CAS Leading AI and Digital Transformation

Module 1: Input and Theory – Digital and AI Transformation (6 ECTS)

In the first module, you develop the strategic and conceptual foundation for digital change and the effective use of AI in your organisation.

 

Module Focus Areas

Strategic Frameworks: Core concepts, strategic frameworks and current application examples of digital and AI-driven transformation. You will learn how organisations deploy technologies such as generative and agentic AI, process mining or data driven business models effectively, and what distinguishes successful transformation strategies from failed ones.
 

Strategies and Applications: Concrete implementation approaches for AI within existing organisational structures. The focus is on the triad of technological feasibility, economic benefit and human acceptance.
 

Case Studies and Guest Lectures: Targeted analysis of selected cases promotes direct transfer into your own professional practice. Guest lectures by experienced practitioners from various industries within the Digital Liechtenstein network, sharing real change processes, with successes, setbacks and concrete learnings.

Module 2: Integration Project – Design Thinking for AI (6 ECTS)

The second module centres on practical implementation. Throughout the entire programme, you work on a concrete transformation project in an interdisciplinary team, supported by experienced coaches.

You choose either a transformation challenge from your own professional environment or a practical challenge provided by the programme. In this way, you create a result that can be implemented directly after completing the programme.

 

The Methodology: Design Thinking for AI (DT4AI)

At the heart of this module is the Design Thinking for Artificial Intelligence process (DT4AI), a specialised variant of Design Thinking conceived specifically for developing AI innovations. DT4AI combines the proven principles of human-centred design with the specific requirements of AI projects.

Most AI projects fail because they are developed without addressing actual user needs. DT4AI ensures that your AI solution is not only technically feasible but also delivers genuine business value and is adopted by the people in your organisation.
 

Supervision and Quality Assurance

The project work is carried out in teams. Between contact days, teams work independently on their projects. Regular coaching sessions with experienced lecturers accompany the entire process, support progress and ensure methodological quality.
 

The Outcome 
To conclude, teams present their results. The focus is on practical, actionable concepts that can be used immediately in your daily work. You will complete the programme with a tested, proven result—ready to implement in your organisation.

Educational Objective

The CAS centres on a tangible outcome: developing a tested prototype for an AI-driven change in your organisation, with a clear pathway for implementation and direct impact.

With the Design Thinking for AI (DT4AI) methodology, you acquire a structured process model for innovation and transformation projects that you can apply in every future initiative.

At the same time, you benefit from a network of executives and specialists from the region. Exchange with participants, lecturers and practitioners opens new perspectives and has an impact well beyond the programme.

You will graduate with a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) from the University of Liechtenstein, awarding 12 ECTS credits.
 

Modular Structure: From Insight to Implementation

The CAS spans 16 weeks and comprises two modules running in parallel, each worth 6 ECTS. From the very beginning, you work on a transformation project from your organisation. Scientific foundations and practical application are systematically interlinked.

Module 1 – Input and Theory conveys the foundations of digital and AI-driven transformation. You deepen fundamentals, strategies and applications through case studies and practical impulses, and develop your own transformation strategy.

Module 2 – Integration Project focuses on implementation: you complete the full DT4AI process, develop a prototype and validate your transformation concept. Theoretical inputs from Module 1 are applied directly to the project work in Module 2. The outcome is a tangible transformation project with a clearly defined impact within your organisation.
 

Examinations

The assessment consists of a presentation of the transformation strategy developed, as well as a final project presentation of the developed and validated transformation blueprint.
 

Qualification

Students who have attended at least 75% of the contact sessions and successfully completed all assessments will be awarded the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Leading AI and Digital Transformation, comprising 12 ECTS.

With the CAS, you position yourself as a competent leader or specialist in digital and AI-driven transformation. You take responsibility for transformation initiatives and strategically shape technological developments in alignment with business objectives. You bridge the gap between technology and business, make well-founded assessments of new solutions and confidently lead interdisciplinary teams through complex change processes.

