The announcement of the professorship is the first public step in a strategic initiative through which District Administrator Ingo Brohl, Lukas Hähnel (Head of the Economic Development Agency) and University President Prof. Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, to jointly foster closer links between Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences and the business community in the district of Wesel. As part of the university’s development plan, and with a view to the planned establishment of a European Centre for Sustainability Transformation and Participation (EUZENT), the role of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences as a driving force for sustainable development, digitalisation and the promotion of innovation is to be further expanded. The university will thus support the further development of the economy in the Lower Rhine region and its transformation.
A strong signal of regional responsibility
“The first endowed professorship in the Wesel district, made possible by the Heinz Trox Foundation, is an excellent next step in establishing our position as a dynamic hub at the heart of the Rhineland, the Ruhr region, the Netherlands and the western Münsterland. Alongside the substantial investment by the district of Wesel in vocational schools, the continued positive development of our Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences is essential for securing a skilled workforce and for providing further impetus for the development and transformation of our local economy. “I am therefore delighted by the exceptionally strong commitment – including financial support – from the local business community to our Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and our strategic initiative,” emphasised District Administrator Ingo Brohl at the ceremonial signing of the agreement at Villa Kellermann on the Kamp-Lintfort campus.
University President Prof. Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen emphasised: “Artificial intelligence will be a key technology for a sustainable society. The fact that this professorship can be established with support from the region sends a strong signal – and is an expression of our close partnership with regional stakeholders.”
Artificial Intelligence (AI) meets Environment and Communication
With the new Heinz Trox Endowed Chair in Applied Artificial Intelligence, Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, together with regional partners, is sending a strong signal: for excellent research, practice-oriented teaching and an innovation-driven transformation in the Lower Rhine region.
Commitment from the Heinz Trox Foundation
Paul Schwarz, Chairman of the Heinz Trox Foundation, emphasised the aim of the funding: “With the Endowed Chair in Applied Artificial Intelligence, we are specifically strengthening innovation and sustainability in the Lower Rhine district of Wesel, in the spirit of our founder and in close collaboration with academia and industry. We wholeheartedly support the EUZENT initiative and wish to contribute actively to the development of a European centre for sustainability transformation in our region.”
The Heinz Trox Foundation, named after the entrepreneur Heinz Trox, aims to strengthen science, research and education in forward-looking fields. Through its commitment to the professorship, the Foundation is setting a lasting example for the promotion of technological excellence and social responsibility in the Wesel district of the Lower Rhine region.
A festive occasion with strong partners
Following welcoming addresses by University President Prof. Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, District Administrator Ingo Brohl, Prof. Dr Klaus Hegemann (Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Environment), Lukas Hähnel (Head of the Economic Development Agency, Wesel District) Christine Roßkothen (Heinz Trox Foundation) and Paul Schwarz (Heinz Trox Foundation), the cooperation agreement was officially signed. The Heinz Trox Endowed Chair in Applied Artificial Intelligence marks the establishment of the first endowed chair at the Kamp-Lintfort campus.
