dcyphr.® Academy · Heidelberg Innovation Park · courses from October 2026

Learning AI in six levels.
From zero to research.

You start where you actually are – with no prior knowledge at all or in the middle of your research. The first level runs across two evenings in a manageable group, with a device in your hand: no jargon, no slide marathon, from minute ten you are typing yourself. Work, your own systems and scientific depth build on that.

The courses are taught in German, in Heidelberg. This page is in English so you know exactly what you are booking. Want a course in English? For in-house groups from six people we can do it – just ask.

October fully bookedExtra date: Wed 21 Oct 2026 + Fri 23 Oct 2026Specials · December 2026AI training camp · January 2027

Reserve a place See the courses Apply to teach

Format, dates and location at a glance

from 6

registrations, then it runs

We keep the groups small enough that every question gets its turn – and when demand is high we would rather add a second date.

2 × 2¼ h

Across two evenings

Wednesday and Friday of the same week, 18:30 to 21:00 – one day of practice in between.

Heidelberg

Innovation Park

All courses take place at Heidelberg Innovation Park – easy to reach, parking available. Three blocks per evening instead of one long lecture, drinks and materials included.

Six levels.
You start where you actually are.

From level 0 with no prior knowledge at all to level 5, where it becomes scientific: research methodology, your own models, deep research. Each level builds on the one before – if you are further along, you start higher. A click on “Bookable” takes you straight to the course description.

Level 0 · No prior knowledge

AI from zero

You have never talked to an AI. We set everything up together, explain in plain language what is actually happening, and you go home with a working account and ten examples of your own.dcyphr.® Experts: Matthias Walenda Tobias Schlichting Chantal Kubik

Bookable →

Level 1 · Basics

AI in everyday life

You know the basics and want more out of them: compare tools, research with sources, analyse your own documents, use images and speech – and know which data must never go into a tool.dcyphr.® Experts: Matthias Walenda Karina Vartanova Tobias Schlichting

Bookable →

Level 2 · Work

AI at work

For teams and professionals: research, meetings, proposals, content. We build workflows for your department and clarify what company data protection allows.dcyphr.® Experts: Manuel Haupt Matthias Walenda Karina Vartanova Chantal Kubik

from February 2027

Level 3 · Building

Building with AI

Automations, agents, your own assistants. With no-code and low-code, no computer science degree required.dcyphr.® Experts: Mikhail Bessarabenko Prof. Dr. Danko Nikolić Florian Nick Michael Fuchs Dr. Bora Kalpaklı Karina Vartanova

from February 2027

Level 4 · Systems

AI in the system

Architecture, RAG, MCP, evaluation, EU AI Act. For developers and everyone who has to answer for AI in production.dcyphr.® Experts: Mikhail Bessarabenko Leonardo Venuto Prof. Dr. Danko Nikolić Florian Nick Michael Fuchs Dr. Bora Kalpaklı Manuel Haupt

from Q2 2027

Level 5 · Science & research

AI in research

For scientists, research teams and everyone who wants to go deeper than any application: reading and reproducing papers, training and fine-tuning models, evaluation and benchmark methodology, interpretability, scientific machine learning and deep-research tools in your own research.dcyphr.® Experts: Leonardo Venuto Prof. Dr. Danko Nikolić Dr. Bora Kalpaklı

On request →

Something entirely your own? Send an individual request →

Two courses, two evenings,
a room full of people like you.

Both courses run in parallel – same building, same time, separate rooms. Anyone who has finished level 0 moves straight into level 1 in the next cycle.

Level 0 · No prior knowledge

AI from zero

€199

reduced €119 · duo €349 · company €329 net

You need to bring nothing but a device – and if you do not have one, we lend you one. We start with the account, not with theory. By the end of the second evening you will have asked an AI ten questions that actually concern you.

Evening 1 · 3 × 45 min

Arriving and setting upCreate an account, install the app, get the device ready. That is the real hurdle – we take it together.
The first conversationWhat is actually happening, as a picture rather than as mathematics. Everyone asks the same question and compares the answers.
The four building blocksRole, task, context, format. You write three prompts of your own and feel the difference immediately.

Evening 2 · 3 × 45 min

Your week, your tasksUnderstanding a letter from an authority, writing a complaint, translating, planning a trip. We work with whatever you bring.
Speaking and photographingDictate instead of type, upload a photo, question a document. For many people this is the moment it clicks.
Limits and safetyWhy AI makes things up, which data has no business going in, how to spot scams and deepfakes.