Strategic Competence: You steer AI initiatives from vision to measurable impact and speak the language of both executive management and technical teams.

Methodological Excellence: With the DT4AI methodology, you have a proven process model that you can apply repeatedly for other AI projects, innovation initiatives or complex change processes.

Network and Visibility: Through integration into the ecosystem of digital-liechtenstein.li, you build relationships that extend well beyond the programme – a gateway to collaborations and professional development across the entire DACH region.

Communication and Leadership: You learn to communicate complex transformation strategies clearly to different stakeholders, from the board of directors to the project team. Presenting project results persuasively, preparing decision making materials and leading interdisciplinary teams through uncertainty will be part of your repertoire after the CAS.

Direct Value for Your Organisation: Throughout the entire CAS, you work on a real transformation project from your organisation, supported by experienced coaches and using scientifically grounded methodology. The result is a tested, implementation ready-action plan that can be transferred directly into practice. At the same time, you build internal competencies that make your organisation less dependent on external consultancy: you bring a proven process model that can be applied to future AI and digitalisation projects.

     Programme Director
     Assoc. Prof. Dr. Benjamin van Giffen
     Professorship for Information Systems and Digital Innovation
     Liechtenstein Business School

The programme was conceived by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Benjamin van Giffen and is led by him both strategically and in terms of content. He combines current research in artificial intelligence and digital transformation with concrete implementation experience from organisations. 

His focus is on the targeted use of AI and digital technologies to foster innovation, efficiency and sustainable transformation. Central themes include AI governance at board level, the responsible design and operation of AI systems, as well as user centred innovation methods such as Design Thinking and digital business model innovation. 

He is supported by experienced lecturers and experts from business and public administration. They stand for scientific rigour and practice-oriented application. Participants benefit from a clearly structured, directly actionable knowledge transfer.

Selected Lecturers

     Lecturer
     Prof. Dr. Jennifer Hehn
     Professor of Digital Innovation and Agile Methods, 
     Bern University of Applied Sciences. Design Thinking expert.

    Lecturer and Guest Professor 
    Prof. Dr. Jan vom Brocke
    Director of ERCIS, University of Münster, AIS Fellow, MIT Research
    Fellow, published in MIS Quarterly.

CAS Leading AI and Digital Transformation
Preparation – July/August 2026
Admission, online briefings and project submission by 22 August 2026.

Block 1 – Thursday 27/Friday 28 August 2026: Kickoff and Foundations

• Welcome, programme structure, Leading AI and Digital Transformation
• Challenge pitches and selection, team formation, kickoff
   

Block 2 – Monday 14/Tuesday 15 September 2026: Technology Day · Setup and Research

• Organisational AI Transformation, AI Strategy, Case Studies
• Setup and Research, Synthesis

Block 3 – Monday 28/Tuesday 29 September 2026: Strategies and Cases · Ideation and Prototyping

• AI Foundations, AI Game, AI based Prototyping
• Ideation and Prototyping

Block 4 – Monday 26/Tuesday 27 October 2026: Deep Dive and Guest Speaker · Integration and Finalisation

• Managing Digital Change, Data Driven Culture, Digital Leadership
• Consolidation and Iteration, Implementation and Change Strategy, Rehearsal

Final Day – Tuesday 1 December 2026: Closing Workshop and Final Presentation

Presentation of Prototype and Strategy
 

Including individual online coaching sessions between the modules

Programme Schedule

Target Group

This programme is for you if you want to actively shape digital and AI-driven transformation.

• Executives: You are responsible for digital transformation projects or AI initiatives and are looking for a systematic process model for sustainable change.
   
• Project Managers: You manage digitalisation initiatives and want to deepen your competencies at the intersection of strategy, technology and organisation.
   
• Specialists: You work in IT, strategy, innovation or organisational development and want to understand how AI projects function within the broader context of an organisation.
   
