Research with added value

Application-oriented research and development (R&D) projects with companies are the most important channel for the transfer of research. For several years now, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences has been running more than 100 externally funded projects per year. 

The largest share of this funding comes from federal grants (BMBF, BMWi and others), followed by funding from the European Union, the Free State of Saxony and other organisations. The university’s collaborations with industry are of particular importance. Around a quarter of the projects at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences fall within the commercial sphere of contract research and research services. Companies and institutions also have the opportunity to use Mittweida University of Applied Sciences’ laboratories and equipment. Mittweida University of Applied Sciences has three central research facilities, numerous in-house institutes and a wide range of cooperation partners in research and teaching. The university-affiliated institutes provide an ideal platform for collaboration between the university and industry.

One ambitious approach to achieving knowledge transfer through academic staff is the use of industry-funded endowed professorships. At Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, all faculties utilise this mechanism to promote practice-oriented teaching and to strengthen Mittweida’s position as a centre of innovation. Further efforts to establish endowed professorships are to be intensified in light of the need for knowledge and practical transfer, as well as the university’s comparatively small staff numbers. Doctoral programmes are also of great importance for knowledge and practical transfer. In addition to the collaborative doctoral programmes supervised in partnership with institutions such as TU Dresden, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, TU Chemnitz, TU Ilmenau and the University of Leipzig, cooperative programmes are also becoming increasingly important.

At Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, start-ups are regarded as the most effective means of knowledge and technology transfer; the university therefore sees itself as a start-up-friendly institution. This aspect is also enshrined in Mittweida University of Applied Sciences’ agreement on objectives. Start-ups are supported by a large number of dedicated lecturers with an affinity for entrepreneurship, and, since 2002, through the integration of services provided by the SAXEED start-up network. 

The patenting of inventions is a hallmark of high R&D expertise and enhances the reputation of both the university and its researchers. In research collaborations with companies, the application for intellectual property rights is integrated into all phases of the project from the outset. The university funds promising patent applications – primarily through projects – and retains them for a maximum of five years. After a five-year retention period, with the exception of basic patents, an annual review is carried out to assess the prospects for successful commercialisation. As a start-up-friendly university, it facilitates the use of patents as a basis for spin-offs.

The promotion of academic life encompasses measures that also foster the transfer of knowledge and technology through the channel of communication, and facilitate the dissemination of academic findings and research communication. At Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, this is achieved in particular through:

• Academic conferences, symposia and workshops
• Business-oriented events such as workshops, dialogues and forums
• Participation in technology transfer fairs
• The awarding of academic prizes
• the work of the Senate Commission on Research
• Activities of HSMW researchers at specialist conferences, participation in colloquia, seminars and academic events
• University publications, e.g. Scientific Reports
• Research reports
• Research marketing
• Our research information system, VIVO