Report from the Cabinet Meeting

1. Digital flagship projects in the Free State of Bavaria
A) Artificial machine intelligence competence network
B) Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation
C) Bavarian Hub for Digital Transformation
D) Virtual Reality in Bavaria
E) Set of measures to support digital entrepreneurs
F) Digital Classrooms
G) MediaLabs
H) Set of measures to support trade
I) Digitisation in health and care
J) Digital infrastructure
K) Digitisation in agriculture
L) Bavaria Digital master plan
M) Digital home

2. Bundesrat [second parliamentary chamber] initiative against improper and unlawful admonishment practices in data protection law / Minister of Justice Prof Dr Winfried Bausback: “Effectively preventing the misuse of admonishments for data protection violations across Germany / Creating legal security for citizens, societies as well as small and medium-sized businesses”

3. Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Political Educational Work becomes a partly legally responsible public agency with a new focus / Minister of Culture Bernd Sibler: “We are declaring war on political extremism on the internet!”

---

1. Digital flagship projects in the Free State of Bavaria

Today at its meeting in the Technical University of Munich, the Ministerial Council passed far-reaching resolutions for all regions in Bavaria on the future topic of digitisation.

Minister-president Dr Markus Söder: “Artificial intelligence is the key strategy of the future. If Bavaria wants to continue to be successful, it must strengthen its whole industry with artificial machine intelligence in the future. This is why we are very committed in starting a new artificial intelligence strategy. Bavaria should become one of the leading regions for artificial machine intelligence globally. With new concepts and projects such as MediaLabs and new enterprise centres, we are ensuring that the chances of digitisation can be used in all regions of Bavaria.”

Minister of Science Prof Dr Marion Kiechle: “Artificial intelligence is one of the pioneering driving forces of the digital revolution. Bavaria will develop this mega-topic with the concept which was resolved upon today as one of the leading locations in Germany and Europe. The systematic linking of research at universities with the application-oriented research of extramural institutions, as well as the already internationally visible range of performance in future computing at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre is already achieving particular attention.”

Minister for Digitisation Georg Eisenreich: “We are also striking out in new directions outwards and, with the Bavarian Hub for Digital Transformation creating a new strategic control centre space for digitisation. With the merger between the chancellery department “Digital and media”, the business office of the Bavaria Digitisation Centre (ZD.B) as well as the new Bavarian Institute for Digital Transformation Research (BIT), we want to create a network of available competences, drive initiatives and strengthen entrepreneurial spirit.”

A) Artificial machine intelligence competence network

Bavaria is making huge progress in promoting the future initiative for artificial intelligence. The competence network “artificial machine intelligence” with locations in Munich, Erlangen, Würzburg, Augsburg, Bayreuth, Ingolstadt and Weiden makes up the centrepiece. The set of measures for the expansion of scientific AI competences is based on three pillars:

1. Strengthening AI competences at Bavarian universities:

• Setting up 6 new professorships and 4 junior groups each at the universities in Munich (LMU and TUM) and Würzburg; new research building on the Würzburg site.
• Setting up a new “Competence centre for artificial intelligence and robotics (KAIRO)” in Würzburg as a service institution for all HAWs [universities of applied sciences]; 4 additional professorships.
• Expansion of the research areas at the Munich School of Robotics and Machine Intelligence.
• Strengthening of AI in medicine; among other things, 3 new professorships and 2 junior groups; Networking with “genomic medicine” (focuses on rare illnesses, cardiovascular illnesses, cancer).
• Expansion of the digital campus concept at the OTH Amberg-Weiden; setting up of 4 additional professorships; further development of the “Denkwelt-Projekt” in Weiherhammer/Halmesricht from an inter-company education centre to an AI centre for infrastructure, research, innovation and education.
• Research centre “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning” in Ingolstadt with the participation of the THI; setting up of 5 professorships as a stimulus.
• Setting up a Munich Centre for Human Development of Digital Systems (Research on the interaction of humans and digital systems).

