Interview on digitalization Opportunities, Challenges, New Paths
22 August 2025
Andreas Dreuw and Nicole Najemnik on digitalization strategies and the growing importance of AI at Heidelberg University
Alongside sustainability and diversity, digitalization is one of the central areas of action for the current Rectorate. In this interview, Prof. Dr Andreas Dreuw, Vice-Rector for Research and Digitalization, and Dr Nicole Najemnik, an advisor to the Rectorate and newly appointed Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at Heidelberg University, explain which initiatives have already been launched and which plans are still in the pipeline.
How is Heidelberg University shaping digitalization?
Dreuw: Digitalization is playing an increasingly large role in our lives – of course, this includes all areas of the university. This applies not just to teaching and research, but also to knowledge transfer, research infrastructure, and administration. We’ve identified a need to catch up in many of these areas. While our Kanzler, Jens Andreas Meinen, is responsible for the digitalization of administration, our focus is on the other areas. Our goal is to develop a university-wide digitalization strategy. To do this, we’re currently putting structures in place that enable well-founded and transparent decision-making, particularly when it comes to setting priorities: Which projects should take precedence? Where can we achieve quick, tangible results?
Najemnik: For us, it’s important that these processes be well planned and professionally managed. We think very carefully about what a university-wide structure should look like to ensure the right people discuss the right topics at the right time.
Digitalization is playing an increasingly large role in our lives – of course, this includes all areas of the university.
Andreas Dreuw
When talking about digitalization today, people often think of artificial intelligence, which offers many opportunities but also raises ethical, legal, and societal challenges. How is Heidelberg University addressing these complex issues?
Najemnik: The AI Board plays a key role here, as the Rectorate’s strategic advisory body. It brings together experts from various faculties and disciplines, including students. At this point, we’ve established a very effective workflow: The Rectorate puts forward questions, which are then discussed in depth by the AI Board. These discussions ultimately result in recommendations that serve as a basis for the Rectorate’s decisions. Last year, for example, we focused on the use of AI in teaching and learning. Currently, the use of AI in doctoral dissertations is a particularly hot topic. We also address fundamental questions, such as the strategic trade-offs between open-source solutions and commercial products. So, in this regard, the board’s broad range of expertise is especially valuable.
In addition to the AI Board, the position of AI Officer has recently been introduced. Can you explain the purpose of that role?
Dreuw: Our work in the field of artificial intelligence is partly linked to the requirements of the EU AI Act. While appointing an AI Officer is not mandatory, we made a conscious decision to do so after extensive discussions – including within the AI Board. The EU regulation introduces a wide range of compliance requirements. As we, as a university, are both a provider and an operator of AI, and as AI tools are widely used in teaching and research, these obligations affect all groups within the university community. The regulation distinguishes between three core dimensions: technical, ethical, and legal. With that in mind, it made sense to create a central position – the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer – to coordinate these requirements altogether.
Najemnik: This includes dealing with data protection issues and determining where AI should and shouldn’t be used. Right now, all universities face the challenge of putting concrete compliance checks into practice. That’s why it was important for us to set up a monitoring structure early on, so that we could always respond transparently and clearly to the question: What is Heidelberg University doing with regard to AI, and why? That means having central points of responsibility and a direct line to the Rectorate. So far, we are the only university in Baden-Württemberg, and probably in all of Germany, to have appointed an AI Officer.
One of the AI Act’s requirements is that all university members have basic AI skills. How is Heidelberg University implementing this?
Najemnik: We are organizing an e-learning course that is set to go live in mid-September. All university members will be able to access it with their university ID. The course, which we’ll be offering in German and English, takes about three hours to complete. It’s fully accessible and can be used on any device – including mobile devices. And once you complete the course, you can receive a certificate. The course will be available for two years and updated regularly. This will ensure the content remains up to date with any technical or legal developments.
Dreuw: What matters is that we’re truly just covering the basics. The course is designed to have a very low barrier to entry. We want to reach everyone. Our aim is to build a basic understanding of what to consider when using AI. So, if you’re uploading text, for example, you can ask: What about data protection or copyright? How reliable are AI responses? How do I ask the right questions to get the best results? In short, we want to help avoid common mistakes and raise awareness of key risks, so that everyone can use AI safely and responsibly.
Najemnik: For those who want to dig deeper, there are already some excellent options available, like at the University Library or at heiSKILLS. The University Administration also offers corresponding training programs. Our course is intended to support these existing formats, not replace them.
We are organizing an e-learning course covering basic AI skills that is set to go live in mid-September.
Nicole Najemnik
What impact will AI have on research, teaching, and work processes at Heidelberg University in the future? And could we be facing a fundamental transformation?
Najemnik: The possibilities are numerous with artificial intelligence. I’m convinced that we’re only scratching the surface of the range of tools that could optimize our day-to-day work. In the future, AI can and will take a lot of routine tasks off our plates. This will fundamentally change the way we work – for the better. We want to raise awareness of the added value AI can bring to our workplaces.
Dreuw: Artificial Intelligence will continue to improve, but after the significant advances we’ve made in recent years, I expect there’ll be a period of consolidation, where progress is slowed in part by limited computing power. It’s important for me to encourage people to approach new digital developments with an open mind and without fear. These kinds of innovations can help us focus more on our main priorities, as most of us are already stretched thin. I see a clear parallel with the rise of the personal computer back in the day – something we now can’t imagine working without.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM
After earning a doctorate in political science and working as an IT and management consultant in the private sector, Nicole Najemnik has been supporting the Rectorate since June 2024. In her role as Digital Transformation Manager and Chief AI Officer, she is tasked with helping the university navigate its digital transformation. Andreas Dreuw has been Professor of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry at Heidelberg University since 2011, leading a research group of the same name at the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing. He has served as Vice-Rector for Research and Digitalization since 2023.
AI BOARD
The AI Board was established in 2024 as a strategic body at Heidelberg University. Its main duties are to advise the Rectorate and develop and discuss guidelines for all strategic areas relating to artificial intelligence. This interdisciplinary body is made up of representatives, including students, from the engineering sciences, the humanities, life sciences, natural sciences, and social sciences. Other participating institutions include the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, the Heidelberg Center for Digital Humanities, and heiSKILLS, as well as the CZS Heidelberg Center for Model-Based AI, the STRUCTURES Cluster of Excellence, and the AI Health Innovation Cluster. The AI Board also has members from the University Administration and the University Computing Centre.
The topics addressed by the AI Board include developing university-wide guidelines for the use of AI tools in teaching and studying, assessing open-source solutions compared to commercial large language models (LLMs) in the university context, and promoting the responsible use of AI technologies in doctoral examination processes. On top of that, the Board develops recommendations for shaping a university-wide AI governance framework.