Visit of the partner university SCIT at Pforzheim University - deepening a long-standing cooperation

Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences and its partner university SCIT have enjoyed a close and very personal working relationship for many years. As part of this long-standing cooperation, Prof. Dr. S. Vijaykumar Bharathi and Prof. Dr. Mandaar Pande visited Pforzheim University in December to deepen existing relationships, discuss current developments in teaching and research and explore new joint perspectives. The visit was organized in close coordination between the members of Pforzheim University involved, in particular Prof. Dr. Frank Morelli, Prof. Dr. Rebecca Bulander and Prof. Dr. Manuel Fritz, who are actively involved in shaping the collaboration with SCIT in the field of business informatics and process mining.

After arriving at the train station, the guests were welcomed by Prof. Dr. Rebecca Bulander and enjoyed a coffee together on campus. The subsequent discussion with the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Dr Ingolf Müller, focused on current developments in the degree programmes, internationalization and the role of digital technologies. Over lunch in the Seehaus, there was an opportunity to talk about joint teaching formats, student exchanges and possible duplication of teaching in a relaxed atmosphere. Prof. Dr. Rebecca Bulander had also organized a welcome gift with typical specialties from Baden-Württemberg, which once again underlined the personal appreciation for the guests.

A visit to the Rectorate followed in the afternoon, during which Prof. Dr. Ulrich Jautz explained the strategic orientation of Pforzheim University and emphasized the importance of international cooperation for research, teaching and profile building. Another item on the program was a visit to the Faculty of Design, where the potential of interdisciplinary cooperation between design, business and IT was discussed. The subsequent excursion to the Gasometer, a joint visit to the Pforzheim Christmas market and a round of curling created an informal setting that deepened the personal exchange and further strengthened the already friendly relationship between the institutions.

In terms of content, the discussions focused in particular on the interfaces between process mining and artificial intelligence. Specific starting points for joint projects in teaching and research were discussed, for example in the form of international case studies, joint Master's projects or cooperative events. Prof. Dr. Manuel Fritz made important technical contributions on these topics, so it quickly became clear that both sides have a strong interest in expanding cooperation in these strategic fields.

Overall, SCIT's visit not only confirmed the long-standing collaboration, but also visibly deepened it. There is a clear desire on both sides to further intensify academic exchange, provide students with additional mobility and project experience and advance joint initiatives in the fields of digital technologies, process mining and data-driven decision support. Pforzheim University looks back on the visit with great appreciation and looks forward to translating the ideas initiated on this day into concrete cooperation projects.