2018 Annual Report Foreword by the Chair of the b-it Foundation A few days before the end of the Academic In Bonn, the preparations of the 250-year Year 2017-2018, the evaluation committee celebration of Beethoven’s birthday provide a for the German National Excellence Initiative focal point for similar activities. in Research made the final decisions on the proposed large-scale Excellence clusters that Systematically pursuing the recently renewed will define much of the structure of research mission statement, b-it has further strength- for at least the next seven years. In this third ened its Data Science core by electing Prof. round of the Excellence Initiative, North Rhine- Emmanuel Müller, formerly Hasso Plattner Westphalia significantly strengthened its Institute Potsdam, to the b-it Chair for Data relative position among German states, and Science and Engineering. In addition, I would Annette Storsberg made first place with 14 accepted clusters, like to welcome several important new mem- 8 of them just by the b-it universities. While bers of the international b-it Advisory Board, RWTH Aachen defended their co-lead among including former ACM President Dame Prof. the technical universities, University of Bonn Wendy Hall and industrial members Dr. Christian sensationally jumped to the first position lllek, Dr. Thomas Ogilvie, and Dr. Simone Rehm. of all universities – thus, the Bonn-Aachen axis got more clusters than whole “excel- I would like to congratulate the b-it leader- lence regions” such as Munich or Berlin. Four ship – directors, study coordinators, faculty of the clusters involve b-it professors and and study advisors – on the progress in the associated Fraunhofer institutes, addressing past academic years and look forward to the issues around Media lnformatics (Internet of next steps. Production), Life Science lnformatics (lmmu- Annette Storsberg noSensorics), Autonomous Systems (Farming State Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Robots), and their shared Data Science core. Science NRW Chair of the b-it Foundation Council These successes once again strengthen the attractiveness of the Bonn-Aachen Interna- tional Center for Information Technology b-it Mission Statement (b-it) for valuable top international talent joining the b-it Master Programs, but also the b-it is an international center for information Doctoral Schools associated with the excel- technology. It is jointly carried by the lead- lence clusters, expanding the earlier b-it Re- ing universities and research institutes of the search School effort. The Ministry of Culture information technology region Bonn-Aachen. and Science NRW appreciates b-it’s continued At b-it, a team of excellent scientific leaders emphasis on fruitful cultural diversity among attracts the best students from all over the the more than 40 nations of origin, combined world. At the same time, b-it is a strategic with academic excellence through the deep partner of the regional economy. integration between research and teaching in all b-it programs. The investment in a new At b-it, research and teaching form an inte- b-it building will further deepen the university grated unit at the highest level. International linkages. orientation and diversity are a particular asset and strength of our institution. In our teach- Public visibility of b-it has been further ing, we build on the complementary strength improved by providing spectacular media in- of our participating institutions. novations to public events, such as the “Dom leuchtet” lightshow for which over 8,000 Graduates of b-it are sought after as special- admission tickets were completely sold out ists and experts, regionally and internation- every single night at the week-long 40-year ally. They transport know-how and innovation celebration of Aachen Cathedral as the into science and economy. first UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. We are shaping the digital change in a dialog between economy and society. Our focus is 2 b-it Report 2018 Data Science in the application areas Media, Life Sciences and Autonomous Systems. Officers Report by the Scientific Scientific Directors Directors Prof. Dr. Matthias Jarke, RWTH Aachen University, Fraunhofer FIT Prof. Dr. Paul G. Plöger, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg b-it offers highly selective graduate education to University of Applied Sciences top international students in a unique coopera- Prof. Dr. Stefan Wrobel, University of Bonn, tion between leading research universities and Fraunhofer IAIS the Fraunhofer Society of Applied Research. The just completed German Excellence Competi- Coordinators b-it Study Programs tion confirmed once again the leading position Prof. Dr. Ulrike Meyer, RWTH Aachen of the Bonn-Aachen region. b-it directors and University, Media Informatics faculty are directly involved