Innovation engines in the region

10 years University alliance for medium -sized companies (Hafm) – That was a reason for the 16 member universities, including the Technical University of Lübeck, the Germany -wide university network, but also for future -oriented discussions. At the 9th Berlin transfer conference, the milestones achieved were presented on September 22nd in the State Representation of North Rhine -Westphalia in Berlin and new demands in the different articles were shown by the universities for applied sciences (HAW), medium -sized companies and politics. Under the motto In focus regions The approximately 100 participants discussed the different impulses about the role of universities for applied sciences (HAWS) as innovation engines in their regions and transfer partners, especially for medium -sized companies.

In her keynote, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) emphasized Dr. Silke Launert that the collaboration of universities for applied sciences (HAW) and small and medium -sized companies (SMEs) is indispensable. The HAW have a key role because they have particularly good starting conditions with their strong application competence to decisively support the transfer of research results into products and servicesso mood. In doing so, she underlined the important role that HAW plays on site for development in the regions. HAW are a stroke of luck and important location factor. Furthermore, the new federal government wants to give the transfer of new boost and make promotion easier, faster and more unbureaucratic. The agile and innovative promotion of transfer and application -oriented research is expanded in the 21st legislative period.

In the second session, Prof. Dr. Hans-Hennig von Grünberg, founding chairman of the HAFM, an overview of the success record of the past ten years. The HAFM has given decisive impulses for the implementation of the supportline FH staff and, in particular, has repeatedly focused on the topic of transfer, from the support of a DTG to participation in the position paper D.innova to the deputy chair in the DATI founding commission by the incumbent HAFM chairman Prof. Dr.-Ing. Kira Kastell, President of the Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences. At the same time, from Grünberg noted that in the previous funding system, application -oriented research of universities is insufficiently taken into account. We need a sophisticated funding system that brings the transfer idea into the width of the university systemhe said. This requires urgent need for action by politics in order to implement the targeted promotion of transfer activities in the universities. In her subsequent outlook, Prof. Kastell emphasized that transfer would remain a central topic of the HAFM. We hope that there is a low-threshold access to transfer support in the future, best bundled in a central, coordinating contact and advice center, a one-stop shop in which transfers can be presented, and then show possible support measures and programs for your concerns.

The experience reports of the University of Applied Sciences Ernst-Abbe University Jena (Dr. Betty Hebecker) University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (Dr. Simon Roth) and University of Aalen (Prof. Dr. Heinz-Peter Bürkle) then impressively showed how projects with the help of funding programs e.g. B. the innovation communities in the datipilot or the former FH impulse program for the formation of regional networks. In conversation, moderated by Prof. Dr. Andreas Wilms, President of the Technical University of Brandenburg, was easy for the three lecturers to agree on a common wish for the future: With the help of the funding programs, structures had been set up that now need long -term financing perspectives and follow -up promotion programs. In particular, the slim, at best open application and considering the special features of HAW and regional SMEs, which at the same time act globally, would still have to be taken into account.

In the statements of companions of the HAFM over the past 10 years, some more aspects have been added to the importance of the HAW. Moderated by the managing director of HAFM, Prof. Dr. Peter Ritzenhoff, emphasized Dr. HC Thomas Sattelberger (former Hafm Advisory Board Chairman, PSTS AD), Dr. Volker Meyer-Guckel (General Secretary of the Stifter Association), Mario Brandenburg (PSTS in the BMBF AD, Tech Visionary), Dr. Anna Christmann (MdB AD, innovation, technology and startups), Prof. Dr. Steffen Teichert (State Secretary for Education, Science and Culture, Thuringia) and Dr.-Ing. Klaus-Peter Tiemann (RFT group Brandenburg and Hafm advisory board) the importance of the HAFM and the role of HAW as partners of the medium-sized business in the regions. What clearly dominated the contributions was the demand for solid structures for transfer promotion and transfer structures in the universities as well as a funding landscape, which takes into account the more transdisciplinary research approach of universities for applied sciences and helps him to make more visibility.

In the final political talk, moderated by Prof. Dr. Susanne Weissman (President of the Mainz University) discussed Stephan Albani (CDU), Oliver Kaczmarek (SPD) Ayse Asar (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) and Sonja Lemke (Die Linke) about the implementation perspectives of the coalition agreement. Specific designs of the ideas of the coalition agreement were not presented, but there was an unanimous commitment to the HAW University Type, for consortial leadership in innovation communities, in practical and medium-sized transfer projects and for HAW-specific support in the third pillar. Albani and Kaczmarek, as representatives of the government parties, referred to the pillars of innovation funding agreed in the coalition agreement. However, one does not want to wait until a overall package braked possible progress, but implement suitable measures step by step.

Inspired by the different articles of the 9th Berlin Transfer Conference, the HAFM will be committed to demanding the measures anchored in the coalition agreement in the future.We will particularly show the need to maintain and expand the HAW-specific funding programs in the context of the DAFG and to recognize and strengthen the HAWS consortial leadership in practical and medium-sized transfer projectsaccording to Prof. Kastell. In addition, the demand for additional means for the middle building was clearly made in order to stabilize transfer work and to make it more sustainable. Simple and unbureaucratic transfer formats are essential for practical cooperation between smaller companies and universities. Overall, the conference showed that there is agreement between politics and universities about the importance of transfer. It will now be crucial that the universities represent their demands and perceptibly represented in order to politically enforce the financing of the middle construction, the establishment of low -threshold transfer formats and the recognition of their leadership role in the transfer process and thus ensure the transfer success in the regions.