#DigitalMindsKA - the people behind karlsruhe.digital: Uwe Haneke
The karlsruhe.digital initiative brings together Karlsruhe stakeholders from science, business, culture and administration with the aim of advancing Karlsruhe as a driver of digitalization – for competitiveness, quality of life and sovereignty. It pools expert knowledge, promotes networking and deals with topics holistically in order to actively shape the digital future of the city.
And there are people behind it. People who are committed, who are passionate about something and who use their time, their ideas and their expertise for precisely this reason. We want to make visible who these people, the digital minds, are. Once a month, we ask the Digital Minds what drives them and what visions they have.
In the twelfth part of our series, we visit Uwe Haneke, Professor of Business Administration and Business Information Systems at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA).
A sunny visit to the campus
The sun bathes Karlsruhe in a warm, bright light and the city shows its most beautiful side. The air is pleasant, the sky is bright blue, and the cityscape is characterized by lush green and bright colors. The HKA campus lies before us, an oasis of innovation in the middle of the city. We walk to Building E, where workmen are busy. Accompanied by the sound of a drill echoing through the large stairwell, we make our way to the third floor, where Uwe Haneke is already waiting for us. In his office, we discover lots of literature from the fields of IT and digitalization – the perfect place to talk about Karlsruhe as a digital location.
From Bonn via Brazil to Karlsruhe
“Although I’m not from Karlsruhe, the city has quickly become the epitome of IT and computer science for me,” begins Haneke. “In recent decades, the city has established itself as a center for digital technologies and innovations. Karlsruhe is also one of the cities with the most universities, which brings with it an enormous diversity of ideas and expertise. I really like this technology-friendly atmosphere.”
Haneke, Professor of Business Administration and Business Information Systems at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, has a remarkable career behind him. He began his training as an economist in Bonn before moving to Deutsche Bank in Brazil. After a doctorate in economics and a stopover at SAP, he finally found his place in Karlsruhe, where he was appointed to an endowed professorship in 2003. “That was a unique opportunity,” says Haneke. “Over the years, I have been able to bring a strong business perspective to the field of computer science.”
Bridge between business administration and computer science
“Of course, it’s not always easy,” he admits. “Students who choose computer science don’t necessarily want to hear much about business studies. But little by little, they realize how important this knowledge is for their professional future. It’s a slow but steady process, and I’m pleased that we’re getting very good feedback in this regard.”
Haneke also played a key role in shaping the “Data Science” course, which is now offered at the university. “It was a real highlight to help shape this course from the very beginning. We were able to completely redesign it and incorporate the needs of industry directly. As a result, we are now very well positioned in the fields of data science and AI.”
Committed to Karlsruhe as a digital location
Haneke’s interest in the digital transformation is unmistakable – and so it is no surprise that he is also actively involved in the steering committee of karlsruhe.digital at a local level.
“At the time, I was asked if I could take over from Peter Henning. It was a great opportunity for me to immerse myself even more in the digitalization of the city. A city that not only supports digital development, but actively drives it forward.”
“In many other cities, there are still reservations about digitalization, but in Karlsruhe, the cooperation between science, administration, business and culture works exceptionally well. We must therefore ensure that Karlsruhe continues to grow as an IT location. We have a clear responsibility for this.”
Open data, open future
“I find the topic of open data particularly exciting. There is so much potential that can be unlocked through access to open data. Citizens can even develop solutions themselves and contribute to innovative apps that address specific local problems. It’s a fascinating approach that creates new forms of participation.”
“We must not sweep existing fears within the population under the carpet, especially when it comes to data protection and IT security. Hacker attacks, such as those we have experienced at our university, show how quickly trust can be shaken. That’s why it’s important to create transparency and actively involve citizens in the dialog.”
Formats with impact
“The Colorful Night is particularly valuable because it shows citizens what is possible and how they can become active themselves. It is an event that involves the whole city and sends out a strong signal.”
“We need to work even harder here to strengthen the location and attract more start-ups. Compared to other cities, we have an excellent environment in Karlsruhe that we should continue to develop.”
Two lives – teaching and research
With this plea for Karlsruhe as a digital location, our conversation is slowly coming to an end. As with every digital mind, we naturally want to know from Haneke what a typical working day looks like for him and how he switches off in his private life.
“I actually have two lives. One during the lecture period and one outside of it.” During the semester, the focus is clearly on teaching – and even after more than two decades at the university, he is still as enthusiastic about it as he was on the first day. “Lectures are a lot of fun for me. I try to make my lectures as interactive as possible – I don’t just stand at the front for 90 minutes and give a monologue.”
Instead, he focuses on dialog with the students, developing apps or new bots for his LegoLab together with them. Excursions are also part of the program – he recently took a group to Singapore. “It’s important to me that the students see: We offer them opportunities to think outside the box.”
During the lecture-free period, there is more time for research and publications – Haneke is currently writing a book on the practical application of AI.
Some of his work now also takes place remotely – from his home office in Portugal or his home in France. His family is as international as he is: his son is studying in London and his wife works in Austria. As a result, Haneke also travels the world a lot in his private life.
“This is our future.”
And that brings us to the end of our conversation. As we leave Building E, the campus is bathed in warm sunlight. The sounds of the building site have died down, and only the occasional chirping of birds mingles with the silence of the afternoon. Haneke stops for a moment in front of the entrance and looks out over the grounds, where students are sitting together in small groups, discussing and laughing.
“You know,” he says, pointing around the room, “that’s exactly what drives me. This energy, this openness – that’s our future.”
Then he nods in a friendly manner, says goodbye and disappears with a light step between the university buildings.