IT:U’s Industry Sounding Board promotes dialogue between science and industry
The Industry Sounding Board of the IT:U Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria was established to strengthen the dialogue between scientific research and industrial practice. The board will meet again in November 2024. The aim is to tackle global challenges together and further develop interdisciplinary studies in a forward-looking way.
The Industry Sounding Board brings together leading companies such as voestalpine, Fronius, KEBA and Dynatrace to help shape interdisciplinary study programmes.
“The Industry Sounding Board has accompanied IT:U since its foundation. We regularly present our approaches to research and teaching there and receive valuable feedback and support. There is a great deal of interest from industry in our project-orientated teaching methodology”.Stefanie Lindstaedt, Founding President of IT:U
IT:U researches and teaches at the interface between artificial intelligence and the various specialist disciplines. This platform further expands the bridge between the disciplines and lays the foundation for innovative education. The close collaboration between higher education and industry ensures that IT:U graduates are optimally prepared for the demands of the modern working world.
The Industry Sounding Board includes the following companies, among others:
- BMW Group Werk Steyr, Dr. Roberto Massimiani, Head of Engine Assembly
- Dynatrace Austria GmbH, Mag. Sok-Kheng Taing, Co-Founder
- Fronius International GmbH, Volker Lenzeder MBA, CIO
- Hueck Folien GmbH, DI Dr. Martin Bergsmann, Speaker of the Management Board
- IFN Holding AG, DI (FH) Stephan Kubinger MBA, Managing Director & Co-owner
- KEBA Industrial Automotion GmbH, Markus Schatz MBA, CEO
- Miba AG, Dr. Michael Schleicher, CTO
- Raiffeisenlandesbank OÖ, Mag. Michaela Keplinger-Mitterlehner, CMO
- voestalpine AG, Markus Schaal, CIO
“I support the IT:U Sounding Board because I am convinced that initiatives in education, research and innovation are the best investments in our future. Linz is the founding location of Dynatrace, from here we have grown with over 10 years of experience in AI research and development to a company with a turnover of over 1 billion euros. Due to our growth, we are looking for international experts who conduct research at the interface of science and business in order to drive digitalisation in companies and society. IT:U will also produce such talents”.Sok-Kheng Taing, Co-Founder Dynatrace Austria GmbH
“The digital transformation is one of the key challenges of our time. It affects every single company and therefore our shared business location. It influences competitiveness and future readiness, and at the same time opens up huge new market potential. In order to meet the challenge as a company and optimally utilise the potential of the ongoing transformation, one thing is needed above all: highly qualified experts and IT specialists who are in charge of driving the implementation forward. Every company needs this expertise in-house. And this is precisely where IT:U comes in under the title ‘Interdisciplinary Transformation’ and thus makes an important contribution to Upper Austria as an industrial and business location. As the KEBA Group, we are not only delighted about this great addition to the Upper Austrian university landscape, but also about being part of the IT:U Sounding Board together with other companies, the Federation of Austrian Industries and the Chamber of Commerce. In direct exchange with the team around Prof. Dr. Stefanie Lindstaedt, we can actively help shape the future, position our needs and define common directions in a constructive dialogue. After all, as a company in Upper Austria, we are all part of a great and successful ecosystem in which it is important to get involved, support each other and thus create real win/win situations”.Christoph Knogler, CEO KEBA Group AG
“Together with industry, the aim is to fully utilise the possibilities of artificial intelligence and train future experts who will use it to address socially relevant challenges in their field and respond with future-proof solutions”.Stefanie Lindstaedt, Founding President of IT:U
This Industry Sounding Board is complemented by the International Strategic Advisory Board (ISAB), which comprises seven internationally renowned scientists and focuses on the strategic development of IT:U.