The EXDIGIT Advisory Board, chaired by Dr. Emile Aarts, Professor and former Rector at Tilburg University (Netherlands), met for the first time to strategically plan and orient the new Faculty of Digital and Analytical Sciences at PLUS. The aim of the meeting was to establish an interdisciplinary research and development platform in forward-looking digital topics.

The new Faculty of Digital and Analytical Sciences was established at the beginning of 2022 as part of the major structural reform at the PLUS. Four departments were assigned to the new faculty with around 1000 students and 140 employees: Artificial Intelligence and Human Interfaces (AIHI), Geoinformatics, Computer Science and Mathematics. The board also spoke with representatives of the Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials from the Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences, which is closely involved with the EXDIGIT project. The province of Salzburg is investing around 10 million euros in the new faculty. This is the largest single investment in research funding by the province to date. “By developing the DAS Faculty, we want to respond to the growing competition and strengthen Salzburg’s position as a leading centre of research,” emphasises Vice Rector for Research Nicola Hüsing, who is overseeing the project at the PLUS. Another goal is to achieve a greater presence in European and national programmes of excellence and other high-ranking research initiatives, Hüsing adds.

To achieve this, the EXDIGIT project (Excellence in Digital Sciences and Interdisciplinary Technologies) was launched. The tasks of EXDIGIT include the creation of three interdisciplinary bridge professorships, a research college with doctoral candidates and postdocs, and the expansion of the field of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Prof. Dr. Emile Aarts chairs the EXDIGIT Advisory Board and will accompany the development of interdisciplinary research at the DAS together with a team of external academic experts. The board’s tasks include specifying the research programme, providing technical support for job advertisements and appointments, and quality assurance in the development of the research programme. The other members of the Advisory Board are Dr Michael Stampfer – Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF), Austria; Dr Karina Preiß – Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Germany; Dr Nicole Formica-Schiller – Pamanicor Health, Switzerland and Prof Dr Alison Kennedy – STFC Hartree Centre, UK. The Advisory Board was established as part of an initiative by the University and the province of Salzburg.

Prof. Aarts is pleased with the departments’ commitment at the DAS: “I was amazed at the enthusiasm of the departmental representatives, but also at the differences in approaches and cultures in the faculty. “During the meetings, the needs of the individual departments were identified. “Based on this, we were able to start thinking about possible interdisciplinary activities,” says Aarts. The board also spoke with representatives of the Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials from the Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences, which is closely involved with the EXDIGIT project. As EXDIGIT is a joint initiative of the province and the PLUS, the province will also play a decisive role in shaping Salzburg as a centre of knowledge and thus in the allocation of funds, Aarts emphasises.

At the heart of the Advisory Board’s consulting activities is the establishment of three bridge professorships. “So far, we have not been able to make a final decision on where and how these “bridges” should best be “built”: either between the DAS faculty and external institutions/companies or between the internal institutions.” In any case, Prof. Aarts says one thing is certain: “The new professorships are the starting point for the entire initiative and this process should be completed by spring 2023.”

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Emile Arts, Chair EXDIGIT Advisory Board
Tilburg University (Netherlands)