2. Development and expansion of a country-wide AI competence association of extramural research institutes:

• Flagship: development of a new Fraunhofer institute for cognitive systems in Munich; new institute building on the Garching research campus.
• Expansion of the Fraunhofer AISEC in Garching (topic of cognitive security).
• Expansion of AI activities at the Fraunhofer IIS in Erlangen/Nuremberg (linking of signal processing and machine intelligence); research initiative “Campus der Sinne” in cooperation with the FAU for expanding the competences on machine recording and interpretation of human sense perceptions.
• Expansion of the Fraunhofer research business information systems in Augsburg and Bayreuth (topics include “Blockchain”); new build in Bayreuth planned.
• Development of a new Fraunhofer application centre “Networked mobility and infrastructure” in Ingolstadt.
• Development of new topic areas at the Centre for Telematics in Würzburg.
• Cooperation with other research institutes (fortiss and the Institute for Radio Technology in Munich)

3. Development of a networked “BRAIN-campus” (Bavarian Research in Artificial Intelligence Network campus) around Munich: with the “BRAIN campus”, a new top research campus for digitisation will be created in Munich. The aim is to link existing and new research institutes with each other (LRZ, LMU and TUM research bodies, MSRM, Munich Centre for Human Development of Digital Systems, fortiss and Fraunhofer groups) and to make them known on an international level.

Over the next five years, around 280 million euros of funding and 95 positions are available for the competence network.

B) Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (BIT)

With regard to the rapid and profound change processes in all areas of life caused by the digital transformation, the establishment of the “Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation” is the right answer to continue to expand on the Bavarian top position in economy and academia in the digital age.

With the “Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation”, the Bavarian research groups in digitisation and internet will have a common research institute to establish an interdisciplinary network, create synergies and thus offer the ideal requirements for excellent, independent research. The new research institute will cover three areas: research, think tank and interaction. Research focuses are technical, economical and legal aspects. With the institute, Bavaria will gain a research institute which is unique in Germany and which will produce highly qualified young researchers in the area of digitisation research.

The institute shall be established as an independent institute of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (BAdW). Through its association with the internationally renowned Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ), top research and top infrastructure will be brought together in a manner which is unique in Germany.

C) Bavarian Hub for Digital Transformation

With the “Bavarian Hub for Digital Transformation”, a new strategic control centre for BAYERN DIGITAL shall be created. The aim is to substantially increase the visibility and political assertiveness of the Bavarian initiatives in this future field. For this, the chancellery department “Digital and media”, the business office of the Bavaria Digitisation Centre (ZD.B) as well as the new “Bavarian Institute for Digital Transformation Research (BIT)”, will be brought together in one location.

D) Virtual Reality in Bavaria

Virtual reality / 3D visualisation is the technological megatrend and the prime example of a lively digital future with enormous application potential for the whole economy. The cabinet has been working on the economic and technological aspects as well as the diverse application possibilities (for example, within the framework of police investigations) of virtual reality:
 

• With the set of measures “Virtual reality in Bavaria”, Bavaria will make the location more visible and position itself at the top of the German federal states. With project funding and new innovation centres in Munich (focus: networks/application projects) and Erlangen (focus: research/technology development), activities of media and industrial companies should be bundled together and linked, visibility increased, new developments triggered and the location of Bavaria overall made stronger.
• Virtual reality presents the police with extremely promising application possibilities. This innovative technology is already being used with success by the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office for current investigations. The existing technology will be further developed into a type of ‘holodeck’ in the State Criminal Police Office to make it possible to walk around in virtual spaces with several people at the same time. The crime scene is depicted in detail using 3D capturing at the time of recording. The depiction in virtual reality using VR glasses makes it possible to “dive in” to the investigation. As well as criminal technology, another possible area of application is training officers for deployment.

