17 April 2023

Innovative university: The Transferwerk at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences takes off

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences sees itself as an innovator. With the establishment of the "Transferwerk der Hochschule Nordhausen - T-HSN", the university aims to strengthen its transfer potential in the key research areas of green tech, management and governance as well as social and health services with a focus on climate protection, digitalisation and services of general interest. Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences is thus addressing the major social challenges of our time.

The university was able to raise a total budget of around 3.5 million euros for the transfer programme over a period of five years. The funding organisation is the Initiative Innovative university of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). "We are proud that we at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences can represent the innovative university in Thuringia. I am convinced that with the Transferwerk we have created a structure with strong implementation capabilities to support researchers," says project manager and President Professor Jörg Wagner.

The Transferwerk is made up of the operational project managers Prof Dr Elmar Hinz and Prof Dr Steffen Dörhofer as well as an interdisciplinary team of six transfer scouts. "As the Transferwerk team, we see ourselves as a cooperation and collaboration interface between lecturers, researchers and administrators at the university and external stakeholders from business, society and culture," says Linda Granowske.

The transfer scouts support the scientists at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences in expanding their contacts, developing transfer formats and improving science communication. In this way, they play a key role in making the achievements of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, such as continuing academic education, more tangible in the region.

The team has already presented an initial concept for a mobile showroom designed to make "hands-on science" possible. The team will also support the development of the dual study programme Practice Plus which is organised in cooperation with local companies and allows young students to combine their studies with practical work in a company. With the expansion of science communication, science, research and teaching are to be made accessible to the public in a targeted manner. The topic of digitalisation is also on the Transferwerk's agenda: digital knowledge management between the university and the region is intended to strengthen the transfer of knowledge in a targeted manner.