Eight Digital Humanities projects at the PLUS funded by the state of Salzburg

“Particularly in the humanities, social and cultural sciences (HSC), digitalisation offers many opportunities to prepare content digitally and make it accessible to researchers and the wider world,” emphasises Nicola Hüsing, Vice Rector for Research and Sustainability. The question of how digital technologies can contribute to strengthening social values and positively shaping the future is particularly rewarding, says Hüsing.

Province to fund projects with 2 million euros

Especially in Salzburg, as an internationally recognised hub for art and culture, the humanities, social sciences and cultural studies provide important, profile-building inspiration for the further development of culture, society and the economy. For this reason, the State of Salzburg, in coordination with the University, has announced the new “Digital Humanities” funding programme. Over a period of three years, the state of Salzburg will provide almost two million euros in funding.

“The aim of the overarching “Digital Humanities” funding programme is to combine the “classical” humanities with digitalisation and to support young researchers at the PLUS. Key academic successes are based on discipline-specific expertise available and combined with the necessary digital expertise. The eight winning projects shown today represent how we picture the interdisciplinary research of the future. With the state funding of almost two million euros, we are supporting the winning teams in contributing with their projects to scientific progress and to the international visibility of Salzburg as a centre for science. My department is also providing significant support for the new Faculty of Digitalisation (DAS) with five million euros over five years. This will strengthen Salzburg’s academic profile and make its institutions internationally attractive,” emphasises Provincial Councillor Andrea Klambauer.

Eight interdisciplinary projects receive funding approval

At the end of October, the first grants were awarded in a competitive, two-stage selection process. Eight PLUS interdisciplinary projects were awarded funding following the jury’s evaluation. Here is a brief summary of the winning projects:

• • „Hohensalzburg digital“ aims to digitally open up the Hohensalzburg Fortress as a cultural heritage project and make it accessible to academics and the public via new, interactive media. Department of History:  Hohensalzburg digital. Historische Daten zur materiellen Raumausstattung und -nutzung erschließen und verlinken, Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Mittelalter und Frühneuzeit (IZMF)/IMAREAL
  • The Book of Joshua will be made available in an open-access online tool that allows the comparison of digitalised versions of biblical writings using machine learning. Department of Biblical Studies and Ecclesiastical History with the Department of Computer Science: Biblical Online Synopsis Salzburg 1.0
  • The “Oberdeutsche allgemeine Litteraturzeitung” (1788-1811) will be used as an example for a pilot project to prepare complex text corpora in a literary-scientific-informatics way. Department of Mathematics and Department of German Studies:  Kooperative Erschließung diffusen Wissens. Ein literaturwissenschaftlich-informatischer Modellversuch zur Aufbereitung komplexer Textkorpora am Beispiel der „Oberdeutschen allgemeinen Litteraturzeitung“ (1788-1811)
  • In another project, the regional language reality in German-speaking countries is being investigated, the question of whether current language use is regionally structured in a similar way to traditional dialects and what role other, for example social, factors or the contrast between town and country play in this:   Räumliche Muster und Strukturen der regionalen Sprachwirklichkeit im deutschsprachigen Raum
  • The project on the Wenceslas Bible, the first largely complete and singular surviving German-language translation of the Hebrew Bible after the Latin Vulgate, focuses on its first digital edition and analysis in order to systematically open up the text as well as the accompanying illustrations. Department of German Studies, Interdisciplinary Centre for the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period (IZMF)/IMAREAL, Department of Computer Science:  Die Wenzelsbibel – Digitale Edition und Analyse
  • Another project will examine paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries as cultural innovations in which the imitation of materials and the materiality of the picture were given a significant role. The paintings will be extensively researched and evaluated with the help of artificial intelligence. Department of Art, Music and Dance Studies, Interdisciplinary Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (IZMF)/IMAREAL, Department of Computer Science:  Wie das Material ins Bild kam: Kulturelle Innovationen interdisziplinär mit Künstlicher Intelligenz erforschen
  • The project Demokratiegefährdung durch Verschwörungserzählungen im Netz (“Threats to Democracy through Conspiracy Narratives Online“) examines the role of digital media in the communication and networking of anti-democratic movements in Austria. The aim is to identify possibilities to mitigate the progressive division of society and to strengthen democratic social structures. Department of Communication Studies and Department of Geoinformatics:  Demokratiegefährdung durch Verschwörungserzählungen im Netz: Web- und Kommunikationsanalyse der Querdenkerbewegung in Österreich
  • Another project deals with the connection between the image of man and human dignity in the field of digitalisation. Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Catholic Theology:  Digitalisierung, Menschenbild und Menschenwürde