What you take home

A working account, properly set up
The laminated dcyphr.® prompt card (A5)
Ten prompts of your own in your history
Six practice e-mails in the weeks that follow
dcyphr.® Academy certificate of attendance (level 0)
A phone number for follow-up questions

Your trainers from dcyphr.® Experts

Matthias WalendaKI-Strategie für die Geschäftsführung

Tobias SchlichtingKI in Social Media und Content Creation

Chantal KubikAI Events konzipieren und durchführen

Bookable – reserve a place €199 · both evenings · Heidelberg Innovation Park

Level 1 · Basics assumed

AI in everyday life

€249

reduced €149 · duo €439 · company €399 net

For everyone who has already worked with an AI and feels they are staying on the surface. We move from “nice answer” to “usable result” – and clarify which tool you can trust with what.

Evening 1 · 3 × 45 min

Four tools comparedClaude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity. The same task, four results, one honest conclusion.
Research with sourcesHow to check claims instead of believing them. And how to recognise an invented source.
Questioning your own documentsContract, bank statement, manual, study: upload, summarise, search deliberately.

Evening 2 · 3 × 45 min

Image, sound and voiceGenerate and edit images, transcribe recordings, have long texts read aloud.
Templates instead of repetitionWhatever you do the same way every week, you now do once – as a template of your own.
Data protection and judgementWhat must never go into a tool, what providers do with your input, and where you are better off thinking for yourself.

What you take home

Three tested templates of your own
The dcyphr.® tool matrix (A4)
A checklist for sensitive data
dcyphr.® Academy certificate of attendance (level 1)

Your trainers from dcyphr.® Experts

Matthias WalendaKI-Strategie für die Geschäftsführung

Karina VartanovaKI in UX- und UI-Research

Tobias SchlichtingKI in Social Media und Content Creation

Bookable – reserve a place €249 · both evenings · Heidelberg Innovation Park

Dates from October 2026

October is fully booked – so we added an extra date at the end of October. From now on both evenings run in the same week: Wednesday and Friday, 18:30 to 21:00, at Heidelberg Innovation Park – same group, same room.

Course	Evening 1	Evening 2	Group	Places
AI from zero	Wed 07 Oct 2026	Wed 14 Oct 2026	WE-A	Fully booked
AI in everyday life	Wed 07 Oct 2026	Wed 14 Oct 2026	WE-A	Fully booked
AI from zero	Thu 08 Oct 2026	Thu 15 Oct 2026	TH-B	Fully booked
AI in everyday life	Thu 08 Oct 2026	Thu 15 Oct 2026	TH-B	Fully booked
AI from zero	Wed 21 Oct 2026	Fri 23 Oct 2026	WE-C	Places available · Extra date
AI in everyday life	Wed 21 Oct 2026	Fri 23 Oct 2026	WE-C	Places available · Extra date
AI from zero	Wed 11 Nov 2026	Fri 13 Nov 2026	WE-D	Places available
AI in everyday life	Wed 11 Nov 2026	Fri 13 Nov 2026	WE-D	Places available
AI from zero	Wed 02 Dec 2026	Fri 04 Dec 2026	WE-E	Places available
AI in everyday life	Wed 02 Dec 2026	Fri 04 Dec 2026	WE-E	Places available
AI from zero	Wed 09 Dec 2026	Fri 11 Dec 2026	WE-F	Places available
AI in everyday life	Wed 09 Dec 2026	Fri 11 Dec 2026	WE-F	Places available

A course runs from 6 registrations. If fewer come together, we merge it with the next date and let you know at least five days in advance. Missing an evening? You catch it up in the next cycle at no cost. Further dates for February and March will be published in mid-January.

Specials · December 2026

Two evenings to close the year.

Single on-site evenings, no prior knowledge needed – not a course, but one evening with one clear goal. Programme and price follow; you can reserve a place now, without obligation. Held in German.

AI training camp · January 2027

One full week.
Or one compact weekend.

Start the year with the training camp: all the fundamentals in one go, with catering and networking – at Heidelberg Innovation Park. Programme and prices follow in November; you can reserve a place now, without obligation.

A price that reflects the work behind it.

All prices are for the complete course with both evenings, materials and drinks. Private tickets include VAT, company tickets are plus VAT.

Standard

€199

AI from zero, both evenings, materials and drinks included. AI in everyday life: €249.

Reduced

€119

From 65, pupils, students, apprentices, jobseekers, people with a severe disability. Your word is enough – we ask for no proof. AI in everyday life: €149.