E) Set of measures to support digital entrepreneurs

Bavaria has excellent entrepreneurs, innovative companies and a strong public offer of funding to support start-ups. The digital start-up area of Bavaria can be strengthened further through additional measures for entrepreneurs:
 

• In all seven administrative regions, another digital enterprise centre will be set up outside of metropolitan areas. The locations will be decided upon in September 2018.
• With the refreshed “Ois Easy Startup-Package”, digital start-ups are connected with local companies and investors and tied to the location. The package should offer an incentive to work on the German and European market from Bavaria.
• With the programme “Startup-International”, innovative Bavarian start-ups are offered help to start their first activities abroad and to strengthen their current international business in new markets.
• The programme “Start?Zuschuss!” funds young entrepreneurs with excellent digital business ideas.
• A business start-up database will be created for the Free State of Bavaria to obtain reliable data on business start-ups.
• Within the framework of the government’s German digital hub initiative, Munich will be expanded into a leading InsurTech Hub. The state government supports this project where start-ups, established companies and research institutes can form sustainable networks with each other.

F) Digital Classroom

Bavaria’s school pupils will be made fit for the digital future. In the 2018 budget, funds to the sum of 212.5 million euros have been planned for this. The digitisation of schools is based on three pillars:

• 150.0 million euros for the digital budget of digital classrooms (in all schools). This means approx. 11,000 digital classrooms can be set up. Along with the approx. 7,000 existing classrooms fitted with modern IT, more than 1/3 of the planned 50,000 digital classrooms can be set up. The funding programme should be continued in the next budget.
• 35.0 million euros for integrated specialist classrooms at vocational schools.
• 27.5 million euros for IT equipment in teacher training.

G) MediaLabs

The successful conception of the existing Munich Media Lab should also be anchored in northern Bavaria. In Ansbach, creative ideas, creative teams or creative journalism should be tightly interlinked with the well-positioned colleges with their media courses and media companies.
Both Media Labs in Munich and Ansbach should support pre-entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs intensively and strengthen the start-up scene in the field of media.

H) Set of measures to support trade
 

• The model project “Digitale Einkaufsstadt Bayern” will be expanded with the advice and training of small and medium-sized retailers into modern forms of online marketing in 40 cities.
• The innovation competition “Handel im Wandel”, which is oriented at business start-up founders and mid-market retailers will be expanded.
• The future of bricks-and-mortar trade shall be researched with the findings available to all Bavarian retailers. New technologies should be tested in two experimental shops in central locations in Munich and Nuremberg. Bavaria will thus become a pioneer in the implementation of new trade technologies.
• The academic E-Commerce campus in Burgkunstadt, which develops practical innovations for Bavarian online trade (augmented/virtual reality, data analytics, Blockchain and customer interaction) in five new laboratories, will be strengthened.
• Chances and advantages of digitisation for local supply will be sounded out with the “Digitales Dorf Bayern” project in the district of Tirschenreuth.

I) Digitisation in health and care
 

• Innovative telemedicine should also ensure that in the future, optimal patient care is available everywhere in Bavaria. In this way, the attending medical and non-medical personnel can rely on the knowledge of an additional medical expert who is not on site. The integrated control centre can also call upon the tele-emergency doctor as an additional member of the team. From July 2018, all 21 ambulances of the emergency services in Straubing will be connected to the tele-emergency doctor as part of a pilot project.
• With digital flagship projects such as “DigiMed Bayern” and “DeinHaus 4.0”, citizens can receive even better care in the future. ‘DigiMed Bayern’ develops approaches for personalised medicine in the cardiovascular system. The model plan “Exemplary assisted living environment for persons in need of care: DeinHaus 4.0” from the Bavarian Ministry of Health and Care should make intelligent assistant technology realisable in everyday care situations. Overall, 60 million euros have been invested.
• With “CARE REGIO”, Swabia will be developed as Bavaria’s leading region for digital care with the universities of applied sciences in Augsburg, Kempten, Neu-Ulm and the University of Augsburg.

J) Digital infrastructure

• The expansion of the digital infrastructure in Bavaria is going at full blast. 90 percent of households in Bavaria are now connected to the internet, 80 percent can already use speeds of 50 Mbit/s or more. 
• Gaps in supply, in particular in the outskirts of cities should be connected with the “Höfebonus” scheme. Around 400 communes are planning to use the Höfebonus. 62 communes have already received subsidy notes.
• The Free State of Bavaria will be covered with a tight network of free BayernWLAN Hotspots until 2020. There are currently over 12,200 BayernWLAN Hotspots in operation, also in ÖPNV buses.

