International AI talents in Hildesheim: Funding for the Hi-Intelligent-Minds project
Monday, May 11, 2026 - 08:07 CET
With the Hi-Intelligent Minds project, the University of Hildesheim has been accepted into the nationwide funding program Academic Horizons – Attracting Global Minds. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is funding the project with 730,000 euros from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) through the end of 2029. Nationwide, only 20 universities were selected for the funding program - Hildesheim is the only university from Lower Saxony to be included.
The goal of the project will be to specifically attract more top international talents in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) to Germany, train them in Hildesheim, and retain them for the German labor market in the long term. “Hildesheim is a classic hidden champion: We are small, but globally visible in AI research,” says Dr. Tom Hanika, co-director of the Information Systems and Machine Learning Lab (ISMLL) at the University of Hildesheim, who is leading the project and developed the concept together with Prof. Dr. Klaus Schmid (Software Systems Engineering Group) and the International Office.
“Hi-Intelligent Minds builds on our already highly successful internationalization efforts,” explains Schmid. Approximately 290 students are currently enrolled in the English-language master’s programs at the Hildesheim Institute of Computer Science - the International Master’s in Data Analytics and the International Master’s in Software Engineering - with more than 70 percent of them coming from abroad. “Graduates of these programs are in high demand at companies throughout Germany,” emphasizes Schmid. Hanika adds: “With Hi-Intelligent Minds, the university is specifically expanding its international network to include new talent regions in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Balkans. This is based on long-standing research relationships with partner universities in Brazil, Chile, Serbia, and Romania.”
The project comprises three components: An international summer school will welcome around 20 highly qualified bachelor’s graduates to Hildesheim for three weeks each year. A digital prep hub featuring a specially developed AI language model supports participants in preparing for their studies even before they arrive. Through the Lower Saxony Data Network - which offers industry lectures, company visits, and an annual trade fair - the participants’ path into the German job market will be specifically supported. “This places the University of Hildesheim in the same league as renowned computer science and AI centers in Germany, including RWTH Aachen University, TU Darmstadt, and LMU Munich. This underscores the visibility of our computer science program and provides momentum for the further expansion of Hildesheim as a hub,” says Hanika.
Click here for the DAAD press release.