Professional Development

Enabling innovation and expertise with professional training

Unlock future-ready skills with workshops and certifications tailored to professionals by a leading education provider.

At HPI d-school, we equip professionals to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Our workshops blend proven methods with cutting-edge technology, focusing on Design Thinking, agile leadership, AI, innovation, digital transformation, agile transformation, and digital upskilling. From mastering user-centered innovation to leading transformative change, our programs foster sustainable success.  

Elevate your career with our Design Thinking certifications, designed to enhance creativity, agility, and leadership in the workplace. Choose from three tailored programs to meet your goals and earn a qualification from one of the world’s leading Design Thinking institutions.  

Looking for tailored solutions? We offer customized, results-driven formats to meet your organization’s unique needs. With decades of expertise and a human-centered approach, we help you turn challenges into opportunities for sustainable growth.

Explore our workshops and programs

We are the place for crafting tomorrow. At the intersection of human and technology we provide you and your team with knowledge and know-how to imagine and innovate impactful products, services or strategies.

Where people and technology converge

In a world of rapid change, mastering the synergy between people and technology is essential for your success.

At HPI d-school – Professional Development, we empower businesses to thrive by combining human-centered innovation with cutting-edge technology. Through Design Thinking, leadership development, AI knowledge, and digital upskilling, we help you tackle digital and agile transformations while fostering sustainable innovation. Let’s craft the future together – where creativity meets technological possibility.

Discover our topics:

Design Thinking

Find innovative solutions that put the user first.

Leadership

Develop leadership skills that enable innovation and agility.

Artificial intelligence

Open up new possibilities for innovation and product development.

Digital upskilling

Expand your skills to profitably apply new technologies.

Upcoming workshops and programs

  • Workshop
    The world is changing, and with it, the skills that really matter. Here, you will learn how to use AI in a targeted way to create innovative solutions that are creative, human, and effective.
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Design Thinking
    • Leadership
    • Innovation

    Your experts

  • Workshop
    Workshop HPI d-school Design Thinking and corporate change
    Turn ideas into lasting impact. Learn to lead transformation with empathy, navigate resistance, and apply design thinking to drive real change in your organization.
    • Leadership
    • Design Thinking
    • Innovation

    Your experts

  • Program
    Shape the digital & AI-driven transformation
    • Digital transformation
    • Leadership
    • Artificial intelligence

    Your experts

  • Workshop
    Workshop HPI d-school foresight-driven innovation
    Explore alternative futures and identify future-proof innovation opportunities – this is possible with the combination of strategic foresight and human-centered innovation.
    • Leadership
    • Innovation

    Your experts

  • Certificate Program
    Workshop HPI d-school Design Thinking foundations
    The program combines an intensive introductory workshop in Design Thinking with versatile deep dives, including the interplay with AI.
    • Design Thinking
    • Artificial intelligence

    Your program leads

  • Certificate Program
    Workshop HPI d-school Design Thinking coach
    This program qualifies you to successfully lead innovation projects, design Design Thinking formats, and guide teams effectively through agile processes.
    • Design Thinking

    Your program leads

  • Workshop
    Workshop HPI d-school creative resilience
    Gain insights into crisis management and learn how to strengthen your creative resilience personally and organizationally. Experts show you how to stay creative and capable of acting in dynamic, complex situations.
    • Leadership

    Your experts

  • Workshop
    Workshop HPI d-school generative ai
    From understanding generative AI to prompt engineering, building advanced chatbots and AI agents, this workshop covers it all. Take your skills to the next level with practical, step-by-step guidance.
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Digital transformation
    • Digital upskilling

    Your expert

  • Certificate Program
    Workshop HPI d-school Design Thinking practitioner
    The “Design Thinking Practitioner” program offers you a versatile, hands-on education that combines creativity, teamwork, and the use of AI to solve complex challenges, taking your project results to the next level.
    • Design Thinking
    • Innovation
    • Artificial intelligence

    Your program leads

  • Certificate Program
    Workshop HPI d-school Design Thinking practitioner
    The program offers you a versatile, hands-on education that combines creativity and teamwork to solve complex challenges, taking your project results to the next level.
    • Design Thinking
    • Innovation

    Your program leads

  • Workshop
    Workshop HPI d-school ai and business
    We have combined our expertise to help you understand the potential of AI so that you can apply it to your business areas and successfully develop AI use cases.
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Leadership

    Your experts

  • Workshop
    Workshop HPI d-school generative ai
    We provide a comprehensive understanding of data infrastructure and data products, what possibilities they offer, how they can be used and how they represent the basic prerequisite for the successful use of AI.
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Digital transformation
    • Digital upskilling

    Your experts

What makes us special?

