“The opening of the first Franco-German chair at INSA Lyon in cooperation with the University of Passau is the result of long-standing collaboration between the two institutions," said Jessica Engel. "The topic of AI and Cybersecurity could not be more relevant: to become more independent and find solutions that comply with European standards, we need (European) research supported by entrepreneurial activities. In view of the significant needs, these activities come at just the right time. Congratulations and best wishes.”, the General Consul stated. The importance of bridging research and industry was further illustrated by the presence of Dr. Alexander Krebs, representative of Atos Germany. The long-standing partnership between Atos Germany and Atos France will thus continue to deepen.

By way of introduction, Prof. Dr. Harald Kosch, Vice President for Academic Infrastructure and IT at the University of Passau (and Chair of Computer Science with a focus on Distributed Information Systems), and Prof. Dr. Lionel Brunie, Head of the Computer Science Department at INSA Lyon, presented the newly created professorship. It also examines the social, ecological, and ethical impacts of AI and cybersecurity. Key topics will include political implications, such as digital sovereignty, as well as its societal facets, with for instance, trustworthy AI and privacy protection.

"This chair of excellence in AI is unique in the world. It reaffirms Europe's digital sovereignty," declared FGU President Philippe Gréciano, highlighting the cross-border dimension of this format: "Thanks to our initiative, the FGU is developing new collaborations: at the European level, with the IRIXYS research center, and at the international level, particularly with Japan, where we are developing several programs in the field of AI and cybersecurity in partnership with Tohoku University, the German Centre for Research and Innovation (DWIH) Tokyo, and the French Embassy in Tokyo. In the context of Choose France 2026, Horizon Europe 2026, and VivaTech 2026, the Franco-German partnership is the winning tandem for the future of Europe."

"With the establishment of the Franco-German chair for Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity at INSA Lyon, in cooperation with the University of Passau, we are sending a strong signal for the future of European research cooperation," emphasized President Jan Hendrik Schumann. "I would like to express my special thanks to the FGU for its support, as well as to INSA Lyon for its substantial investment, which made this initiative possible. For me, especially in times of global challenges, this project impressively demonstrates how long-standing collaboration grows into strong, future-oriented partnerships."

Frédéric Fotiadu, Director of INSA Lyon, added : “Topics such as digital sovereignty, trustworthy AI, data protection, ethics, sustainability, and the responsible use of new technologies require interdisciplinary and intercultural approaches. This chair will provide a unique platform for such dialogue. ”

As long-standing partners of the Franco-German University, INSA Lyon and the University of Passau have maintained close cooperation in the field of internationally-oriented doctoral training since 2008.

More informations on the “Franco-German Professorships” pilot project is available on Franco-German University’ Website. Further information regarding the Franco-German chair in AI and Cybersecurity can also be found at www.irixys.org.

Participation in the event is free of charge. Further information and the registration form can be found on the event website.

For its law department, the University of Passau received top marks in categories including overall study situation, courses offered, study organisation, teacher support, and digital teaching elements. In all 13 categories, the Faculty of Law is in the national top group. Once again, exam preparation support stood out, scoring 4.6 out of 5 stars – well above the national average of 4.1. Alongside the universities of Bayreuth and Mannheim, Passau is among Germany’s top three public universities in this category.

“I am extremely pleased with these results“, says Professor Meinhard Schröder, Dean of the Faculty of Law. “They are well-deserved recognition of the exceptional commitment our faculty has shown for many years. These results do not yet reflect the structural improvements, administrative optimisations and new initiatives introduced in winter semester 2025–26, which will bring further improvements for first-year students. The University of Passau remains one of the absolute top destinations for law studies in Germany.”

The University's business administration programmes – B.Sc. Business Administration and Economics and B.Sc. Digital Transformation in Business and Society – also rank among Germany’s best. The Passau School of Business, Economics and Information Systems received good ratings in categories including overall study situation and courses offered. In addition to student evaluations – which place the department in the top group for 11 out of 12 categories – the faculty also excels in research strength. Both in publications per professor and third-party funds per professor, the school is among the leading institutions in the ranking.

The information systems department also performed exceptionally well in the current CHE ranking. In 10 out of 11 categories, the University of Passau is above the national benchmark, consistently ranking in the leading group. Students rated the overall study situation particularly highly, with 4.7 stars – the highest score among all public universities in Germany. Moreover, the programme received 4.6 stars for support during studies, making it the clear nationwide leader in this category. Alongside the universities of Augsburg and Bamberg, Passau also leads in courses offered, with 4.5 stars. Beyond these outstanding student evaluations, the B.Sc. Information Systems programme also ranks in the top group for contact with professional practice.

