The PICAIS Coffee Talk on July 7 at the University of Passau brought together PICAIS Fellows, faculty hosts, and academics for an inspiring afternoon of research exchange and networking. The four Fellows presented their current projects, offering insights into topics ranging from Digitalisation and Innovation to Digital Literacy and Sustainable New Ventures. The lively discussions that followed highlighted the international and interdisciplinary spirit of the PICAIS community, while informal conversations over coffee and pastries created further opportunities to connect, exchange ideas, and explore future collaborations. We are excited to
see new partnerships and research initiatives that may emerge from these inspiring conversations.
- Dr. Sérgio Barbosa (University of Graz, Austria): On Digital Literacy to curb Disinformation in the Global South(s)
Host: Dr. Arthur Oliveira Bueno (Chair of Political Science with a focus on Comparative Government)
Dr. Barbosa’s research project explores how educators in Brazil can design pedagogical approaches to digital literacy that empower young people to counter disinformation, emphasizing critical, context-sensitive frameworks beyond the Global North. It aims to challenge academic silos and technological solutionism by integrating digital literacy, critical pedagogy, and co-creation, ultimately producing a co-authored article and a pedagogical toolkit. - Prof. Dr. Tali Hadasa Blank (Tel Hai College, Israel): Exploring the Duality of New Venture's Sustainability Commitment and Performance in Israel and Germany
Host: Prof. Dr. Suleika Bort (Chair of International Management & Social Entrepreneurship)
Prof. Blank presented her research on how sustainability commitment influences the performance of new ventures, focusing on the roles of institutional contexts and stakeholders such as investors and boards. She highlighted how comparing the two countries can explore the effect of different environmental and institutional factors on the relationship between Sustainability commitment and firm performance in the short and long term. - Dr. Tariq Daradkeh (Yarmouk University, Jordan): AI Enabled Digital Twins for IoT Management and Digitalisation
Host: Prof. Dr. Hermann de Meer (Chair of Computer Networks and Computer Communications)
Dr. Daradkeh presented how modelling and simulation using the digital twin approach to replicate real-world entities works out. Through his research project, he addresses the challenges of IoT digitalisation and management in 6G networks and applications to support the broader digital transformation of business models. - Prof. Dr. Camilo Peña-Ramírez (Universidad de Playa Ancha, Chile): Digital Innovation Platforms for Smart Tourism Destinations: Advancing Sustainability, Governance, and Inclusive Participation in Latin America
Host: Dr. Stefan Mang (CENTOURIS - Applied Solutions)
Prof. Peña-Ramírez focused on how digital platforms and smart tourism destination models can be used to promote inclusion and sustainability in tourism to benefit local communities. He aims to co-design and test a pilot digital platform focused on Valparaíso (Chile) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) on digitalisation and informality in tourism. As a result of his fellowship he will continue to collaborate with Dr. Stefan Mang and CENTOURIS to co-develop a joint publication and intensify research opportunities between Latin America and Europe.