Pioneers

We are a leading global university education provider and a pioneer in Design Thinking and digital leadership training in Europe.

Science based

Our work is research-based and combines science and practice.

Small teams

Intensive support from experienced coaches in small teams.

Network

Large network of top-class, international partners and coaches.

HPI

We are part of the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) - one of the leading computer science institutes in Europe.

Location

On the HPI campus in Potsdam-Babelsberg, you benefit from a unique atmosphere: university excellence meets creative innovation methods.

Illustration pionier
Illustration Science
Illustration small teams
Illustration Netzwerk
Illustration HPI Logo
Illustration Location

Some of our customers

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SAP Logo
Roche Logo
Zeit Academie Logo

Latest news

  • News
    What future skills do we need, and how can we acquire them? A look at experimentation, a culture of learning from mistakes, and Design Thinking.
    • Academic Programs
    • Professional Development
    • Design Thinking
    • Digital upskilling
  • News
    Mitarbeiter:innenfoto
    How much decision-making should AI have? Samuel Tschepe explains why conscious agency matters more than chasing the next tool hype.
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Digital upskilling
    • Professional Development
  • News
    Mitarbeiter:innenfoto
    The future remains uncertain. Read how you gain new perspectives and move from hesitation to action.
    • Academic Programs
    • Professional Development
    • Innovation
  • News
    Dr. Claudia Nicolai
    How can we face challenges in uncertain times? Dr. Claudia Nicolai explains how strategic foresight is applied at HPI d-school.
    • Professional Development
    • Leadership
    • Innovation
    • Academic Programs
    • Design Thinking
  • News
    Samuel holds his new white paper up to the camera.
    The new white paper “The Agency Continuum” provides a strategic compass for the conscious distribution of decision-making power between humans and AI.
    • Professional Development
    • Artificial intelligence
  • News
    Defining a shared point of view
    Why a shared point of view matters – and how you can help teams develop it. Discover more in the latest HPI d-school newsletter!
    • Academic Programs
    • Professional Development
    • Design Thinking
  • News
    Mitarbeiter:innenfoto
    How do teams find focus? Why a shared standpoint takes work – and how AI can help or hinder real commitment. An article on point of view in practice.
    • Design Thinking
    • Leadership
    • Professional Development
    • Artificial intelligence
  • News
    Future Skill Resilience Workshop Wieler Antao Blauel
    In times of constant change, organizational and individual resilience have become essential skills. But how can we prepare for the unknown?
    • Agile transformation
    • Design Thinking
    • Leadership
    • Professional Development
    • Innovation
  • News
    HPI d-school in dialogue with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai at the Digital Health Partnership Workshop
    • Digital health
    • Design Thinking
    • Academic Programs
    • Professional Development
    • Research
  • News
    Teaching Faculty HPI d-school
    From Design Thinking to a product mindset: Markus Güntert shares how agile development works – with ownership, attitude, and real outcomes.
    • Agile transformation
    • Professional Development
    • Teaching faculty
    • Design Thinking
  • News
    Flavia Bleuel and Johann Dornbach
    Johann Dornbach in an interview on real business impact, successful AI use cases, and why courage matters more than fear.
    • Professional Development
    • Digital transformation
    • Digital upskilling
    • Artificial intelligence
  • News
    graphic ai navigator
    Use AI strategically instead of just talking about it: The AI Business Navigator supports you in making informed decisions in your organization.
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Digital transformation
    • Digital upskilling
    • Professional Development
  • News
    Experts Adam und Riccardo
    Adam Butz and Riccardo Destratis explain why data is the true foundation of AI, and how organizations can use it to achieve sustainable business success.
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Digital upskilling
    • Professional Development
  • News
    Our two experts: Selina and Dominik
    Dr. Selina Mayer and Dominik Krabbe on strategic foresight, typical errors in thinking, and why future scenarios are more than just science fiction.
    • Innovation
    • Professional Development
  • News
    Tech Leadership Conference 2025
    Rethinking tech leadership: voices, perspectives, and ideas for Europe’s digital future – highlights from the 2025 conference at HPI in Potsdam.
