Research Projects

Software applications like ChatGPT, ResearchRabbit, and GitHub Copilot, which rely on generative artificial intelligence, are increasingly being adopted by both lecturers and students. Universities find themselves caught between excitement and concern. However, there is still a significant lack of empirical data to support strategic decisions. Currently, a survey at HSRW is being evaluated to assess the use and perception of AI, aiming to help establish this empirical foundation.

Different project partners and users cooperate in the Horizon Europe project EU-FarmBook to develop an online platform (the EU-FarmBook) that collects agricultural and forestry knowledge and helps to share it.

When using established cultivation methods, data on bacterial contamination is often only available after days. Experts from three different faculties at Rhine-Waal University combine their knowledge in the fields of biology, physics, and process engineering to find faster methods for detecting and identifying microorganisms.

The project aims at developing, testing, and publishing educational modules on the topic of nitrates in groundwater. The educational modules that will be developed in cooperation with citizens and various actors will cover the three areas of "environmental contexts", "digital methods" and "transformation and impact" and provide various teaching and learning tools for different target groups.

Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, together with partners in Germany and Europe, has developed Gamelet, a brand new learning software designed to improve the reading fluency of secondary school pupils. Using a media-based, multilingual approach in combination with gamification elements, GameLet will help address deficits in reading skills, multilingualism and media integration. The project is sponsored by the European Union through the programme ERASMUS+ Strategic Partnerships.

Die Pilotfördermaßnahme „Pakt für Informatik“ gibt Unternehmen die Möglichkeit, das Interesse von Schüler*innen an digitalen Arbeitsprozessen und deren Grundlagen zu wecken und somit zur Fachkräftegewinnung beizutragen. zdi-Netzwerkpartner können Projekte zur Förderung der Digitalisierung und Informatik für Lernende unterschiedlicher Altersgruppen und Schulformen entwickeln um den Schüler*innen so die Möglichkeiten der Digitalisierung durch Praktiker*innen näher zu bringen. Basierend auf den Erfahrungen der Pilotfördermaßnahme soll langfristig ein Förderprogramm entstehen, das im außerunterrichtlichen Bereich das Lernen digitaler Grundlagen fördert. 

The project in which ten German and Dutch cities are going to cooperate in developing tailor-made solutions to improve the quality of life in villages is supported by Euregio Rhine-Waal. It aims at improving communication and flexibility in procedures with citizens’ participation, and creating new networks across borders.

In the H2020 project EUREKA (European Knowledge Base for Agricultural Best Practice Solutions) 21 multi-actors from 16 countries cooperate to strengthen the EU-wide agricultural knowledge base and develop an open-source e-platform called FarmBook.

in the South Caucasus region: Monitoring

and Mitigation

The BMBF-funded project supports partnerships for sustainable solutions in countries in transition and developing countries, e.g. partnerships for sustainable use of soil.

3D printing, scanning, laser cutting tand more – digital manufacturing technologies are widely considered to be a prelude to the next industrial revolution. To prepare students for the future of manufacturing and cement these technologies as integral parts of the region, three Lower Rhine universities – Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Ruhr-West University of Applied Sciences and RWTH Aachen University – have joined together in an ambitious project based on the ‘FabLab’, a pioneering concept developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that is rapidly taking hold around the world. The project partners have also begun development of a Centre of Excellence for 3D Manufacturing Technologies, or 3D-Kompetenzzentrum Niederrhein, to effectively coordinate the production opportunities and capabilities of the participating FabLabs.

‘Digital Fabrication’ is well on its way to revolutionising our world and the global economy. But what about here in the Lower Rhine? Our “zdi-FabLab @ school” project is focused on just that, namely making new fabrication technologies like 3D printing, 3D scanning or laser cutting available in our region. To that end, the Faculty of Communication and Environment at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and its zdi Centre Kamp-Lintfort have adapted a globally-connected concept that was originally developed by the Massachusetts Insitute of Technology (MIT): the FabLab.

Life in villages and rural areas in Germany is becoming more and more difficult: stores are closing down, bus services are being scaled back, and bars and restaurants are slowly disappearing. An expert team of researchers at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences wants to fight back: In “Smart Villages”, researchers collaborate with residents of the local village Grieth to develop sustainable and future-oriented solutions for Germany.

The High Tech Greenhouse 2020 is a prototype concept for an innovative and sustainable horticultural system for the future. Initiated by the German industrial bank LIOF and the international garden festival and exhibition Floriade, the project combines innovative solutions in climate technology, energy, light, substrates and water to produce an integrated, ultra-modern greenhouse cultivation system.

In this joint German-Dutch research and development project, new UAV-based infrared and radar remote sensing technologies are being developed for a variety of applications, including agricultural monitoring, traffic monitoring, technical inspections of industrial complexes, flood prevention and non-intrusive monitoring of nature perserves and animal populations.

The goal of ‘Mobile - Mobil im Leben’ is to ensure that people with cognitive and physical disabilities are able to easily and effectively participate in public transportation through a user-friendly, smartphone-based navigation system.

PIKSL, a project of In der Gemeinde leben gGmbH (‘Living in the Community’), aims at further developing and improving access to modern information and communication technology for people with cognitive disabilities. Researchers hope to increase make it easier for people with disabilities to participate more in society by giving them more autonomy and helping them be less reliant on professional care. PIKSL represents a tangible effort to implement the goals and ideas laid out in the UN’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.