Workshop hessian.AI.literacy
2025-09-25 10:00 - 14:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Frankfurt School of Applied Sciences, Hungenerstraße 6, Frankfurt am Main, 60389, Germany
The EU AI Act requires providers and deployers of AI systems to ensure that their employees and contracted third parties have a sufficient level of AI Literacy (Art. 4 AI Act). In doing so, EU legislators are not only formulating a regulatory requirement, but also a socio-political mandate to promote AI literacy. The hessian.AI.literacy project is investigating the specific implications this has for the organizational context and how the legal requirements can be implemented effectively and efficiently. The findings will serve as practical guidance and will be made available to the general public. Through this initiative, hessian.AI is making an essential contribution to the legally compliant implementation of the AI Regulation and to the sustainable strengthening of AI competence in business and public institutions.
The initial results will be presented and discussed at a workshop in Frankfurt am Main on September 25, 2025 (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.). In addition to a keynote speech by Kai Zenner (Head of Office & Digital Policy Adviser, Axel Voss, MEP European Parliament), you can expect insights from academia and practice.
Program:
10:00 – 10:15 a.m.: Arrival & registration
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.: Welcome address
Prof. Dr. Nils Urbach – Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
10:30 – 11:00 a.m.: Keynote speech
Kai Zenner – Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser, MEP Axel Voss (EPP group), European Parliament
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: AI competence from a legal perspective
Prof. Dr. Janine Wendt – Technical University of Darmstadt
Prof. Dr. Domenik Wendt – Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: AI competence in practical implementation
Research Associate Valentin Mayer – University of Bayreuth
Prof. Dr. Nils Urbach – Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Open discussion
Open exchange/experience reports from practice
From 1:00 p.m.: Joint lunch & conclusion

The Price of AI: Data Centers, Clickworkers, and Global Digital Exploitation
2025-10-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt, Römerberg 9, Frankfurt am Main, 60311, Germany
On October 14, 2025 the Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt will host the event “The Price of AI: Data Centers, Clickworkers, and Global Digital Exploitation”, which will also be available via livestream. Experts from academia, business, and civil society will discuss who benefits from digital progress – and who pays the price. The focus will be on the global power dynamics of digitalization, particularly in the Global South.
Speakers:

Ingo Dachwitz, Co-Author Digital Colonialism & netzpolitik.org

Prof. Dr. Stefan Peters, Justus Liebig University Giessen

Asena Soydaş, Bertelsmann Foundation

Florian Schlichting, Inheaden

Moderation:

Dr. Helge Bezold (Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt)
Lukas Spahlinger (Center for Social Responsibility of EKHN)

InnoDay 2025
2025-10-30 13:00 - 20:30 | darmstadtium – Wissenschafts- und Kongresszentrum, Schlossgraben 1, Darmstadt, Hessen, 64283, Germany
On October 30, 2025, the Darmstadtium will become the meeting point for start-up enthusiasts, investors, and innovation lovers. At INNODAY25 – Start-up & Innovation Day, entrepreneurial spirit meets scientific excellence. Together with the innovation and start-up center HIGHEST, TU Darmstadt will bring together more than 100 start-ups, deep-tech teams, and stakeholders from science, business, and politics.
Under the motto “Innovation Pulse RheinMain”, the event will highlight the strategic importance of the region for Europe’s innovative strength. It will demonstrate how closely scientific excellence, entrepreneurial drive, and capital must interact to create the technologies of tomorrow.
Program Highlights

Keynote by Dr. Mariana Bozesan, Co-Founder of AQAL Capital, on the interplay of science, entrepreneurship, and investment as drivers of societal progress.

Final of the TU Idea Competition, showcasing groundbreaking start-up ideas and inventions from students and researchers.

Hands-on workshops, compact start-up pitches, and the HIGHEST Live Podcast.

Closing keynote by Dr. Jacob Beautemps (Breaking Lab), science journalist and YouTuber, offering a forward-looking perspective on technological trends already shaping tomorrow’s world.

Co-Founder Wanted 7.0 | Frankfurt School x Technical Universities
2025-11-06 18:00 - 2025-11-07 16:30 | FS Entrepreneurship Centre, 4th Floor, Tower A Adickesallee 32-34, Frankfurt am Main, 60322
The 7th Edition of the Co-founder wanted event by Frankfurt School Entrepreneurship Centre!
This event is your opportunity to find your perfect match. Are you looking for a business mind to join your team? Or are you in search of a talented coder to develop the back-end for an App? This event is for you!

Date: 6 – 7 November 2025
Location: Entrepreneurship Centre, Frankfurt School
Agenda: two days event
November 6th:
18:00 – open end
x Idea pitching (1min. Open Microphone to anyone).
x Getting to know each other over light food and beer
x Voting for top ideas
x Picking the teams

November 7th:
9:00 – 16:30
x Executive presentation
x Teambuilding Action
x Coaching sessions
x Workphase
x Reflection
x Pitch Final and Winner

More information about all partner universities will be provided soon!