Duo

€349

Two places in the same course. Meant for grandchildren and grandparents, couples, neighbours. AI in everyday life: €439.

Company ticket

€329

Net, plus VAT, invoiced to the company. AI in everyday life: €399 net.

Satisfaction guarantee: if after the first 45 minutes you find the course is not for you, say so and get the full amount back. No discussion.

Reserve a place.

You send us the registration, we confirm within two working days and send the payment details. Only then is it binding.

Which course?

Please choose a course.

Which group?

Please choose a group.

Which ticket?

For “reduced”, your word is enough. We do not ask.

Please choose a ticket.

First and last name

Please enter your name.

E-mail

Please enter a valid e-mail address.

Phone – optional

Only for last-minute changes on the day.

What will you work with?

Please choose.

What would you like to be able to do afterwards? – optional

Name of the second person – duo ticket only

I agree that dcyphr.® may store and process my details in order to handle this registration. I can withdraw this consent informally at any time.

Without this consent we cannot process the registration.

Send me occasional news about new courses. Optional, unsubscribe any time.

Remember name, e-mail and phone on this device. Optional, stays in your browser only.

You will see everything once more before sending. Goes directly to contact@dcyphr.ai.

Quick check – then send.

This is how your message will reach us:

All prices are final prices including statutory VAT (company tickets plus VAT) and are subject to availability. This page is not a binding offer; a contract comes into being only with our written confirmation of registration. Changes to dates, content and rooms remain reserved.

You can explain this better than most?

We are continually looking for instructors for levels 0 and 1, from February for levels 2 and 3 – and for level 5, scientists who can make research understandable. More important than titles is that you can give someone with no prior knowledge a sense of achievement within ten minutes.

Want to teach more than one course – masterclasses, company trainings, special topics? Become a dcyphr.® Expert. dcyphr.® Experts (in German) →

from €400

Per evening

2¼ hours of teaching, plus preparation. Not volunteering, not paid in visibility – we pay a fee that reflects the work.

Small

Groups

Manageable, so you can answer every question. On level 0, from eight beginners onwards a second person assists who does nothing but help with setup.

Ready

Material

Lesson plan, slides, prompt cards and exercises already exist. You teach – we do the organising.

Application to teach

Short and informal. We reply within five working days and invite you to a 20-minute trial session – paid.

First and last name

Please enter your name.

E-mail

Please enter a valid e-mail address.

Which level would you like to teach?

Please choose.

When are you available?

Please choose.

Profile or reference – optional

Why you?

A few sentences are enough.

I agree that dcyphr.® may store and process my details in order to handle this application.

Without this consent we cannot process the application.

Remember name, e-mail and phone on this device. Optional, stays in your browser only.

You will see everything once more before sending. Goes directly to contact@dcyphr.ai.

Quick check – then send.

This is how your message will reach us:

What people want to know before registering.

In welcher Sprache findet der Kurs statt? · What language are the courses held in?

The courses are taught in German, in Heidelberg. This page is available in English so you know exactly what you are booking – but the evenings themselves run in German. If you would like a course in English, write to us: for in-house groups (from six people) we can do it.

I can barely use a computer. Is this still for me?

Yes, that is exactly what level 0 is for. The first block is called “Arriving and setting up” – we sit down next to you until everything works. If more than eight people need a start from scratch, a second person is in the room who does nothing but help with setup.

Why two evenings and not one?

Because between the evenings there is time to try it yourself. What you bring to the second evening – the questions that came up at home – is the most valuable part of the course. Three and a half hours in one go would also simply be too much at once.

Do I have to bring a device?

Preferably your own, because that is what you will carry on with at home. If you do not have one, or would rather try it out first, tick “loan device” when registering – we provide one.

Do I need a paid AI subscription?

No. We work with the free tiers. On the second evening we explain honestly when a subscription is worth it and when it is not.

I am 78. Will it be all young people?

No. The duo ticket is explicitly meant for grandparents with grandchildren, and we move at the pace of the group, not the pace of the fastest.

What if I miss an evening?

You catch it up in the next cycle at no extra cost. Just let us know.

How do I pay?

By bank transfer after our confirmation. If the amount is difficult right now, write to us – we will find a solution.

Do I get anything in writing?

Yes, a certificate of attendance showing your course’s level. For company tickets we also issue an invoice with a course description.

Rather talk first?

15 minutes with Matthias Walenda – free, no pitch. Including when you just want to know which level suits you.

Book an intro call

Learning AI in six levels.
From zero to research.