As part of a major research initiative , the State of Bavaria will be investing €600 million in 100 new professorships in Artificial Intelligence over the next few years. 50 of these new professorships are location-based and have already been awarded: With 22 new professorships, Munich is set to become an AI hub. In addition, ten new AI professorships are to be awarded in Würzburg, ten in Ingolstadt, and eight in Erlangen. Markus Söder, Minister President of Bavaria, has also announced an AI Mission Institute, which will dovetail AI activities in the federal state.

A further 50 AI professorships are to be awarded in spring 2022 as part of a competition . All state universities in Bavaria, universities of applied sciences, technical colleges and universities, and art colleges are eligible to participate. The Bavarian State Chancellery has defined the award criteria as quality, conclusiveness, and accuracy of fit of the concepts entered. All participating universities must also commit to cooperation and networking. The State Chancellery cites data analytics and data science, production and Industry 4.0, and smart home and media as possible research areas. The application forms will be available in the next few weeks.