Fourth award in a row: Pforzheim University confirmed as Celonis Academic Center of Excellence at Celosphere Bavaria

In October 2025, Pforzheim University was named a Celonis Academic Center of Excellence for the fourth time in a row. Only thirteen colleges and universities worldwide receive this award. It stands for outstanding teaching in the field of process mining, for a visible scientific profile and for resilient cooperation with international partner institutions and companies. Other award-winning universities include RWTH Aachen University, the University of Münster and the NOVA Information Management School in Lisbon.

Since 2019, more than 4,800 students at Pforzheim University have acquired skills in process mining. Around 1,300 more are added each year. The subject area is firmly anchored in the curriculum. It forms an integral part of the Business Information Systems, Information Systems, Industrial Management and Engineering and Management degree programs. Process mining is also used in selected modules in the fields of business, law and technology. Students analyse real processes from industrial and administrative contexts, evaluate data models in operational use and develop reliable optimization approaches based on objective process data.

The university was once again represented at Celosphere 2025 in Munich. At the Academic Partner Day, Prof. Dr. Frank Morelli presented the university's activities in the field of process mining. In the elevator pitch, he explained the international focus of teaching and the increasing use of process mining for internal university processes. One example is its use to analyze recruiting and onboarding. Participation enabled the visibility of the university in a global specialist community and opened up new impulses for future collaborations.

International cooperation with the Symbiosis Center for Information Technology in Pune plays a central role. Students from both educational institutions are working on joint capstone projects on end-to-end processes such as order to cash or purchase to pay. The cooperation provides a new impetus for the further development of the subject area. On this basis, the new Process Mining and Business Process Management module is being created for the Master's degree course in Information Systems. The module will be offered from summer semester 2025. It complements the university's already established process mining offering and adds an international and application-oriented perspective to training in the field of data-oriented process analysis.

Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Rebecca Bulander, a new industrial project is currently starting in collaboration with BMW in Munich. The students are analyzing real business processes, identifying deviations between target and actual processes, investigating process throughput times and variants and deriving specific recommendations for action. The project involves students from the Engineering and Management and Industrial Management master's programs. It combines research-oriented methods with operational practice and promotes the ability to use process mining as a tool for data-based organizational development.

The continuous development of process mining at Pforzheim University is carried out in close cooperation with Prof. Dr. Manuel Fritz. He is strategically expanding the subject area. This includes the development of new teaching formats and the conceptual integration of process mining into interdisciplinary project structures. The activities create a consistent framework for future-oriented training in the field of data-driven process analysis.

The renewed award as Celonis Academic Center of Excellence confirms Pforzheim University's leading position within the international process mining community. It demonstrates the university's performance in the areas of teaching, research and cooperation. At the same time, it strengthens the visibility of a subject area that is of central importance for digital transformation projects in business and administration.