education, politics, business and society. Established in 2014, the HFD is a joint initiative of the Stifterverband, the CHE Centre for Higher Education and the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK).​​

Federal Government/Länder initiative: AI in higher education

​This funding initiative focuses on increasing AI literacy among students and staff in higher education. The Federal Government and the Länder jointly provide funding for measures to develop study courses or individual modules in the field of AI and to build AI-driven systems, for example intelligent assistance systems. Since December 2021, 14 collaborative and 40 individual projects have received funding for a period of up to four years.​​

AI Campus

​You’d like to get advanced training in artificial intelligence? The BMBF-funded AI Campus is the learning platform for artificial intelligence with free online courses, videos and podcasts whose aim is to enhance AI and data literacy. The Stifterverband, the Charité, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW), the FernUniversität in Hagen, the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), the Humboldt University of Berlin, the mmb Institute and NEOCOSMO are developing the AI Campus together with numerous partners.​​

Research on digital higher education

​How can digitalization in higher education succeed? What role are innovative teaching and study methods playing in this context? What are the challenges in terms of technology, teaching, and organization? BMBF-funded projects have been working to answer these questions since 2017, exploring innovative, digital teaching/study formats in various disciplines and the conditions for their success.

​​Federal Government/Länder initiative: AI in higher education: Projects and their funding priorities

AI skills and tools

15 projects promote the acquisition of AI skills by establishing AI as course content. They also develop AI-based tools to support teaching staff and administration in higher education.

​AI skills

27 projects promote the acquisition of AI skills by establishing AI as course content in higher education.

​AI tools

12 projects develop AI-based tools to support teaching staff and administration in higher education.

Editorial deadline for this text: 01.11.2024