EMPOWER team presents funding project at networking event of the federal-state initiative "Innovative Hochschule" in Mannheim on March 21
Ludwigshafen/Mannheim, 22.03.2023: "Living transfer together!" - this was the motto of the kick-off event for the second funding round of the federal-state initiative "Innovative Hochschule" on March 21, 2023, at the Baroque Palace in Mannheim. Representatives from the 55 innovative universities whose 29 individual and collaborative projects were selected for the current funding round in an expert-led competition last year were invited to the nationwide event.
Among them was the joint project EMPOWER, to which Mainz University of Applied Sciences, Mainz Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Bingen University of Applied Sciences, Worms University of Applied Sciences, Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences and Johannes Gutenberg University have joined forces. The team of the transfer alliance EMPOWER, which is located in the Rhine-Main-Neckar region, was represented by eight people at the kick-off event, including the project management and
coordination EMPOWER as well as transfer managers of the participating universities.
The event in Mannheim's Baroque Palace gave the project participants in the second funding round of the "Innovative Hochschule" initiative, which started in January, the opportunity to present their individual and collaborative projects and to network with each other as well as with the project leaders from the first funding round.
"We are very proud to be represented with EMPOWER at this important, nationwide research and transfer event and to be able to present our alliance-wide vision 'Living Cooperation and Shaping Innovation' to the expert audience," said Dr. Susanne Weiß-Wittstadt, who was on site in Mannheim as project manager and coordinator of the transfer alliance. "EMPOWER aims to strengthen the innovative capacity in the Rheinhessen/Vorderpfalz region. The various planned pilot projects, some of which have already been initiated, address both economically and socially relevant issues and develop corresponding sustainable solutions," explains Prof. Dr. Anett Mehler-Bicher, who led the application process for the collaborative project.
Strengthening innovation and transfer
The aim of the federal-state initiative "Innovative Hochschule" is to strengthen the innovative power that arises from networking, interaction and participation of different players through funded projects. Support is provided for new, innovative approaches to the transfer of ideas, knowledge or technology, as well as for well-founded concepts that strengthen transfer and its strategic role for the region. In this context, universities play the role of making knowledge regionally accessible through transfer formats tailored to target groups and of obtaining information about needs through exchange with the regional economy. This results in more effective and creative solutions for current and future challenges in business and society. The current funding line, for which around 300 million euros are available, runs from 2023 to 2027.
Among the projects funded by "Innovative Hochschule" is EMPOWER- a joint project involving five universities of applied sciences in Rhineland-Palatinate. The aim of EMPOWER is to promote the research-based transfer of ideas, knowledge and technology with business and society in the Rhine-Main-Neckar region. To this end, each of the five universities participating in the transfer alliance contributes its expertise on a megatrend topic:
- Mainz University of Applied Sciences | Connectivity
- Catholic University of Applied Sciences Mainz | Health
- Bingen University of Applied Sciences | Sustainability
- Worms University of Applied Sciences | Cyber Security
- Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences | New Work
- Johannes Gutenberg University | Evaluation of the project
The five megatrends offer the participating universities and actors numerous starting points for interdisciplinary networking. In addition to the establishment and expansion of cross-university structures and offerings, there is a second strategic thrust: through cooperation with science, business, culture and society, partners outside the universities are to be approached in a targeted manner, thus achieving an effective transfer with stakeholders from the Rheinhessen and Vorderpfalz region.
Press contact:
Joint project EMPOWER
Britta Käufer
Communications Manager
University of Applied Sciences Ludwigshafen
Tel. +49 621/5203-249
britta.kaeufer@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 hwg-lu.de
empower-rlp.de
