From May 11 to 13, 2026, Prof. Dr. Sven Hilbert, along with Prof. Dr. Heidrun Stöger and Dr. Daniel Balestrini, visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The workshop took place as part of the cooperation between the University of Regensburg and MIT. The delegation was invited and accompanied throughout the three days by Justin Leahey as part of the MIT program MISTI (MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives), which promotes international exchange in science and technology.
The program offered a dense and delightfully diverse insight into MIT’s innovation and educational landscape. The first day focused primarily on the intersections of technology and entrepreneurship: a visit to the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship with an emphasis on generative AI, followed by stops at MIT.nano, the renowned Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), and the educational project MIT App Inventor.
The second day placed greater emphasis on the topic of fostering invention and innovation—with visits to the Lemelson-MIT Program, the New Engineering Education Transformation (NEET), and the German Accelerator. A particular highlight was the guided tour of the Mechanical Engineering Exposition, where student projects could be experienced firsthand. The concluding third day was dedicated to educational technology in the U.S. as well as the MIT pK-12 Initiative, addressing issues of high relevance to the Regensburg delegation’s own work in empirical educational research and science communication.
The visit impressively demonstrated how closely basic research, educational innovation, and the transfer of knowledge to society and the economy are intertwined at MIT. We are bringing back numerous ideas and new contacts to Regensburg and would like to extend our sincere thanks to Justin Leahey and the MISTI program for their excellent organization and hospitality.