Hochschule Mittweida University of Applied Sciences

Mittweida University is a university of applied sciences in Central Saxony with a strong focus on research and transfer. Founded in 1867 as a technical center, the state university has more than 7.000 students in five faculties and four research focuses.

In the last few years, the university has continued to develop its fields of research competences. The decision of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) to include Mittweida University in the Research Map of the German Rectors' Conference (www.forschungslandkarte.de) with its four research focuses has been an important factor in this regard:

• FSP1: Laser Technologies
• FSP2: Product and Process Development
• FSP3: Digitalisation in Economy and Society
• FSP4: Applied Informatics

The spectrum of industry-oriented research and development at Mittweida University is characterised by third-party funded research, collaborative promotion projects, independently organised development work as well as projects of the institutes and research associations. The teaching and research programmes of Mittweida University are performed within the framework of regional and supra-regional partnerships, strengthened by small and mid-sized companies in Saxony. This is also reflected in the key figures of the University: EUR 12.838 million of third-party funds in 166 research and transfer projects to enable the research professors and 183 project and research employees to implement their innovative ideas. In addition to the research results, 51 technical property rights and 75 ongoing PhD examination procedures can be accounted for (reference year: 2018).

The innovative products and procedures developed in the Mittweida region are based not least on traditional and new research lines, such as laser technology and laser material processing, computer sciences, communication and automation technology, biotechnology, microsystem and sensor technology, media technology and research, mechanical engineering, energy and building technology, economics, as well as social work.

Research is seen as the fundamental driving force for teaching and is therefore directly involved in the design of teaching. The interdependence between the teaching and research profiles plays a key role in this process. As a result of the profiling process, the networking of teaching and research will increase significantly in order to achieve the following goals:

• Evaluation and (further) development of the range of courses with back reference to industry proximity, demand for skilled workforce, digitalisation and internationalisation,
• Development and implementation of blended-learning scenarios,
• Application-oriented linking of research and teaching as a didactical guideline,
• Reinforcement of research accompanying teaching,
• Increasing interdisciplinarity of research projects,
• Reinforcement of application orientation and practical relevance of teaching and research.

The transfer of knowledge and technology also plays an essential role at Mittweida University, especially through the ambition to establish national and international collaborations and, at the same time, to assume responsibility for regional development. In June 2018, the Rectorate of Mittweida University therefore adopted a transfer strategy in consultation with the Senate. According to this strategy, it has defined the following four strategic fields of action in knowledge and technology transfer:

• Transfer via cooperations (in particular R&D projects, contract research, transfer projects),
• Transfer via minds (in particular cooperative PhD examination procedures, endowed professorships),
• Transfer via spin-offs and property rights,
• Transfer via communication (in particular scientific events and publications).