On 22 May 2025, the Data Science Ruhr Congress 2025 invited data scientists from research, business and administration to Bochum. The event provided a comprehensive platform for discussing the latest developments and challenges in the field of data science, impressively showcasing the region's innovative strength. The Institute Industrial IT (inIT) of the Technische Hochschule OWL (TH OWL) played an active role in this event.
Presentation of the it's OWL project DeepConcrete
The two inIT employees Robert Bakschik and Jan Ehlenbröker from the Discrete Systems research group headed by Prof. Dr. Volker Lohweg presented the DeepConcrete project, a transfer pilot of the it's OWL leading-edge cluster, which was carried out in cooperation with BREMER SE from Paderborn. In their presentation, Robert Bakschik and Jan Ehlenbröker emphasised the wide range of possible applications and the concrete benefits of data science transfer research carried out in the OWL region.
People-centredness as a common thread
This year's edition of the congress also placed a special focus on the human dimension of data-driven transformation. Sebastian Holtze from PwC Germany opened the day with his keynote speech on the topic of "Change needs more than technology - people at the centre of transformation". He emphasised that the success of data-based strategies depends largely on people's willingness and ability to understand, shape and apply them.
This central idea ran like a common thread through the diverse presentations and discussions. The range of topics was impressive and ranged from the application of data science in areas such as sales and corporate culture to the optimisation of infrastructure and medical care through to quality control in the construction industry. Special niches such as agriculture and mining also showed how data science is able to revolutionise processes.
Conscious use of data-based technologies
At the end of the congress day, Prof. Dr. Karola Marky from the Digital Sovereignty Lab at Ruhr University Bochum summarised the complex relationships in her closing keynote "Gaming or Gambling? How online services influence our habits". Her remarks emphasised how profoundly data-based services may influence our daily lives and our decisions and how important it is to use these technologies consciously.
Radiance of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region
The congress was characterised by a strong presence and innovative contributions from OWL, among other things. In addition to the inIT contribution on DeepConcrete, Oliver Dietrich from IG Metall also presented the Arbeitswelt.Plus competence centre of the it's OWL leading-edge cluster. This ensured supra-regional visibility for regional research and development and emphasised the performance of the data science community in OWL.
The Data Science Ruhr Congress 2025 once again confirmed its role as an important networking event for the Rhine-Ruhr region and beyond. Robert Bakschik emphasises: "The congress provided us participants with an excellent platform for sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices. It thus promotes networking between the various players in the dynamic field of data science."