DIREC - Digital Research Centre Denmark

Will AI automate research? 🤖 This was one of the key questions to explore at our event, "From Hype to Action: Applying Generative AI in Danish Research Practices," co-hosted by Danmarks Forsknings- og Innovationspolitiske Råd (DFIR). From biology to literature, AI is already transforming multiple research fields. Timothy Jenkins showed examples of how he and his team at DTU Bioengineering create proteins using the models behind AI image recognition (RFDiffusion). Mads Rosendahl Thomsen from the Faculty of Arts - Aarhus Universitet presented how AI in the humanities is used as both a tool and an object, and Mads Rydahl showed how genAI has evolved and how proem is developing AI tools to support research. It was clear that genAI has made its way into universities. But we must tread carefully: 🎤 "It’s not just about rolling out these models to as many researchers as possible. It’s crucial that researchers develop a qualitative understanding of which AI tools can support which tasks - and with what limitations," said Kaj Grønbæk, Head of the Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University. The real challenge is ensuring that AI enhances research quality rather than replaces critical thinking and expertise. 🎤 "AI holds great potential for researchers, but it also comes with significant risks, such as data security and energy efficiency. That’s why we need researchers who deeply understand their field and can make informed decisions. This event was a great inspiration, highlighting the importance of supporting researchers in using AI wisely," said Frede Blaabjerg, Chair of DFiR. A big thank you to all participants for your valuable insights and discussions!  Let’s continue the conversation on how AI can support—not replace—great research 🙏 

How can your business profit from breakthrough digital technologies? 🤔 Are you ready to take your organization to the next level? Join industry leaders, academic experts in digital innovation, and fellow business professionals at our half-day event designed to help Danish businesses harness the power of emerging digital technologies, such as #AI, #IoT, and #blockchain. 🗓️ March 12, 2025 - from 15.00-19.00 📍 Grundfos, Bjerringbro Sign up: https://lnkd.in/daNbbS33 Find out how digital technologies can reduce operational costs and provide innovative sources of revenue with talks by Professor Youngjin Yoo, Professor Jan Damsgaard, Professor Carsten Sorensen, Head of Analytics and AI at Grundfos Thomas Asger Hansen, and more. The event is organized by Copenhagen Business School and Department of Digitalization, Copenhagen Business School, sponsored by DIREC - Digital Research Centre Denmark and supported by GRUNDFOS and Erhvervshus Midtjylland.

With 15 years of experience researching AI in the public sector, Thomas Hildebrandt, Professor at the Datalogisk Institut, Københavns Universitet - DIKU, is one of the most prominent voices in the field. According to him, language models like ChatGPT have gained popularity due to their ability to produce responses that seem convincing and trustworthy. However, these models are not designed to operate in a context where answers must always be correct. For Thomas Hildebrandt and his research team, the future lies in hybrid AI, which combines language models with rule-based systems. This approach allows citizens to interact with the language model in a familiar way, while the answers are derived from a rule-based system that encodes legal provisions. Read more 👇 and subscribe to 'DIREC - Bits & Bytes' for more tech insights.

DEBATE AND WORKSHOP: From hype to action – Generative AI in Danish research and innovation 💡 Danmarks Forsknings- og Innovationspolitiske Råd (DFIR) will together with DIREC - Digital Research Centre Denmark organize a workshop and a debate meeting on potentials, risks and barriers for generative AI in Danish research and innovation. Time: January 29, 12:30-16:30 Place INCUBA, Aarhus N The program offers inspiring presentations and debates, including: Mads Rosendahl Thomsen, Timothy Jenkins, Mads Rydahl, Mads P. Sørensen, Ulla Appel Haahr, Janne Gleerup, Anne-Mette Hvas, Michael Friis Lindinger, Kaj Grønbæk, Tine Jess, Frede Blaabjerg and Steffen Bohni Nielsen. The event is oversubscribed, but you can sign up for the waiting list here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/dVXhAuFW We look forward to welcoming you to an afternoon full of inspiration, insight and exciting discussions of how Danish research environments can go from hype to action in the use of generative artificial intelligence. Mette Birkedal Bruun Jes Broeng Christine Nellemann Lene Tanggaard Søren Nedergaard Poul Toft Frederiksen Thomas Trøst Hansen Anders Kamp Høst Signe Nipper Nielsen Rosa Bennekou

In fetal ultrasound image analysis, neural networks should do more than excel at tasks – explanations for the model decisions are also considered important since medical decisions can be high-stakes. Manxi Lin's PhD thesis focuses on enhancing model explainability by incorporating human and model-derived knowledge into neural networks. On January 21, Manxi will defend his PhD "Knowledge-grounded Explainable Medical Image Analysis for Feral Ultrasound" supervised by Aasa Feragen at DTU Compute. Manxi has studied knowledge-grounded explainable artificial intelligence focusing on two tasks: 1) Create models that are grounded in human prior knowledge, allowing them to “think” like clinicians. The models provide clinician-centered explanations that are useful to the users. 2) Combine human knowledge with insights derived from large-scale pre-trained models to construct interpretable models. The model knowledge enriches the explanations. Good luck, Manxi! We wish you all the best for the defence - and in the future🌟 More info https://lnkd.in/dTUhkrFj Manxi's PhD project is part of a DIREC-funded project across DTU Compute, Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University, Datalogisk Institut, Københavns Universitet - DIKU, Roskilde University, and CAMES, Nordsim, and Department of Urology, University Hospital, Region Zealand. A big thanks to all partners for contributing to the project! #PhDdefence #DIRECimpact #ExplainableAI