“We are thrilled with this excellent result”, says Dean Professor Suleika Bort. “It underscores the outstanding study conditions at the School of Business, Economics and Information Systems, and particularly within the Information Systems department.”

In the support in the study entry phase category, all three ranked departments at the University of Passau are in the national top group.

About the CHE Ranking

The CHE university ranking – which has been published exclusively in the ZEIT Studienführer study guide and on HeyStudium for more than twenty years – is the most comprehensive comparison of universities in the German-speaking world. It offers evaluations of more than 10,000 degree programmes at German universities. The ZEIT Studienführer 2026/27 was published on 9 May and offers over 280 pages of detailed information for prospective students, including selected ranking results and in-depth data on more than 35 subjects, study choice tips, and checklists for starting university.

The full ranking, based on feedback from around 120,000 students, is available online at HeyStudium: www.heystudium.de/ranking.

Born in Versmold in 1976, Barbara Tasch studied Social Sciences and Euroculture at the universities of Göttingen and Groningen (Netherlands). She also successfully completed a traineeship in PR and marketing. From 2005 to 2007, Tasch coordinated the Bologna Process at the University of Passau. Following that, she held various management positions at the Technical University of Munich and served as managing director of the Munich TUM School of Management from 2015. There, she developed extensive expertise in strategic project and process planning as well as in the implementation of business and organisational development initiatives. Among her responsibilities, she led the establishment of the TUM Campus in Heilbronn and its regional marketing and networking activities from 2018 onwards. Additionally, as a project manager in the Ministerial Incubator of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, she was instrumental in the implementation of the Bavarian High-Tech Agenda from 2022 to 2023.

Barbara Tasch is married and has three children.

University President Professor Ulrich Bartosch welcomed the new Head of Administration in Passau today, Monday, 2 March: "A warm welcome, dear Ms Tasch. As Head of Administration, from today onwards, you will play a key role in shaping the development of the University of Passau. You are excellently prepared for this demanding task, and we are all delighted that you are bringing your expertise to our university. For this, I wish you, both as president and personally, luck and every success. I am grateful for your swift move to Passau and that, with this, the leadership team is now complete ahead of the handover on 1 April.”

Vice President Professor Jan Schumann, who will assume the role of President on 1 April, warmly welcomed the new Head of Administration: "It is a great pleasure to welcome Ms Tasch back to Passau. With her extensive experience in process and organisational development in higher education, she will enrich the University of Passau during challenging times, guiding it towards a successful future with her expertise. I very much look forward to working together with her."

Bartosch and Schumann also expressed their gratitude to Deputy Head of Administration Sabine Wiendl, who expertly managed administrative duties during the transition period.

The WAR consists of scientists from various disciplines who examine the legal, economic and technical aspects of regulation and make their expertise available in publicly accessible statements. The specialist group provides scientifically sound analyses and recommendations that are important for the further development of the regulation of physical infrastructures in areas such as energy, telecommunications, postal services and transport – but increasingly also for digital infrastructures such as platforms and AI.

Expert in the regulation of digital markets

Professor Krämer, who holds the Chair of Internet and Telecommunications Business at the University of Passau, was appointed to the committee on 1 January 2026. Krämer's work focuses on the economic regulation of telecommunications markets, digital platforms and AI. In addition to the Federal Network Agency, he also regularly advises the European Commission and other European authorities. He is Academic Co-Director of the Centre of Regulation in Europe (CERRE), a Brussels-based think tank.

International conference on platform research

At the University of Passau, he is co-spokesperson for the German Research Foundation-funded Research Training Group 2720 ‘Digital Platform Ecosystems’. This is the world's largest research group examining issues relating to digital platforms from an economic perspective. Every two years, the group brings together researchers from around the world who are conducting research on the platform economy. This year's conference, which will take place on 15–16 June at the University of Passau, will take a critical look at digital platform ecosystems, their governance and their influence.

This text was machine-translated from German.

Further information:

• DPE Forum 2026: “Critical Perspectives on Digital Platform Ecosystems: Governance, Influence and Consequence” https://www.dpe.uni-passau.de/en/dpe-forum
• Prof. Dr. Krämer's chair page: https://www.ibusiness.uni-passau.de/

Scientific contact person (information provided by the Science Information Service)

Pofessor Jan Krämer
Chair of Internet and Telecommunications Business
University of Passau
Email: Jan.Kraemer@Uni-Passau.de