On January 15, 2026, our Living Lab and PR team met up with colleagues from BIFOLD to discuss the concept and establishment of Living Labs, ideas for joint PR activities, and possibilities for cooperations across centers and beyond. The meeting was joined by:

• Jana Bendigs (Communication Manager, ScaDS.AI Dresden Leipzig)
• Dr. Thomas Burghardt (Head of the Living Lab in Leipzig, ScaDS.AI Dresden Leipzig)
• Dr. Siavash Ghiasvand (Head of the Living Lab in Dresden, ScaDS.AI Dresden Leipzig)
• Katharina Jung (Head of Communications, BIFOLD)
• Jean-Paul Olivier (Science Communications Officer, BIFOLD)
• Prof. Gerik Scheuermann (Director, ScaDS.AI Dresden Leipzig)
• Lucy Sonnet (Communication Manager, ScaDS.AI Dresden Leipzig)
• Gina Valentin (Communication Manager, ScaDS.AI Dresden Leipzig)
• Dr. Elke Witt (Head of Scientific Strategy, BIFOLD)
• Oliver Welz (Research Associate, ScaDS.AI Dresden Leipzig)
• Dr. Laura Wollenweber (Scientific Coordinator Strategy, BIFOLD)

Living Labs: Successful Platform for Science Communication

Prof. Gerik Scheuermann welcomed our guests in Leipzig and gave an insightful introduction to ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig. Afterwards, Dr. Thomas Burghardt and Dr. Siavash Ghiasvand gave an more in-depth look into the Living Lab concept, highlighting every step along the way from creating a concept to establishing physical locations. Following up on that, we discussed past and present activities, such as event series. A special focus was put on the successful Meetup format, that is organized by Oliver Welz. Afterwards, Katharina Jung presented key facts about BIFOLD, sparking an intresting discussion on both similarities and differences between the approaches of both AI competence centers in the directions of research and outreach activities.

Identifying Synergies: Ideas for Cooperations Acress Centers

After the lunch break, Dr. Thomas Burghardt and Oliver Welz invited our guests from BIFOLD to a special tour through the Living Lab in Leipzig, presenting some of the most recent demonstrators. Afterwards, the meeting took a closer look at the public relations work in both centers. Gina Valentin presented the involvement of our PR department in the Living Lab, talking about the variety of incurring tasks, presenting current statistics for communication activities and highlighting the wonderful chances that Living Labs offer for science communication and connecting with the public. Katharina Jung continued this conversation with insights into the PR activities of BIFOLD, discussing current challenges of the ever-changing social media landscape and how to support researchers in science communication.

The rest of the day was spent identifying synergies across centers and discuss how to use them to connect the strategy and PR departments, as well as the researchers. The workshop resulted in numerous exciting ideas, which we are looking forward to follow-up on in the future.

About BIFOLD

The Berlin Institute for the Foundations of Learning and Data (BIFOLD) is one of Germany’s six national AI centers. BIFOLD is based at TU Berlin; the institutional partner is the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The center receives permanent funding from the State of Berlin and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. Learn more about BIFOLD here.

How can you visit our Living Labs?

The Living Labs of ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig open their doors for the public during a number of events throughout the year. Never miss out on any events by regularly checking our event calendar.

Living Lab Leipzig
Löhrs Carrè
Humboldtstr. 25
04105 Leipzig

Living Lab Dresden
Andreas Pfitzmann Bau
Room: 1020
Nöthnitzer Str. 46
01187 Dresden