Digitisation innovation fund
Focus 2025: Digitalisation in teaching
With the Innovation Fund for Digitalisation, the Vice-Rectorate for Digitalisation and Sustainability supports projects that take a pragmatic approach to solving the challenges of digital transformation at the University of Innsbruck.
Projects that support digitalisation in teaching are to be funded for the year 2025. The Innovation Fund is aimed at all staff employed at the University of Innsbruck (including general staff) who would like to develop or test an innovative idea for digital transformation in the areas of teaching and continuing education.
A total of 100,000 euros is available.
Projects can start at the earliest on 1 April 2025 and at the latest on 1 September 2025.
The maximum project duration is 1 year.
a. The project leader must hold a permanent position at the University of Innsbruck for the entire duration of the project.
b. Maximum eligible costs:
- Maximum eligible costs for cross-faculty projects: 35,000 euros
- Maximum eligible costs for internal faculty projects: 30,000 euros
c. The realisation of the project must not depend on further (internal or external) funding commitments.
d. The application has been submitted in full (see section "Scope of project submission") and on time.
Content criteria for project selection:
- The project deals with topics of digital transformation.
- The project promotes the development of qualifications and competences in the field of digitalisation and AI at the University of Innsbruck.
- The project has a direct benefit for at least one of the following target groups at the University of Innsbruck: students, researchers, teachers, general staff.
- The project promotes the use of innovative, digital methods and/or tools in university teaching.
- The project promotes the development of interdisciplinary synergies.
- The project can be realised within one year after the funding award.
Scope of the project submission:
a. Completed application form incl. scientific abstract download
b. Title of the project and brief description of the project and project objectives (max. 3 pages)
- What is the relation to digital transformation in teaching?
- What are the innovative elements of the project?
- What impact do the results of the project have?
- Which target groups at the university will benefit from the project?
- What are the long-term effects of the project for the University of Innsbruck?
- Brief description of the roles of the persons involved (max. half page per person)
c. Timetable of the project with milestones (max. 1 page)
d. Financial plan (please in Excel)
e. List of any follow-up costs and financing of follow-up costs
Project submission:
a. Applications can be submitted from 10.01.2025 until 02.03.2025 at 23:59.
b. Submission language: German or English
c. Applications are submitted via the project database (see the explanations in the application form). Responsible:n Project database officer:n of your institute should enter the application in the project database and upload all documents individually as .pdf files
The entry in the project database is deemed to be approval by the institute management that the project can be carried out and that any necessary institute resources can be made available (e.g. workplace for additional project staff)
Eligible costs:
Certain personnel costs (see FAQs), infrastructure costs as well as material and equipment costs are recognised as eligible costs. Participation in meetings or scientific conferences as well as publication costs including open access fees are not eligible for funding. The funding guidelines of the University of Innsbruck apply. If services from other organisational units are required, this must be agreed in advance with the units concerned and confirmation of this must be enclosed.
If any follow-up costs arise from the project, these cannot be borne by the University of Innsbruck. In this case, planned funding must be enclosed with the project submission (see section "Scope of project submission", point d).
1 The Vice-Rectorate for Digitalisation and Sustainability checks whether the project submission meets the funding requirements.
2 The UIBK Digital Community assesses the submitted projects that fulfil the funding requirements. Own projects or projects from one's own institute may not be included in the evaluation. Please refer to the section "Content-related criteria for project selection" and to Assessment catalogue.
3. the assessment will be submitted to Vice Rector for Digitalisation and Sustainability and Vice Rector for Teaching and Students, which will make the final decision on the award of funding.
Once the project has been awarded, the successful project applicants will be invited to present their project at Digital Community UIBK.
Project completion: after completion of the project, a formal final report (max. 1 page) and an overview of the funds used (SAP extract) must be submitted to the Vice-Rectorate for Digitalisation and Sustainability within 2 months. In addition, the final report must include a presentation of the project results for publication (max. 1 page) and a presentation of the project results with deviations for the Vice-Rectorate for Digitalisation and Sustainability for internal use (max. 2 pages).
FAQs on the award guidelines
Please use the project submission forms provided and upload them via the internal project database.
Please contact digital-nachhaltig@uibk.ac.at.
Implementation of a pilot project on the use of AI-supported testing: can AI be used to assess exam questions?
Current research on this: https://www.unidigital.news/gerechtere-notengebung-durch-den-einsatz-von-kuenstlicher-intelligenz-eine-iu-studie-laesst-aufhorchen/
Development of a "Research Tinder - find the right interdisciplinary research partner at the UIBK": implementation of a hackathon (collaborative software development event) to develop such an application within the UIBK's systems
Implementation of a pilot project on the use of AI in foreign language teaching: how can existing Large Language Models (LLM) such as DeepL and ChatGPT support teachers in teaching heterogeneous groups of students?
Please coordinate these deviations informally by email with the Vice-Rectorate for Digitalisation and Sustainability: digital-nachhaltig@uibk.ac.at
Please coordinate these deviations informally by email with the Vice-Rectorate for Digitalisation and Sustainability: digital-nachhaltig@uibk.ac.at
All types of employment at the University of Innsbruck are eligible for funding (including increases to a maximum of 40 hours per week). Please note that the funds are from the global budget. Employment of persons for the project for a period longer than 6 months must be advertised.
No.
Please enter the currently valid salary scales at the University of Innsbruck and add a 5% inflation adjustment.
Yes.
No.
Yes, as long as the project leader is employed at the University of Innsbruck for the duration of the project and does not exceed a maximum weekly working time of 40 hours with the increase.
Information & advice
Office of the Vice-Rector for Digitalisation and Sustainability
Tabea Eichhorn, BA MSc.
+43 512 507 20504
digital-nachhaltig@uibk.ac.at
Address
Main University Building
Innrain 52, Room 1037
6020 Innsbruck
Office hours
Monday - Thursday: 8.30 am - 4 pm