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Very soon, early-career researchers from Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (HSMW) will be able to pursue a PhD at the ‘Enabling Technologies for Industry, Health and Society’ doctoral centre at Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena (EAH Jena). There are two novel aspects to this: EAH Jena has recently become the first University of Applied Sciences (UoAS) in Thuringia to be granted the right to award doctorates through the establishment of a doctoral centre. At the same time, as a Saxon UoAS, HSMW has been involved as a cooperation partner in the emerging centre from the very beginning. Researchers from Mittweida are broadening the profile of the interdisciplinary doctoral centre with their expertise in automation, digital manufacturing, Laser Technology and Applied Computer Science.
Professor Volker Tolkmitt, Vice-Chancellor of HSMW, is delighted with the partnership:
The Doctoral Centre at our partner university, EAH Jena, embodies the very essence of what matters: collaboration leads to success! This applies to academia in our two Free States and, consequently, to the business sector, which benefits directly from applied research at both universities. The Executive Board of EAH Jena, led by its interim director, Professor Kristin Mitte, has laid a very solid foundation. I look forward to the joint efforts of our colleagues, which will open up new avenues for early-career researchers and contribute to the development of Central Germany as a business hub in key future-oriented fields.
Strong together for industry, health and society
The Doctoral Centre, which has been granted subject-specific doctoral authority for an initial period of eight years commencing on 1 October 2026, focuses on key research areas in the fields of technology for industry, health and society. Among other things, these address challenges faced by industrial partners, on which both universities collaborate in a cross-disciplinary and complementary manner. Scientific findings from the doctoral projects thus flow directly back into industry.
The key areas of the EAH Jena Doctoral Centre include the research fields of photonics, resource-efficient manufacturing, future-oriented energy systems and user-friendliness in healthcare. HSMW contributes its established research priorities in laser technologies, product and process development, and Applied Computer Science. This not only gives the doctoral centre a broader scope but also enables it to harness synergies across many fields of application.
High hurdles
The decision to establish the doctoral centre was preceded by a review process lasting several months, which confirmed that the necessary, very high standards of academic excellence were met. This is because the quality of doctoral degrees at Universities of Applied Sciences must meet the same quality standards as those applied to doctoral degrees at universities.
Pursuing a PhD at the HSMW
The right to award subject-specific doctoral degrees at UoAS is being gradually expanded in Germany. The Doctoral Centre at the EAH Jena represents one such step. Saxony is currently the only federal state that has not yet established a legal framework for this.
Nevertheless, at the HSMW – the largest UoAS in Saxony, with over 6,300 students – there are currently around 80 ongoing doctoral programmes, the majority of which are carried out in partnership with a university.
In addition, HSMW has three professors seconded to universities who conduct doctoral programmes independently there: Dirk Labudde and Thomas Villmann at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, and Röbbe Wünschiers at TU Dresden.
The collaboration with the EAH Jena opens up a further avenue for doctoral candidates from Mittweida. At the same time, researchers with the right to award doctorates independently gain additional advantages when competing for research funding.
