The RPTU Uni­ver­sity Kai­sers­lau­tern-Landau has awarded Werner Weiss, founder and managing director of Insiders, the academic title of “Honorary Doctor of Engi­nee­ring.” With this rarely awarded honor, the uni­ver­sity reco­gnizes excep­tional achie­ve­ments in the field of engineering—and a per­so­na­lity who has been shaping the bridge between research and industry for decades.

Werner Weiss is con­sidered a pioneer in applied arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence and a bridge builder between cutting-edge uni­ver­sity research and entre­pre­neu­rial inno­va­tion. His work has con­tri­buted signi­fi­cantly to estab­li­shing Kai­sers­lau­tern as an inter­na­tional hub for AI and digi­ta­liza­tion.

Professor Peter Lig­ges­meyer, Chairman of the Honorary Doctorate Com­mis­sion, empha­sizes:
“With his entre­pre­neu­rial vision and con­ti­nuous com­mit­ment, Werner Weiss has not only set new standards for the appli­ca­tion of AI, but has also con­tri­buted signi­fi­cantly to the appeal of our location.”

The award is also a sign of the suc­cessful com­bi­na­tion of science and entre­pre­neur­ship. Emerging from research at DFKI, Insiders now employs over 200 people and serves more than 6,000 customers worldwide. The company is con­sidered an inter­na­tional inno­va­tion leader in AI-based process auto­ma­tion – and proof of the lasting impact of tech­no­logy and knowledge transfer from Kai­sers­lau­tern.

Werner Weiss himself sees the award primarily as a tribute to this con­nec­tion:
„This award fills me with great gratitude—also because it reco­gnizes the close con­nec­tion between science and entre­pre­neur­ship that has accom­pa­nied me since my begin­nings in Kai­sers­lau­tern. Research and practice are mutually beneficial—and it is precisely this inter­ac­tion that is the key to sus­tainable inno­va­tion and com­pe­ti­ti­ve­ness.

Werner Weiss himself sees the award primarily as a tribute to this con­nec­tion:
“This award fills me with great gratitude—also because it honors the close con­nec­tion between science and entre­pre­neur­ship that has accom­pa­nied me since my begin­nings in Kai­sers­lau­tern. Research and practice are mutually beneficial—and it is precisely this inter­ac­tion that is the key to sus­tainable inno­va­tion and com­pe­ti­ti­ve­ness.”

Professor Christoph Garth, Dean of the Depart­ment of Computer Science, adds:
“Mr. Weiss has had close ties to RPTU since his studies. He studied indus­trial engi­nee­ring here, worked at DFKI, and founded Insiders during this time. To this day, he maintains contact with the uni­ver­sity, supports students, and col­la­bo­rates with pro­fes­sors on projects.”

With this honorary doctorate, the RPTU is not only reco­gni­zing the achie­ve­ments of an entre­pre­neur, but also the principle that has made Kai­sers­lau­tern strong: inno­va­tion arises where research and practice drive each other forward.