Hochschule Karlsruhe Hochschule Karlsruhe - University of Applied Sciences
Hochschule Karlsruhe Hochschule Karlsruhe - University of Applied Sciences

IDEV - Institute of Digital Economy and Venturing

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Courses

Platform economy

Successful companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Alibaba, and Apple are based on digital platform business models that differ significantly from traditional pipeline models. In the Platform Economy seminar, you’ll learn about the relevance, opportunities, and challenges of the platform economy and develop your own digital business model for a company. The seminar covers the fundamentals and differences between platform and pipeline business logic, as well as theory and practical examples from the platform economy. You’ll work in teams on real-world challenges from partner companies and receive coaching from professors and company representatives. The seminar concludes with a final presentation to partner companies. The course utilizes the well-known MOOC “Platform Strategy for Business” by Marshall van Alstyne. The seminar takes place during the winter semester. 

If you have any questions or are interested in participating, please feel free to contact Johannes Lauer by email.

Innovation Coaching

In the Innovation Coaching seminar, you will be trained as an innovation coach and apply the knowledge you have learned directly in a real product development project. The project is carried out together with the IPEK, Institute for Product Development at KIT, and partner companies. The aim of the seminar is to enable you to support product development teams with suitable methods and to develop creative and innovative solutions for real tasks. You will learn how to analyse problems in a structured way, apply creativity and problem-solving techniques, develop product profiles and user stories and visualize them with technical prototypes. The results are presented together as a team.

If you have any questions or are interested in taking part, please contact Johannes Lauer by e-mail.

Agentic AI

The Agentic AI seminar offers a practical introduction to the world of modern AI agents, which are increasingly able to take on tasks independently, make decisions and interact with their environment. In the seminar, students learn how Agentic AI is changing the digitalization of business processes and services and what potential and challenges this technology brings for companies. Basic concepts and possible applications of AI agents are taught, practical examples are presented and students develop their own ideas for agent-based applications. Participants work in teams on real problems, receive support from experienced lecturers and present their project results at the end of the seminar.

If you have any questions or are interested in participating, please contact Johannes Lauer by e-mail.

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Student research

Every semester, we offer students a variety of final theses and project work, which are intensively supervised by professors and research assistants.

Despite the scientific focus, there is close cooperation with companies through research partnerships. The work can be carried out either in a company or directly in the institute's research department.

If you would like to write a thesis, please contact Prof. Carsten Hahn or Johannes Lauer

PhD students

At IDEV, you have the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. through the Ph.D. program. Ph.D. topics are aligned with the institute’s research areas. If you are interested in pursuing a Ph.D., please contact Prof. Carsten Hahn directly. A Ph.D. at IDEV offers a balanced combination of academic excellence, practice-oriented research, and personal development. We provide Ph.D. candidates with structured guidance within an interdisciplinary team, enabling them to develop a personalized set of relevant skills—both for an academic career and for future leadership roles in industry.

Current Ph.D. research topics:

  • Patrick Brecht – A methodology for developing digital platform business models in the product development of cyber-physical systems.
  • Johannes Lauer – Business Growth Patterns with AI Agents for Mittelstand.
  • Johannes Penka
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