Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has joined forces with the universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen to set up a future-oriented state graduate center (LGZ) for applied artificial intelligence in Heilbronn. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on May 8, 2025 marked the start of this unique project in Germany. The LGZ is designed to boost the training of skilled workers in pioneering AI-related fields such as chip design, robotics, and cybersecurity.
This special institution’s goal is to support doctoral students who conduct research at the interface between computer science, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. The LGZ will be set up as an external location of KIT in Heilbronn and will be run jointly with the universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen.
Goals and Vision
The LGZ aims to attract international talent for the specified pioneering fields, provide outstanding training, and facilitate their transition from science to industry and start-ups. “With the LGZ, we are setting up an innovative real-world higher education policy lab for the top talent of tomorrow,” said Minister for Science, Research, and the Arts Petra Olschowski on May 16 in Stuttgart. “We are creating an experimental space with more flexible conditions to test and establish new formats for training top doctoral candidates in pioneering AI-related fields, for recruitment and for cooperation between science, industry, and start-ups. This is a great opportunity for the country.”
“To fully exploit the potential of artificial intelligence, we need talented young people from all over the world who bring in new perspectives and drive ideas forward,” says Professor Oliver Kraft, Vice President Research at KIT. “If we want to stay at the forefront of science and business on an international level, we need to offer excellent learning and working conditions to the brightest minds. Our educational mission is a key part of our contract with society: Research builds knowledge – our graduates create impact. That’s what the LGZ stands for.”
Financing and Milestones
A founding directorate is to be appointed later this year. The center is due to be completed in 2029 and will then receive up to 30 million euros in funding from the state each year. Initially, 1.4 million euros have been earmarked for 2025 and eleven million euros for 2026. In addition to ten professors, more than 60 doctoral candidates and around 20 post-doctoral researchers will conduct research at the graduate center.
Caption:
Working together for strong AI research (from left): Professor Peter Middendorf, Rector of the University of Stuttgart, Professor Karla Pollmann, Rector of the University of Tübingen, Petra Olschowski, Minister for Science, Research, and the Arts, and Professor Jan S. Hesthaven, President of KIT, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday, May 8, on the foundation of a state graduate center for applied artificialintelligence (LGZ). (Photo: MWK)
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
KIT an neuem Landesgraduiertenzentrum fuer KI beteiligt_Gruppenbild