K) Digitisation in agriculture

The Bavarian agriculture – digital special programme should support the small farming agriculture with digitisation. The central component of the programme which was completed almost exclusively online is the “1000 field robots programme”. This promotes modern technologies such as autonomous field robots which reduce the effort required for pest control. With the “Digitalbonus Landwirtschaft”, the initial stock is subsidised with specialist software to improve operational management.

L) Bayern Digital master plan

The master plan BAYERN DIGITAL II, agreed upon in 2017, is also a powerful service to lead Bavaria to the top nationally and internationally in all things digital. The Free State invested more than 5.5 billion euros to implement the BAYERN DIGITAL strategy, of which around 3 billion euros for the years 2018-2022 alone. Of the individual measures in the master plan, around 2/3 are already being implemented or will be started over the course of this year.

M) Digital home

To support innovative digital projects for state development, the Ministerial Council has agreed upon the key features for a new Digital home funding guideline. Here, the preparation, conception and implementation of home projects for state development should be funded, which

• have an interdisciplinary approach as well as their innovative character,
• have a positive effect on the spatial development of Bavaria and
• have a digital focus.

In particular, digitisation should be supported in the areas of demographic change, local supply, mobility and home culture.

The Digital home funding guideline should bring Bavaria forward both in the cities and in the rural areas. The situation in rural areas or in areas with a particular need for action are taken into account with an increase of the funding quota (then up to 90% funding possible). Districts, independent towns and associations are entitled to apply.
 

2. Bundesrat [second parliamentary chamber] initiative against improper and unlawful admonishment practices in data protection law / Minister of Justice Prof Dr Winfried Bausback: “Effectively preventing the misuse of admonishments for data protection violations across Germany / Creating legal security for citizens, societies as well as small and medium-sized businesses”

The Ministerial Council has agreed upon a draft law to amend civil regulations in the General Data Protection Regulation which Bavaria will introduce to the Bundesrat on 6 July 2018. Minister of Justice Prof Dr Winfried Bausback: “The General Data Protection Regulation should protect our citizens better. But it may not be misused as a smokescreen for dubious admonishment practices. With our Bundesrat initiative, we want to effectively prevent admonishment malpractice nationwide. The Bavarian route to data protection laws which are fair to citizens and medium businesses leads us to Berlin!”
Especially in societies as well as small and medium-sizes businesses, there is a significant fear of falling victim to dubious admonishment practices and, for example, to be flooded with complaints because of potentially erroneous privacy policy notices on their homepage. Bausback: “We are taking these fears very seriously and want to nip such practices in the bud. Our goal is: legal peace and certainty for our citizens, for our societies and for our businesses.”

In the future, the draft law should ensure:

• that there is no possibility of admonishment by (apparent) competitors, but only by intended consumer protection bodies.
• that there is no possibility of admonishment due to the privacy policy notice on the homepage of a company which is only affected by errors of form.
• that there is no possibility of admonishment if data is processed only for the purposes of processing contracts.

3. Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Political Educational Work becomes a partly legally responsible public agency with a new focus / Minister of Culture Bernd Sibler: “We are declaring war on political extremism on the internet!”

The Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Political Educational Work is positioning itself anew and is becoming a partly legally responsible public agency with a new, additional focus. This was decided by the Ministerial Council today. Minister of Culture Bernd Sibler: “Current developments mean that it is necessary for us to declare war on the misuse of the internet for extremist rabble-rousing! We must engage in creating more objectivity in discussions online in a sustainable manner and make people aware of the risks of the information found on the internet, particularly in the age of Fake News. This important and forward-thinking task is one that the re-positioned Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Political Educational Work has set for itself. Digital preachers of hate may no longer have the change to spread their crude views!”

The Regulatory Authority will focus its efforts more strongly on tackling political extremism on social media and, in so doing, intensively bring in expert networks in which the Free State is already battling against political and religious extremism. The Regulatory Authority will place its focus on preventative informative and educational work.