    • Academic Programs
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Digital transformation
    • Digital upskilling
    • Innovation
    • Leadership
    • Professional Development
    • Research
  • News
    Tech Leadership Conference 2025 - Townhall
    Europe at a digital crossroads: Can we lead in AI without losing our values? Insights & future questions from the Tech Leadership Conference 2025.
    • Digital transformation
    • Digital upskilling
    • Innovation
    • Leadership
    • Professional Development
    • Academic Programs
  • News
    Tech and Leadership - Editorial Newsletter HPI d-school
    Today, leadership must navigate technology – and put people at the center. The HPI AI Business Navigator shows how this can be achieved.
    • Academic Programs
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Leadership
    • Professional Development
    • Digital transformation
    • Digital upskilling
  • News
    Editorial - Innovation in de public sector
    How can administration become a driver of change? In our latest newsletter, we show how Design Thinking brings courage, structure, and genuine participation
    • Academic Programs
    • Professional Development
    • Design Thinking
    • Innovation
    • Artificial intelligence
  • News
    Can technology feel close to us? A small experiment at the HPI d-school reveals surprising insights into why human-centered design makes all the difference.
    • Academic Programs
    • Professional Development
    • Digital transformation
    • Digital upskilling
    • Design Thinking
  • News
    Mitarbeiter:innenfoto
    What happens when AI becomes your creative sparring partner? Samuel Tschepe explores co-creation, human touch, and new ways of thinking with tech.
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Design Thinking
    • Professional Development
  • News
    Flavia Bleuel
    AI is reshaping leadership. Learn why the future demands tech fluency, human focus, and the ability to lead through uncertainty and constant change.
    • Academic Programs
    • Professional Development
    • Leadership
  • News
    Team leads of HPI d-school
    Discover how the HPI d-school is shaping the future of innovation! In this interview, its leaders reveal their vision for a human-centered tomorrow.
    • Academic Programs
    • Professional Development
    • Research
  • News
    Our Professional Development division was recognized as one of the leading providers in the latest training ranking by the market research institute SWI!
    • Professional Development
  • News
    Use Case digital health STEPbySTEP
    Germany's ePA is transforming digital health. Learn how Design Thinking fosters user-centric innovation for better, more accessible healthcare solutions.
    • Academic Programs
    • Professional Development
    • Digital health
    • Innovation
    • Research
    • Design Thinking
    • Digital transformation
  • News
    Workshop HPI d-school Design Thinking method deep dive
    We’re thrilled to offer this comprehensive online course - for free - to all of you! Are you ready to rethink problem-solving and innovation?
    • Design Thinking
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Professional Development
  • News
    Graphic testimoial customer feedback
    Workshop participant Marius S. talks about aha moments and the balance between humans and AI
    • Design Thinking
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Professional Development
  • News
    Teaching Faculty HPI d-school
    Interview: Our expert for emotional leadership Hendrik Stachnau on the topic of Leading High Performance Teams
    • Professional Development
    • Leadership
  • News
    Teaching Faculty HPI d-school
    Artificial intelligence is already in use in many companies around the world. This increasingly has consequences for the management of these organizations.
    • Professional Development
    • Leadership
    • Artificial intelligence
  • News
    Interview on the AI and Design Thinking workshop
    We interviewed our design thinking expert Samuel Tschepe to explore how AI and design thinking work together.
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Design Thinking
    • Professional Development
  • News
    Teaching Faculty HPI d-school
    Markus is a corporate innovation expert who supports teams in turning ideas into MVPs, especially after design thinking workshops.
    • Professional Development
    • Design Thinking
    • Agile transformation
  • News
    Vortrag für Ursula von der Leyen
    The EU Commission President visited HPI, exchanged views on AI, digital health and design thinking and discussed future developments.
    • Academic Programs
    • Research
    • Professional Development
  • News
    Professional Development impresses in the ranking of the market research institute SWI.
    • Professional Development