‘The network should integrate the East Bavarian universities of Passau and Regensburg as well as the universities of Amberg-Weiden, Deggendorf, Landshut and Regensburg with their different orientations and strengths. We were convinced that together we could better emphasise our quality and weight. That's why we wanted to strengthen our cooperation and share our scientific and technical expertise in the field of the internet and digitalisation,’ says Prof. Dr Burkhard Freitag, who was the main initiator of the network as President of the University of Passau at the time. This was also based on the conviction that many issues in this field cannot be adequately addressed by individual disciplines in isolation. ‘The fact that the network is now firmly established shows how important the trusting cooperation is to all six universities, which has developed in recent years, not least as a result of the TRIO project. Together, we are simply much more visible and we can offer the region a range that is quite unique, especially due to the different types of universities and the large number of disciplines from the region,’ says Prof Dr Tomas Sauer, spokesperson for the steering committee.
Activities and successes of the network
‘We are proud that INDIGO is so broadly based in its activities,’ says Anne-Kathrin Böhm. These include the promotion of young scientists and the support of research collaborations. In particular, the network promotes interdisciplinary cooperation in the field of applied research and basic research between universities. The KI Campus Ostbayern (KICO) was established in 2020 specifically for the topic of artificial intelligence (AI). KICO is a cooperation platform with which the participating universities aim to pool their expertise in the field of AI, strengthen scientific exchange and expand cooperation with industry and society. Exchange, communication and networking are central parameters of the network, which sees itself as a knowledge and information hub for members and cooperation partners. Another success of the cross-university cooperation is the TRIO (Transfer and Innovation East Bavaria) project, which emerged from the successful cooperation in the INDIGO network. TRIO cooperated with regional partners in the field of knowledge and technology transfer in an alliance between the six universities in Eastern Bavaria and was funded between 2018 and 2022 in the federal-state programme ‘Innovative University’.
Continuation of the network
The INDIGO member universities will continue to rely on the established cooperation of recent years and would like to continue the network. In July 2022, the presidents of the East Bavarian universities and colleges met to decide to continue their collaboration in the INDIGO network. To this end, a framework agreement was concluded between the INDIGO member universities, thus manifesting the good and trusting cooperation within the network. In addition to existing research collaborations, joint activities in knowledge and technology transfer will be expanded and interdisciplinary dialogue between different disciplines will be further promoted. Already established formats, such as the TRIOKON transfer conference, will also be continued in future and further developed in collaboration with all member universities and cooperation partners. The INDIGO network is characterised by suitable networking and communication activities and creates awareness of the existing scientific expertise and the concerns of INDIGO member universities in business, society and politics.
About the INDIGO network
The six East Bavarian universities - OTH Amberg-Weiden, TH Deggendorf, Landshut University of Applied Sciences, University of Passau, University of Regensburg and OTH Regensburg - have been working together in the Internet and Digitalisation East Bavaria (INDIGO) network since 2014. The primary goal of the network is to permanently strengthen the region of Eastern Bavaria as an excellent centre of science, but also as a location for high-performance and successful commercial enterprises. In particular, the network promotes interdisciplinary cooperation in the field of applied research and basic research between the participating universities. Since its foundation, the INDIGO network has promoted increased cooperation between East Bavarian universities and scientists in the field of digitalisation and beyond through a wide range of activities. Based on the cross-university pooling of existing scientific expertise created by INDIGO, new collaborations within the network and with external stakeholders have been initiated and funding applications successfully submitted within the network. Further information can be found at https://www.indigo-netzwerk.de/
