Ulm University and the Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute’s new Graduate School is supporting businesses with the digital transformation.
More than just a buzzword, the digital transformation involves profound changes for businesses of all sizes. For small and medium-sized enterprises in particular, this means that if they wish to remain innovative, they need concrete ideas, sound concepts and reliable partners. And that’s where a new flagship project comes in: Ulm University and the Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute in Heilbronn have joined forces to launch the Graduate School Digital Transformation Heilbronn/Ulm (GSDT).
The joint Graduate School was established with the clear goal of combining academic excellence with concrete value propositions. This approach can be especially helpful for businesses currently undergoing digital transformation. The two partners’ different areas of expertise make them ideally suited to supporting broad-based research into this transformation.
“We are producing top-ranked papers and we change the world”
This quote encapsulates what the GSDT is all about. Research isn’t just about producing publications; it should also lead to real change. That’s why Ulm University and the Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute (FSTI) collaborate especially closely in the Graduate School, each partner contributing their specific expertise. Ulm University contributes knowledge of digital platforms and markets, sustainable digital transformation and (explainable) artificial intelligence. This is complemented by the Ferdinand-SteinbeisInstitute’s expertise in digital twins, cooperative data spaces and sustainable value creation. This combination makes the GSDT a unique driver of innovation.
“Our collaboration, which is especially close in the field of Digital Business and Analytics, is developing into a flagship project in Baden-Württemberg,” says President of Ulm University, Professor Dr.-Ing. Michael Weber. Professor Reinhold R. Geilsdörfer, Managing Director of the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, which funds the Graduate School, is equally enthusiastic: “It’s particularly important that, alongside generating ideas for scientific innovations, interdisciplinary doctoral projects also create useful outputs for businesses and the public.”
First doctoral projects begin
Work has already started on the first doctoral theses, with a strong practical focus reflected in the themes they address. Research topics include the use of cooperative data spaces as a basis for new forms of value creation, the integration of cyber-physical systems with digital ecosystems, and how artificial intelligence functions compared to human decision-making. Other projects are examining how cultural factors influence digital nudging towards more sustainable behaviors. The doctoral program has two distinctive features. The first is “tandem supervision”, where doctoral students are supervised by two professors, one from Ulm University and one from the FSTI. The second is the “Heilbronner Forschungscolloquium” (HFC, Heilbronn Research Colloquium), a discussion platform where doctoral students regularly present their research projects. This includes everything from the research questions to the theoretical principles and discussion of the findings and their relevance to both research and practice.
Directly bridging the gap between research and practice
Because the projects draw on the different perspectives of the Graduate School partners and the doctoral students themselves, they help to directly bridge the gap between university research and application-based development. But what does this mean for entrepreneurs and doctoral students? “The GSDT offers a lot to anyone wanting to talk to researchers, gain new perspectives for their business model or contribute to scientific research with real-world impact. We don’t just write about it, we actively shape the digital transformation through our collaborative, practical, and forward-looking projects,” says Professor Dr. habil. Heiner Lasi, Academic Director of the Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute.
Contact details and further information:
Graduate School Digital Transformation
c/o Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institut Bildungscampus 9
74076 Heilbronn
gsdt@ferdinand-steinbeis-institut.de [1]
https://ferdinand-steinbeis-institut.de/gsdt/ [2]