Extending XAI to dense visual tasks

The German Research Foundation has accepted Dr. Simone Schaub-Meyer into its Emmy Noether Programme. Together with her new junior research group, Dr. Schaub-Meyer aims to research and develop methods that increase the understanding of widely used models of artificial intelligence (AI) in image and video analysis and improve their robustness. The funding for the first three years amounts to around 1.1 million euros, and includes the funds for two doctoral positions as well as 8 high-quality graphics processors.

Livestreams for the Unite! Dialogue

The Dialogues are meant to be for the whole community to meet and discuss – even virtual. TU Graz has put together livestreams for a selection of meetings.

A new record for atom-based quantum computers

Making quantum systems more scalable is one of the key requirements for the further development of quantum computers because the advantages they offer become increasingly evident as the systems are scaled up. Researchers at TU Darmstadt have recently taken a decisive step towards achieving this goal. The results of their research have now been published in a prestigious publication.

Unite! visiting professorship program

The Unite! visiting professorship program aims to attract outstanding international talents to promote interdisciplinarity in teaching and didactic innovation through international experience. It is open to all subjects represented at TU Darmstadt. Up to 13 visiting professorships are to be financially supported. The target group are primarily experienced postdocs. The deadline for applications is March 31st, 2024.

Successful next step in the Excellence Strategy TU Darmstadt has the chance of establishing three Clusters of Excellence

Huge success for the Technical University of Darmstadt: In the prestigious Excellence Strategy from the German federal and state governments, TU Darmstadt has reached an important milestone. It has been selected and invited to prepare full applications for the outline proposals “Reasonable Artificial Intelligence” (RAI), “The Adaptive Mind” (TAM) and “CoM2Life” in fields of artificial intelligence, cognitive science and biomaterials and submit them for funding as part of the Cluster of Excellence funding line. The selections were made by an international panel of experts. A total of 143 outline proposals were submitted to the German Research Foundation (DFG), of which 41 have now been invited to submit full applications for the second round of the Excellence Strategy funding programme.

The cluster project CoM2Life

Researchers in the CoM2Life project at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research and TU Darmstadt are conducting research into biomaterials that will enable medical innovations such as tissue repair or the development of artificial organs.

The cluster project “Reasonable Artificial Intelligence” (RAI)

Although deep learning (DL) has enabled important advances in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) over the last ten years, current AI systems have displayed some significant weaknesses, such as an inability to reason, difficulty handling new situations and a need for continuous adjustments. Last but not least, current AI systems also require substantial resources. The aim of the Cluster of Excellence project “Reasonable Artificial Intelligence” (RAI) is thus to develop the next generation of reasonable AI.

The cluster project “The Adaptive Mind” clears the first hurdle in its application for Cluster of Excellence funding

The research project “The Adaptive Mind” (TAM), in which TU Darmstadt is participating, was successful in the first round of the Excellence Strategy. The researchers are now able to submit a full application – and hope that they will ultimately be awarded a prestigious Cluster of Excellence grant. The project aims to understand how the human mind is able to adapt.

As part of a Unite! seed funded project, researchers and scientists from KTH Stockholm, TU Darmstadt and TU Graz focus on joint training, hands-on collaboration and new insights in the field of renewable biotechnology.

Graz University of Technology is hosting the upcoming Unite! Dialogue, titled "Think Beyond: Unite! for Collective and Sustainable Impact”, scheduled to take place from the 27th to the 29th of February 2024.

UNITE.H2020 comes to an end – UNITE!Widening begins

The UNITE.H2020 project has shaped an integrated R&I strategy for the European University Alliance Unite!, concluding in December 2023. The follow-up UNITE!Widening project, starting in January 2024, aims to strengthen scientific capabilities in Portugal and Poland, highlighted in a Lisbon meeting on February 1st and 2nd.

Publication in “Nature Physics”

Physicists in Darmstadt are investigating ageing processes in materials. For the first time, they have measured the ticking of an internal clock in glass. When evaluating the data, they discovered a surprising phenomenon.

Interview with Eric Maercker from Energy Management

Eric Maercker is working on reducing the TU's energy consumption and paving the way for a CO₂-neutral university. In an interview, the 39-year-old explains, among other things, how the TU is supplied with energy and what his most urgent tasks are at the moment.

TU professor Sascha Preu receives Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council

With his “Photonic Vector Network Analyzers” (PhoVeNA) project, TU professor Sascha Preu (Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology) has received a Proof of Concept Grant for 150,000 euros from the European Research Council ERC. The project focuses on developing photonic characterization systems for the next generation of communication technology, which operates in the terahertz range.

Study finds biases in behavioral economic theories learned with artificial intelligence

Researchers at the Centre for Cognitive Science at TU Darmstadt and hessian.AI investigate the properties of behavioral economic theories automatically learned by AI in a publication in “Nature Human Behaviour”.

Matchmaking event helps with team building

This time those interested can participate in​ ​a virtual matchmaking event to connect with potential partners, so that more Unite! projects can become a reality. The next call will start on 15 January 2024.