Special opening and service times apply for our IT helpdesk during Carnival: On Thursday, 12.02.2026 (Weiberfastnacht) the IT helpdesk closes at 12:00. On Friday, 13.02.2026, the IT helpdesk will close at 03 p.m. On Monday, 16.02.2026 (Rose Monday), the IT helpdesk will be closed all day.

Marking the second anniversary of the Marvin high-performance computer, the HPC team at the University Computing Centre (HRZ), the HPC/A Lab and TRA Modelling are once again hosting a community event to present and celebrate the work done with Marvin to date. On 17 and 18 March, a workshop and hackathon on working with HPC will be held by Dr Georg Hager (University of Erlangen) and will be open to all researchers at the University of Bonn. The highlight of the anniversary event will be Marvin's birthday party on March 19, 2026, at the Campus Poppelsdorf, with a guest lecture by Dr. Georg Hager (University of Erlangen). Once again, a science slam is part of the programme. Researchers from the University of Bonn can present their scientific project or results that they have implemented or achieved with Marvin with the possibility to win great prizes. Further information regarding the workshops, the celebration and details on how to participate in the competition can be found on the HPC website.

The university's cost-cutting measures also necessitate the reduction of services at the University IT and Data Center. This affects the plot service and the helpdesk. Poster printing will be discontinued on 31 January. Plot orders received by this date will still be processed. The opening hours of the IT helpdesk will be reduced. From 1 February, the helpdesk will be open Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and on Fridays until 4 p.m. This includes telephone availability.

Starting January 20, there will be a new, practical feature in Zoom X. Contact management optimizes seamless and secure communication within the Zoom X platform for everyday work use. It brings all work contacts together in a single, integrated application. Among other options, the feature allows users to adjust their presence status, maintain an address book, and favorite or block contacts.  All information on the application, how to use and how to hide your status can be found in the HRZ-Doku under Zoom X - Kontakte.

On 4 December 2025, the accomplishments and commitment of traineeship-ambassadors of different subject areas have been acknowledged by the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK). In his function as IHK traineeship-ambassador our apprentice Alex Töws visited several schools in the last year and has introduced his traineeship as specialist for system integration as well as his own personal experiences. Subsequently, he answered the questions of pupils regarding the traineeship. At the award ceremony Alex and his trainer Markus Kann (in representation of the HRZ) received their certificates at the Deutsches Museum Bonn.

The IT Helpdesk's opening hours will be limited between the holidays. On 22 and 23 December, the IT Helpdesk will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On 29 and 30 December and on 2 January, support will be available from 9 a.m to 15 p.m only via email and telephone. From 3 January, the IT helpdesk will be open again as usual from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Scientific data is essential for the advancement of research. For this reason, both the DFG and the FDM have developed an initiative to rescue research data. The aim is to protect data from manipulation and deletion. Researchers from all disciplines are encouraged to act as data patrons and report datasets at risk. By expanding the data backup system through the DataPublication.nrw project, research data management in NRW will be even more efficient in the future and will provide a solid infrastructure to counteract global political decisions on how to handle research data. If you are aware of any research data that may be at risk, please send an email to:  forschungsdatensicherung-nrw@listserv.dfn.de Here you can find more information regarding the process and the funding initiative.

With the new service KIWIS the University of Bonn provides its members with a simple access to different generative language models that can be used for studying, teaching, research and administration. Within the framework of the DiCe project KIWIS the initialisation, design and further development of the service are conform with data security and legal regulations.   Use KIWIS KIWIS offers access to various, generative AI language models and helps users with notes and tips to effectively use the service. For example, users can create several chats as well as share them, sort them by theme and assign names.  Classes  In order to ensure that the legal framework is is complied with during the use, the University of Bonn offers free classes for employees. The "AI Act Fit" programmes help to gain fundamental competences and they are in line with the requirements of the EU-AI regulation.  Beside the mandatory classes the programme offers different classes for user groups of all competence levels. A majority of the classes are free for employees and are offered in German and English.