Transregional Collaborative Research Centre (TRR) 318 "Constructing Explainability"

Developing Explanations Together

Algorithm-based approaches, such as machine learning, are becoming increasingly complex. This lack of transparency only makes it more difficult for human users to understand and accept the decisions proposed by artificial intelligence (AI). In the Transregional Collaborative Research Center 318 “Constructing Explainability”, researchers are developing ways to involve users in the explanation process and thus create co-constructive explanations. Therefore, the interdisciplinary research team investigates the principles, mechanisms, and social practices of explaining and how these can be taken into account in the design of AI systems. The goal of the project is to make explanatory processes comprehensible and to create understandable assistance systems.

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News

This is a portrait foto of Dr. Ricarda Kurock.

22.10.2025

"RTG Brings Together Early Career Researchers from Many Disciplines"

TRR 318’s graduate school provides a structured training program for doctoral researchers and post-doctoral researchers. Ricarda Kurock is the coordinator of the Research Training Group (RTG). In the following interview, she speaks about the offerings, goals, and success of the program. A key element for her is the cooperative, interdisciplinary approach.

22.10.2025

“We Gained Greater Confidence as Researchers”

All early career researchers at TRR 318 are members of the research training group. Josephine Fisher works as a psycholinguist at Paderborn University and Roel Visser is a computer scientist at Bielefeld University. Both are completing their doctorates at TRR 318 and intend to graduate by the end of the year. In this interview, they reflect on their doctoral work in interdisciplinary Transregio projects and the mentoring they received from the…

10.10.2025

TRR 318 compact: Research, Projects, Members

The new brochure is here! Its 72 pages present the research profile, current projects, and interviews with TRR members who provide insights into their work. The brochure is available in English.

From left: Dr. Nils Klowait, Dr. Josephine Beryl Fisher, Dr. Fabian Fumagalli, Dr. Olesja Lammert, Dr. Jaroslaw Kornowicz, Dr. Stefan Lazarov

08.10.2025

First Disputations by TRR 318 Doctoral Candidates

Topics range from economics and computer science to sociology and psycholinguistics. The first TRR 318 doctoral candidates have successfully completed their dissertations and provide insights into their research.

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Events

29.10.2025 - 29.10.2025

Activity Afternoon

21.11.2025 - 21.11.2025

Writing Day in Paderborn led by Dr. Andrea Karsten

22.11.2025 - 22.11.2025

TRR 318 at GENIALE 2025

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Projects

The areas of research included in TRR 318 are divided into three categories. These three areas in turn are subdivided into interdisciplinary subprojects. Project INF provides an overarching research structure; Project Ö facilitates public relations and outreach; Project Z addresses administrative, organizational, and financial matters; and the RTG Project provides a framework for educating doctoral and post-doctoral researchers.

Alle Projekte

Publications

All TRR 318 publications at a glance: specialist articles, conference papers, and conference abstracts.

To the publications

Members

The co-construction of explanations is investigated by a total of 22 project leaders with about 40 research assistants from computer science, economics, linguistics, media science, philosophy, psychology and sociology at the Bielefeld and Paderborn universities.

To the members

Research Training Group

Networking opportunities

The Integrated Research Training Group structures the further education of PhD students and postdocs. We warmly invite external PhD students to express their interest in a visiting fellowship in our Collaborative Research Center!

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AI Forum

Insights into the world of artificial intelligence

The website offers a collection of information from research, contextualizes current trends, and provides the opportunity to pose questions to the researchers in TRR 318.

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