3.35 Million Euros for new Bavarian “ForDigitHealth” Research Association
The Bavarian Ministry of Science has awarded 3.35 million euros in funding to the new Bavarian research association Gesunder Umgang mit digitalen Technologien und Medien – ForDigitHealth (“healthy interaction with digital technologies and media”). The funding will run for a period of four years. The goal of the project is a comprehensive study on the adverse health effects associated with the increasing presence and use of digital technologies and media. Additionally, the project aims to compile and evaluate potential prevention and intervention strategies.
In addition to the University of Bamberg’s chair of Information Systems and Services, the project also includes scholars from the universities of Augsburg, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Munich (LMU) and Würzburg. Within “ForDigitHealth”, the Bamberg information systems scholars Prof. Tim Weitzel and Dr. Christian Maier are conducting research on digital stress and have been allotted 250,000 euros in funding. “We want to understand how digital stress develops in the work environment and what this means for potential intervention strategies,” says Tim Weitzel. According to the researchers, digital stress in professional settings often leads to burnout and can result in millions of euros in damages for companies.
State Minister of Science Bernd Sibler emphasises the goals of the project, saying, “Health research is research for the future! The ‘ForDigitHealth’ research association seeks to answer questions that are crucial for a healthy life with digital media.” Among other things, the association is researching the significance and impact that interacting with digital technologies has on different age groups and in various areas of life. It also considers legal and ethical issues. With a total of eleven individual projects, the association provides a collaborative platform for scholars from the fields of medicine, psychology, computer science, information systems and communication studies. And the association is also making its studies and findings available to the community via public events, a scientific blog and informational exchange with a network of cooperative partners and other interested parties.
More information can be found here:
www.uni-bamberg.de/isdl/forschung/technologie-bedingter-stress
Further information for media representatives:
Contact for content-related queries:
Prof. Dr. Tim Weitzel
Chair of Information Systems and Services
Tel.: 0951/863-2871 (secretary)
tim.weitzel(at)uni-bamberg.de
Media contact:
Samira Rosenbaum
Research Communication
Tel.: 0951/863-1156
forschungskommunikation(at)uni-bamberg.de