in four excellence Prof. Dr. Jürgen Bajorath, University of Bonn clusters (each funded with up to € 50 million for Prof. Dr. Gerhard K. Kraetzschmar, 7 years): Internet of Production, PhenoRob for Prof. Dr. Matthias Jarke Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, RWTH Aachen University Sustainable Crop Production, ImmunoSensorics, and Fraunhofer FIT Autonomous Systems and Advanced Computational Mathematics. These clusters will also include PhD training Assistant Directors/Study Advisors groups for graduates with ambitions beyond the Iman Awaad, M.Sc., Bonn-Rhein-Sieg master degree. A key event in 2018 was b-it’s University of Applied Sciences relocation into the new b-it building centrally Dr. Thomas Bode, University of Bonn close to other university departments and Bonn Arnab Chakrabarti, RWTH Aachen University Central Station. Many thanks to all helpers in René Röpke, RWTH Aachen University this enormous effort, especially to coordinator Prof. Paul G. Plöger Dr. Alexandra Reitelmann, University of Bonn Thomas Bode. Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences International Advisory Board We are happy to welcome Emmanuel Müller Prof. Dr. Gerhard Fischer, University of Colorado, Boulder as the new b-it Endowed Professor of Data Dame Prof. Wendy Hall PhD, University of Science and Data Engineering, and were glad Southampton, Southampton to keep Prof. Holger Fröhlich as an Adjunct Dr. Christian Illek, Deutsche Telekom, Bonn Professor. Prof. Sven Behnke’s prestigious mil- Prof. Dr. Ossama Khatib, Robotics Lab, lion dollar award in humanoid robotics once Stanford University, Palo Alto more confirmed once again the strength of Prof. Dr. Stefan Wrobel Prof. Dr. Thomas Lengauer, Max-Planck the b-it partner universities in applied robotics. University of Bonn and Institute for Informatics, Saarbrücken b-it is a big team effort. We are grateful for the Fraunhofer IAIS Dr. Thomas Ogilvie, Deutsche Post DHL Group continued support by our three mother univer- Dr. Simone Rehm, University of Stuttgart sities through the recent rectorate transitions at RWTH Aachen and Bonn University, and for the b-it Foundation Council intensifying networking with the regional indus- Annette Storsberg (Chair), State Secretary try. Our study advisors assist the international at the Ministry of Culture and Science NRW students from over 40 countries worldwide with Thomas Trännapp (Secretary), Vice Chancellor, many of the questions arising during applications, RWTH Aachen University Prof. Dr. Georg Rosenfeld, Vice President arrival, social networking and of course some- Technology Marketing and Business Models, times unfamiliar study regulations, backed up Fraunhofer Society by the professors of the study coordination and Ashok Sridharan, Mayor, City of Bonn examination boards. Many thanks to all of them. Sebastian Schuster, County Chairman, Rhein-Sieg-Kreis In this report, you find some highlights of b-it Prof. Dr. Aloys Krieg, Vice Rector Education, research and teaching from the academic year, RWTH Aachen University as well as some general information about the Prof. Dr. Michael Hoch, Rector, University b-it study programs. Enjoy the reading! of Bonn Prof. Dr. Hartmut Ihne, Rector, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg Matthias Jarke, University of Applied Sciences RWTH Aachen University and Fraunhofer FIT Stefan Hagen, President, Bonn / Rhine-Sieg Paul G. Plöger, Chamber of Commerce Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences Stefan Wrobel, University of Bonn and Fraunhofer IAIS b-it Report 2018 b-it in Profile The southwest of North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the largest, most vibrant locations in the European media and telecom industry. It is also one of the most innovative and fast-growing biotech regions in Germany, and there is much interest in the emerging fields of mechatronics and robotics. To make it the optimal place to study for professional work in these fields, the Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology (b-it) in good standing are offered financial support has been established as a joint venture of during these lab courses. RWTH Aachen University, University of Bonn, Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sci- The b-it Universities Institute offers English ence (BRSU) and the research institutes of language Master of Science (M.Sc.) programs the Fraunhofer Institute Center Birlinghoven in Media Informatics and Life Science Infor- Castle. matics, whereas the University of Applied Sciences offers a Master Program in Autono- b-it offers highly selective International Mas- mous Systems. The Master Programs prepare ter Programs in Applied IT, as well as summer students for successful international careers / winter schools for qualified undergraduate that require technical excellence and leader- computer science