Founding Our Initiative

We founded the TUM Initiative for Data Excellence with a clear vision: to create a space where passionate students from different backgrounds can come together, share knowledge, and build meaningful connections that extend beyond the classroom. Our mission is driven by the belief that the most impactful learning happens through collaboration, real-world experience, and community engagement.

At the same time, we see a bigger challenge: European companies are increasingly losing ground in global competition, largely due to talent and innovation gaps. More than half of EU companies already struggle to find ICT specialists, limiting their competitiveness (DIGITALEUROPE). Global studies confirm that the scarcity of tech talent is a key barrier to digital transformation (McKinsey), and in Germany nearly one-third of companies report shortages of qualified workers across sectors (ifo Institute).

This is where we want to make a difference. Our initiative aims to be a source of talent and innovation in Munich—by connecting students, industry, and new ideas. We do this through:

• Organizing workshops with industry to bridge theory and practice.
• Exploring hands-on topics like AI, process mining, and data-driven innovation.
• Building an open, interdisciplinary community where curiosity comes first.

Through this community, we hope to foster innovation, encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, and empower students to take ownership of their learning journey. Together, we're building more than just a club – we're creating a movement that celebrates curiosity, creativity, and the power of collective action.