Campus - 04.02.2026 - 08:30
In times of great geopolitical and economic uncertainty, Europe's digital sovereignty is becoming the focus of political, economic and technological strategies. In the area of cloud transformation in particular, the challenges for companies are complex: fragmented IT landscapes, heterogeneous regulations, proprietary technologies, uncertainty regarding data sovereignty and a lack of interoperability undermine digital autonomy. At the same time, there is a growing need for trustworthy, open and scalable infrastructures as well as resilient cloud governance models.
As part of a multi-year research project, researchers at the Institute of Information Management (IWI-HSG) aim to make a significant contribution to the development of sovereign cloud infrastructures and digital ecosystems in Europe. The plans of the HSG researchers were well received by the Dieter Schwarz Foundation in Heilbronn. In January, the foundation signed a five-year funding agreement with HSG. "Digital sovereignty is the foundation on which Europe secures its technological independence. By supporting the competence centre at the University of St.Gallen, we are not only investing in excellent research on AI and cloud structures, but also building a bridge to practice," says Gunther Friedl, managing director of the Dieter Schwarz Foundation. "Through innovative continuing education programmes, we bring this knowledge directly to the decision-makers of tomorrow. In particular, close networking with our ecosystem on the education campus in Heilbronn ensures that scientific findings are translated into real competences for the economy."
The aim of the project is to develop scientifically sound, application-oriented and forward-looking models for sovereign cloud infrastructures and transformations for enterprise IT and, in particular, AI. These should be valid across sector-specific differences. The results should contribute to strategic action models for politics and research and open up concrete transfer paths in entrepreneurial and regulatory contexts. In addition, the transfer of knowledge from the research results will be strengthened through offerings in executive education. Courses for managers, cross-location programmes (in St.Gallen and Heilbronn) and digitally supported formats for lifelong learning are planned.
In order to grasp the challenges mentioned in their entirety and find suitable solutions for all stakeholders, the project pursues a multi-perspective approach with several coordinated sub-projects. One deals with the situation from the perspective of cloud providers, a second with the user perspective, and a third examines the role that innovation ecosystems can play in shaping digital sovereignty. The focus is on the structural contributions of technology-oriented start-ups. “Enterprise software and AI are key areas for the future of the economy and society,” says project manager Prof. Dr. Jan Marco Leimeister. “We want to help providers and user companies to optimally manage the transformation to AI and cloud-based value creation.”
The research project is designed to run for five years. It comprises several doctoral projects and the involvement of assistant professors and postdocs. Close cooperation with the Dieter Schwarz Foundation's educational campus in Heilbronn and the involvement of suitable partners will ensure that the project has a regional impact not only in Switzerland but also at the foundation's headquarters.
Education, science and innovation are crucial to the country's development and future viability. The Dieter Schwarz Foundation has therefore set itself the goal of building on these pillars and promoting lifelong learning. Current focus areas include the education campus in Heilbronn, the development of the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) and the nearby Science Center experimenta, where visitors can get excited about science and technology. The following guiding principle of the founder has shaped the work of the foundation since its establishment in 1999: “Education is our most important resource.” (Dieter Schwarz)