• Entrepreneurs and Founders: You are developing AI-driven business models or digital products and want to develop them in a methodologically sound manner.
   
• Consultants: You want to elevate your competence in AI transformation to an academically grounded level, with methodology and credibility.
  
   

Admission

Admission requires one of the following qualifications:

• Successful completion of a university degree pursuant to Art. 34 para. 1 of the Higher Education Act, or an equivalent qualification

or

• Completion of a relevant education or continuing education programme at tertiary level comprising at least 60 ECTS, along with six years of professional experience, of which at least three years must be in a field corresponding to the programme

Admission «sur dossier» is also possible, provided the requirements under Art. 24 para. 1 of the Higher Education Ordinance are met.

Number of Participants

The programme will only be conducted if at least 12 enrolments are received.
 

Tuition Fees

CHF 12,900 (including digital course materials and standard examination fees).

What You Will Concretely Take Away After 16 Weeks
 

• Design Thinking for AI as a lasting tool, reusable for every future AI project
   
• An implementation ready transformation concept, tested with real stakeholders and ready for roll out
   
• Strategic judgement to evaluate, prioritise and steer AI initiatives – beyond hype cycles
   
• Leadership competence for change management, digital corporate culture and guiding interdisciplinary teams through complex change processes
   
• A regional network through direct exchange with fellow participants from diverse industries and access to the Digital Liechtenstein ecosystem
   
• 12 ECTS from the University of Liechtenstein as an academically recognised qualification with demonstrated implementation competence
   

What does "own transformation project" mean?
You bring a real challenge from your organisation – a question that genuinely occupies you in your professional life. This could be a planned AI project, a stalled digitalisation initiative or a strategic question around the use of new technologies. In the DT4AI methodology, we like to start with a "How might we …?" question that deliberately keeps the solution space open.
 

Can I participate without my own project?
We collect all projects in advance and cluster them thematically so that teams with similar questions work together. If you do not have your own challenge, you join a team working on a real project brought by another participant. In every case, you work on genuine challenges, never fictional case studies. That said, the greatest learning effect arises when you work on a real problem from your own organisation.

What exactly is Design Thinking for AI (DT4AI)?
Design Thinking for AI is a specialised variant of Design Thinking, purpose-built for developing AI innovations. The methodology was developed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Benjamin van Giffen and Prof. Dr. Jennifer Hehn and tested in over 40 corporate projects. DT4AI works consistently with three perspectives: Is the solution truly desirable and does it solve a real problem? Is it technically feasible? And is it economically viable? Only when all three perspectives come together does an innovation emerge that works sustainably. In the CAS, you go through this process yourself – with your own project.
 

What happens between the in-person blocks?
Between the four in-person blocks, you work independently in your interdisciplinary team on the transformation project. Individual online coaching sessions with experienced lecturers accompany the process, supporting progress and ensuring methodological quality.

Is the CAS also relevant for participants from Austria, Germany or Switzerland?
Yes. The programme is aimed at executives and specialists from across the DACHL region. The content is cross-industry and internationally applicable. Through the cooperation with digital-liechtenstein.li, a regional network emerges that extends well beyond Liechtenstein into the wider DACHL region. The programme language is German, with selected literature provided in English. The compact block structure with in-person days generally on Monday/Tuesday also allows good compatibility for participants with longer travel distances.

What distinguishes this CAS from other AI continuing education programmes?
The methodology: Design Thinking for AI (DT4AI) was developed and tested by the lecturers of this CAS in over 40 corporate projects. No comparable programme in the DACHL region brings together desirability, technical feasibility and business viability of AI innovations as systematically.

The implementation focus: Rather than compact knowledge transfer, the CAS accompanies you over 16 weeks with individual coaching sessions. You work on a real challenge from your organisation and leave the programme with a concrete implementation plan.

The network: Through the cooperation with digital-liechtenstein.li, an ecosystem of executives and specialists emerges that extends well beyond the programme into the wider DACHL region.

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