Networking x ideas matching x drinks!
Questions left? Entrepreneurship@fs.de

foundersXchange Xmas Edition
2025-12-01 17:00 - 20:00 | Café 221qm, Alexanderstraße 2, Darmstadt, 64293, Germany
Every year again! 🎄
It has almost become a cherished tradition that the Xmas Edition of foundersXchange Darmstadt is all about Start-up F:CK UPS! Founders talk openly about their biggest missteps on their startup journey, their craziest decisions, and most expensive lessons—and why exactly these moments have helped them move forward.
Also included: drinks, Christmas snacks, and cheerful networking. 🧑‍🎄
📅 When: 1. December 2025
📍 Where: Café 221qm, Alexanderstr. 2, Darmstadt
⏰ Start: 5.00 p.m.
🎟️Free ticket: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/1906098685479
Come by and learn from the biggest mistakes of others before you make them yourself. 😉

foundersXchange is a joint event series organized by the HIGHEST Innovation and Start-up Center at TU Darmstadt, the ATHENE Digital Hub Cybersecurity start-up incubator, the Hessian Research Center for Artificial Intelligence hessian.AI, the Center for Satellite Navigation Hessen cesah, the HUB31 Technology and Start-up Center, and YUBIZZ, the start-up initiative of h_da.
We are all here to provide you and your idea with the best possible support. 🚀

AI@HPI Conference | meet hessian.AISC
2025-12-02 - 2025-12-04 | Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering gGmbH, Prof.-Dr.-Helmert-Str. 2-3, Potsdam, 14482, Germany
The Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) is bringing together international expertise from December 2–4, 2025, to help shape Europe’s technological independence in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
On December 2 and 3, the AI@HPI Conference 2025 will focus on the theme “Shaping AI Sovereignty,” highlighting questions around infrastructure, regulation, and responsible innovation. Expected speakers include Federal Minister for Digital Affairs Dr. Karsten Wildberger, EU Parliament member Dr. Christian Ehler, Jonas Andrulis (Aleph Alpha), and many other speakers.On December 3 and 4, as part of the AI@HPI Conference 2025, the Conference of the German AI Service Centers (KonKIS) will take place. This event will present and discuss current project results and practical support offerings for academia, public administration, and businesses.
Why participate?

Three days of keynotes, panels, workshops, and networking, all centered on sovereign, value-driven AI
Exchange with leading representatives from academia, industry, and politics
Practice-oriented deep-dive sessions on data infrastructure, machine learning, and responsible AI

Tickets & Registration
Participation packages are available starting at €190 (ticket for December 2 & 3 or December 3 & 4) or €300 (ticket for all three days). Places are limited—secure your ticket now!

CTO meets Researcher – where research meets technology
2026-01-22 16:30 - 19:00
How do innovations happen? When researchers and tech leaders connect.CTO meets Researcher brings together CTOs, startups, and AI researchers from the AI Startup Rising and hessian.AI ecosystems to share insights, research developments, and technical challenges.
A short startup talk kicks things off, followed by open discussions and networking. The format adapts flexibly to the group size – ensuring the focus remains on meaningful exchange and new connections.
The goals:

Foster collaboration between industry and academia
Create synergies between industry and science
Explore challenges and opportunities in AI
Strengthen the network between startups and researchers

👉 If you’re interested in participating, please contact aisr@hessian.ai via email.

AI changes everything: humans, machines, ethics
2026-02-02 19:00 - 21:00 | Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt, Römerberg 9, Frankfurt am Main, 60311, Germany
An event organized by the Protestant Academy Frankfurt in cooperation with hessian.AI

Lecture and discussion
Language models such as ChatGPT, learning AI systems, and highly developed robots make many things seem possible today. However, less attention is paid to the fact that the AI boom raises fundamental questions about our view of humanity and the interaction between humans and machines: How does artificial intelligence expand our scope of action? What responsibility do we bear when we develop and apply technologies in this area? These questions are particularly relevant in Hesse, where both AI research projects and companies that use or promote AI are flourishing. Some even refer to it as the “Silicon Valley of Europe.” In our event, we will contrast this promising view with perspectives from the philosophy of technology and ethics. Researchers from the “hessian.AI” network will provide insights into the current state of AI research, and a regional start-up will present specific fields of application. Together, we will engage in an open and critical discussion about the debates that should accompany technological innovations in our region.
Register here (Link: KI verändert alles: Mensch, Maschine, Ethik – Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt)

Further event on this topic on February 16, 2026:
(Link: KI und die Zukunft der Arbeitswelt – Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt)

AI and the future of the world of work Job security, meaning, participation
2026-02-16 18:30 - 20:30 | Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt, Römerberg 9, Frankfurt am Main, 60311, Germany
An event organized by the Protestant Academy Frankfurt in cooperation with hessian.AI

Lecture and discussion
Artificial intelligence is changing the world of work. Lufthansa alone is cutting around 4,000 jobs to be replaced by AI systems. Will entire professions soon disappear? Will new jobs also be created? And how can politics, business and society shape the transformation in such a way that work continues to provide security, meaning and participation in the future? As an important AI location, Hessen plays a central role here. At this event, researchers from the “hessian.AI” network will provide an insight into the current state of research, a startup will give a live presentation of possible applications of AI and, together with guests from business, trade unions and politics, we will discuss the question of how the use of AI will shape the future of the labor market.
Register here (Link: KI und die Zukunft der Arbeitswelt – Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt)

Further event on this topic on February 02, 2026:
(Link: KI verändert alles: Mensch, Maschine, Ethik – Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt)
