South Tyrol as a platform for digital innovation

Envisioning the innovation campus in Brixen: the tech hub for Central Europe. (Image: Stifter + Bachmann Architects)

The Innovation Campus Brixen project combines technology, education and business components in one place. Many high-tech companies in the region have expertise in technologies such as artificial intelligence to control autonomous machines, computer vision, and the cloud and edge computing. The Innovation Campus Brixen aims to accumulate this knowledge and thus become a center of innovation and technology for Central Europe. The mid-term goal of the project is also to link business and education. The partners introduced the concept of an artificial intelligence laboratory (mailab) on campus, where pupils and students can learn skills in the field of artificial intelligence.

The modular and sustainable campus of more than 12,000 square meters is being built by project partners TTControl based in Vienna and Microtec, among others, and should be completed by 2026. Microtec is working on imaging processes that detect wood defects in real time, Thus enabling more resource-saving wood processing. TTControl, a joint venture between Vienna-based TTTech Group and Germany’s Hydac Group, is working on next-generation smart mobile devices for networked and autonomous concepts such as smart farming.