From the communication to the cooperation platform
Nine projects should make the efficiency and attractiveness of the science region Chemnitz more visible
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University and non-university research are closely linked in the science region Chemnitz: The Professorship of Lightweight Structures and Polymer Technology at TU Chemnitz and the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems ENAS cooperate, for example, in the study of mechanical actuator and sensor systems. Picture: Hendrik Schmidt
In these days the main players of the science region Chemnitz received good news from the Saxon State Ministry of Science and the Arts. They will get special allowances of 250,000 euros, which are used to finance nine concrete actions in the year 2014. Many partners act though in concert. This includes universities, vocational colleges, the Fraunhofer Institute, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the city Chemnitz, the Industry Association of Saxony 1828 eV, the technology and economy centers as well as business promoters, the Student Services Chemnitz-Zwickau and the Agency for Employment. TU Bergakademie Freiberg from the neighboring region of science cooperates in various projects.
In the coming months it will become possible to conceive a project office in Chemnitz, on which in the future universities and companies have access for example to provide applications for research funding to the European Union. In addition to support a sustainable development of the science region Chemnitz and in close cooperation with the Association for the Promotion of Science and Humanities in Germany, the Wissenschaftsmanagement Lübeck as well as up to nine other model regions, a strategic concept will be developed.
"Because of the funding of the Saxon State Ministry of Science and the Arts we will transfer the current constructive communication platform, which has already been offered by the Science Forum Chemnitz since April 2013, providing the working groups internationalization, knowledge transfer and synergies to a successful collaboration platform," said the rector of Technische Universität Chemnitz, Prof. Dr. Arnold van Zyl, and adds: "We can concentrate on important issues of the future and lay the rails for example in the direction of better internationalization." This includes for instance a survey and the coordination of the linguistical and intercultural education in the science region.
Prof. Dr. Ludwig Hilmer, rector of Hochschule Mittweida, reported that his university of applied sciences promotes more synergy projects. "We want to bunch our years of experience as partner universities of professional sport in the science region with other actors, in order to be more attractive to athletes and their individual career planning." Mittweida offers information how cross-university barriers in the transition from Bachelor to Master can be reduced in the future. In addition, an information platform for large equipment facilities in the region will be developed.
The Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau focuses on knowledge transfer. "Our regional conference with the subject of junior employees in 2014 involves the increasing importance of the transfer of heads," says rector Prof. Dr. Gunter Krautheim. In addition under the aegis of his university of applied science a `transfer node´ will be developed, which targets a stronger visibility of actors and activities in the field of knowledge and technology transfer in the region.
Keyword: Saxony`s science regions
The actors of the regional knowledge association are in an increasing global competition, either for students, researchers, funding or skilled experts. At the same time the regional actors are depending on the same location-based conditions. The Saxon University Development Plan until 2020 faces these challenges with the concept of science regions. Within the science regions in Chemnitz, Dresden, Leipzig and Freiberg the actors from universities, non-university institutions, research-intensive economy and educational and cultural institutions are networked. The communication platform, which was created for this purpose, is the respective science forum, which better integrates all relevant actors in the region in planning and design processes. The aim is to communicate and make the efficiency and attractiveness of Saxony beyond the borders more visible, to strengthen the cooperation between academics and managers from different disciplines, to initiate national, international as well as European networks, and to tackle themes of the future - starting with the internationalization and knowledge transfer.
For more information, please contact Matthias Pohl, referent of the Science Region Chemnitz in the office of the rector of TU Chemnitz, phone 0371 531-33662, e-mail: matthias.pohl@verwaltung.tu-chemnitz.de
(Author: Mario Steinebach, Translation: Jakob Landwehr)
Katharina Thehos
02.01.2014
