Methods based on artificial intelligence and data-driven research are now amongst the most important tools of modern-day science. Numerous researchers already work in this field at the University of Greifswald and University Medicine Greifswald. However, these activities were previously organised mainly on a decentralised basis. CEDAR is set to provide a cross-faculty platform which will foster scientific exchange, support joint third-party funded projects, and boost the national and international visibility of the research location.
“Artificial intelligence is one of the defining key technologies of our time. With CEDAR, we are pooling the existing expertise at the University and University Medicine, creating new space for interdisciplinary research, and strengthening Greifswald as a location in a field that will be central to our future. For us, this is not just about technological innovation, but also about the responsible, human-centred design of AI in dialogue with society,” said Prof. Dr. Katharina Riedel, Rector of the University of Greifswald.
CEDAR brings together research from various faculties
CEDAR is not an independent institute or department – the researchers involved will remain affiliated to their faculties and organisational units. The Centre will take on a coordinating and support function and, in particular, encourage interdisciplinary research collaborations, the acquisition of external funding, early-career researchers, as well as the transfer of knowledge to society, the industry, the cultural sector, and the healthcare system.
“Artificial intelligence and data-driven procedures provide medicine with new options – from basic research to patient care. CEDAR provides the framework for interfaculty medical research and will boost the potential of our extensive patient data, which was made possible by state legislation a couple of years ago,” said Prof. Dr. Karlhans Endlich, Scientific Director of University Medicine Greifswald.
New professorships and degree course
The opening is accompanied by the establishment of a new professorship for “Artificial Intelligence in Culture and Society”. This will add perspectives from the humanities and social sciences to the research on AI.
The key area of focus will be placed on the social implications of artificial intelligence: how is AI changing the way we live together, our communication, education, democracy, and work? And how can this technology be designed responsibly – with a view to the opportunities it provides, but also to risks such as discrimination, bias, or the loss of trust.
These topics will also build the core of the new bachelor’s degree course on AI, titled “Human Centered Artificial Intelligence”, which will start in winter semester 2027/28. As the first degree course of its kind taught in German, the course will link computer science to ethics, communication studies, psychology, digital linguistics, and digital history. Graduates of this degree course should be able not only to develop and apply AI technologies, but also to critically assess their effects on society and shape them responsibly. Several new professorships with a focus on AI are currently also being appointed at University Medicine Greifswald, including the Professorship for Quantitative AI-Augmented Imaging.
“Technological innovation by itself is not enough. We need to develop and apply artificial intelligence in such a manner that it benefits humankind,” stressed Prof. Dr. Riedel. Prof. Dr. Karlhans Endlich added: “That is why, in Greifswald, we are pooling expertise from the fields of medicine, computer science, the humanities, and social sciences; and with CEDAR, are establishing a point for all of these perspectives to converge.”
Contact at the University of Greifswald
Prof. Dr. Kristina Yordanova
Institute of Data Science
Felix-Hausdorff-Straße 18, 17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 420 5500
kristina.yordanovauni-greifswaldde
Contact at University Medicine Greifswald
Prof. Dr. Lars Kaderali
Institute of Bioinformatics
Felix-Hausdorff-Straße 8, 17475 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 86 5441
lars.kaderalimed.uni-greifswaldde