Representatives from the regional business community gathered at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences to meet academics and learn about their research projects, as well as to get to know the students.
As part of the first knowledge transfer meeting at the Faculty of Society and Economics at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, the University’s President, Dr Heide Naderer, and the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Dr Jakob Lempp, welcomed representatives from the regional business community.
Academics presented various examples of collaboration between the university and industry, drawing on current projects from the Faculty of Society and Economics, and highlighted avenues for further cooperation. Student projects were showcased alongside regional and international collaborative projects funded by public grants. These ranged from regional tourism projects to applied macroeconomics, using Rwanda as an example. An ‘eye-tracking’ demonstration allowed guests to gain a first-hand impression of the experimental possibilities available at the faculty.
Furthermore, the Faculty informed representatives of the regional business community about the range of degree programmes on offer and the knowledge and skills that graduates bring to the workplace as qualified professionals. Finally, visitors were shown the modern laboratories and their potential applications.
This exchange is supported by the ‘Lower Rhine Innovation and Start-up Initiative’ project, which is being carried out by Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with the University of Duisburg-Essen. The aim is to bring together representatives from industry and academia in various formats to collaborate on projects. Start-up activities originating from universities in the Lower Rhine region are also to be strengthened through an innovation network and the establishment of a platform to support innovation at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Over the next three years, the project will receive funding of approximately 700,000 euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The next University-Industry Transfer Meeting will take place on Monday, 5 December 2016 at the Faculty of Technology and Bionics at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Further information and registration details can be obtained from the staff at the university’s Centre for Research, Innovation and Transfer via email at innovation@hochschule-rhein-waal.de.