New debate meeting and workshop: From hype to action – Generative AI in Danish research💡 ✅ Sign up: https://lnkd.in/dSWtE8DP 📅 January 29 from 12:30-16:30 📍 INCUBA Next, Aarhus N A new report prepared by The Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy indicates that the current use of generative AI remains limited, despite researchers at Danish universities recognizing the many benefits. In connection with the launch of the report, we, in collaboration with Danmarks Forsknings- og Innovationspolitiske Råd (DFIR) invite researchers from all fields to a workshop and debate on the potentials, risks, and barriers to using #GenAI in Danish research and innovation. Speakers and panelists: Timothy Jenkins, Mads Rydahl, Mads Rosendahl Thomsen, Mads P. Sørensen, Ulla Appel Haahr, Anne-Mette Hvas, Michael Friis Lindinger, Kaj Grønbæk. Read the report: https://lnkd.in/daDZrAK7 Thomas Riisgaard Hansen | Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard | Kim Guldstrand Larsen | Susanne Bødker | Riko Jacob | Mark August Riis | Thomas Hildebrandt | Ole Lehrmann Madsen | Mads Nielsen | Hua Lu | Claudio Orlandi | Christian S. Jensen | Helle Zinner Henriksen | Xenofon (Fontas) Fafoutis | Carsten Schürmann

JOBOPSLAG: Vi søger en projektkoordinator til DIREC - Digital Research Centre Denmark. Vores formål er at samle økosystemet for digital forskning og innovation og bidrage til udviklingen af ansvarlige digitale løsninger, der fremmer Danmarks vækst og velfærd. Som projektkoordinator skal du hjælpe med at planlægge og afvikle konferencer og event, følge op på projekter, udføre diverse kommunikationsopgaver og yde administrativ support. Læs mere om stillingen - https://lnkd.in/da9cjtHG Vi er et lille team, så vi leder efter en profil, der har et entreprenørielt mindset, er god til at arbejde selvstændigt, er nysgerrig på digital teknologi og universitetsverden og trives med at koordinere opgaver mellem mange aktører. Ansøgningsfristen er den 12. januar 2025. DEL endelig! Thomas Riisgaard Hansen Malene Hjulmand Bundgaard

As 2024 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on another great year. Since our inception in 2020, our mission has been clear: To unite the ecosystem for digital research and innovation and contribute to responsible digital solutions that drive Denmark’s growth and welfare. This year, we’ve seen this vision come to life through our many collaborative projects and bridging events like the Danish Digitalization, Data Science, and AI - D3A and Digital Tech Summit. A few highlights: ✨ D3A 2.0 brought together 525+ researchers to exchange ideas and forge new connections. Planning is already underway for 2025! ✨ We supported young researchers through interdisciplinary summer schools and initiatives like the Young Researcher Entrepreneurship Bootcamp and the first DIREC PhD Day. More of this in 2025! ✨ We secured new funding for 2025-2026 to continue DIREC and further develop our efforts. As we look ahead to 2025, we are excited for what’s to come. Thank you to all our partners, collaborators, and the entire community for your support. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎉 Malene Hjulmand Bundgaard Thomas Riisgaard Hansen Datalogisk Institut, Københavns Universitet - DIKU, Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University, Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Department of Digitalization, Copenhagen Business School, The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (IMADA), University of Southern Denmark (SDU), IT-Universitetet i København, Roskilde University, Alexandra Instituttet, Pioneer Centre for AI, Innovationsfonden, Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen

Researchers work to strengthen Beumer's baggage systems against cyberattacks🛡️🛡️🛡️ “We want clear answers on the impact of our software decisions. Currently, the process is manual, time-consuming, and based on many subjective judgments. We want to be able to tell our customers that our resilience is mathematically proven. That would give us a significant advantage in the market,” says Claus Riber, Senior Manager, Software Cyber Security at BEUMER Group. With 1,500 baggage handling systems installed in airports worldwide, Beumer Group is committed to safeguarding against cyberattacks and to stay ahead of cyber threats, the company is involved in one of our research and innovation projects led by Professor Jaco van de Pol from Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University. Rene Rydhof Hansen | Kim Guldstrand Larsen | Alberto Lluch Lafuente | Nicola Dragoni | Torkil Clemmensen | Qiqi Jiang | Gert Læssøe Mikkelsen | Mikael B. Dahlsen-Jensen | Alyzia Konsta | Zaruhi Aslanyan | ShiTing （Marcia） Wang | Sigrid Nielsen Saabye | Morten Granum | Read more and subscribe to DIREC Bits & Bytes to get more insights 👇

Join us for an inspiring afternoon on January 29, 2025, as we bring together researchers from all disciplines to explore how Danish research environments can transition from hype to action in applying #GenAI. 👉👉 Sign up https://lnkd.in/dSWtE8DP The advancements in generative AI are not only reshaping how research is conducted but also challenging the research community to rethink traditional methodologies and processes. We'll start with talks by Professor Mads Rosendahl Thomsen from Faculty of Arts - Aarhus Universitet, Associate Professor Timothy Jenkins from DTU - Technical University of Denmark and Entrepreneur and Tech Product Lead Mads Rydahl on how GenAI has been applied in different research areas and influenced research practices. Afterwards, Professor Mads P. Sørensen from Aarhus Universitet will present the report 'Using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) across different Research Phases – Cases, Potential and Risks'. We'll wrap up the day with a debate on how the Danish research environments can actually move from hype to action in the application of GenAI with a strong panel consisting of Head of Research at Erhvervsakademi Aarhus | Business Academy Aarhus Ulla Appel Haahr, Chair at DM - fagforening Janne Gleerup, Dean at Health - Aarhus University, CFO at Innovationsfonden Michael Friis Lindinger and Head of Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University Kaj Grønbæk. We hope to see you! The event is a collaboration between @Danmarks Forsknings- og Innovationspolitiske Råd (DFIR) and DIREC - Digital Research Centre Denmark.