Day after day, new ideas, new knowledge, and new technologies emerge in the laboratories, workshops, and offices of the universities. To ensure that this know-how is put into practice even more quickly and reaches broader audiences than before, the Saxon Universities of Applied Sciences (HAW) in Dresden, Leipzig, Mittweida, Zittau/Görlitz, and Zwickau have joined forces to form the Saxony5 Transfer Network.

At the public kickoff event for the Saxony5 Transfer Network on May 4, 2018, at the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig), the five universities presented their strategy and plans for the next five years to approximately 150 guests from the fields of science, business, politics, and civil society.

Federal Minister of Research Anja Karliczek said on the occasion of the network’s launch: “Our universities are places brimming with ideas and insights. It is important to me that we use the results of research and development to improve the lives of our fellow citizens. That is why we are working to ensure that innovations reach people even faster. Through Saxony5, five Saxon universities are now tackling this issue together with regional companies and civil society partners, forming a dense network across the Free State of Saxony.”

Across Germany, the federal government and the states are investing a total of 550 million euros over ten years through the “Innovative University” initiative to implement innovative strategies for research-based knowledge transfer.

“I am pleased that the high level of scientific expertise at the five participating universities has been recognized through federal funding for Saxony5. Universities of applied sciences always focus on practical application and, thus, the concrete benefits of scientific findings. Research is stimulated when it addresses practical application questions, and it helps companies when they are informed about the universities’ research opportunities and priorities and know how they can benefit from them. The collaborating universities of Saxony5 will jointly plan, implement, and communicate their activities related to the transfer of ideas, knowledge, and technology. “In this way, they will provide comprehensive, networked knowledge and technology transfer to the business community and society throughout our state,” said Saxony’s State Minister for Science and the Arts, Dr. Eva-Maria Stange.

Following the opening remarks, the focus shifted to a presentation of the project structure and the implementation concepts for the twelve subprojects. Accompanied by a poster presentation, the subsequent get-together sparked lively discussions about the potential and scope of impact of Saxony5’s transfer approaches.

About Saxony5:

The Saxony5 Transfer Network, comprising the five Saxon universities of applied sciences, has been in existence since January 1, 2018, and is funded as part of the federal-state initiative “Innovative University.” By intelligently networking their areas of expertise and resources through interdisciplinary collaboration, the participating universities aim to strengthen research-based knowledge and technology transfer and achieve a new level of quality in transfer methodology.

Funding agencies: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Saxon State Ministry of Science and the Arts (SMWK)

Funding period (1st selection round): 2018 to 2022

Saxony5 funding amount: approximately 15 million euros over five years

Participating universities:

Dresden University of Applied Sciences (HTW); Leipzig University of Applied Sciences for Technology, Business, and Culture (HTWK Leipzig); Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (HSMW); Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG); West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau (WHZ)

Direct partners:

Cinector GmbH; Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS); ICM – Chemnitz Institute for Mechanical and Plant Engineering e.V.; Nature Conservation Union of Germany, Saxony Regional Association e.V.; TechnologieZentrumDresden GmbH; Erzgebirge Economic Development Agency GmbH

Subproject 1: Pro-Transfer Change Management (Prof. Markus Krabbes, HTWK Leipzig)

Subproject 2: OrgaNetz Transfer (Prof. Knut Schmidtke, HTW Dresden)

Subproject 3: Co-Creation Lab “Factory of the Future” (Prof. Dirk Reichelt, HTW Dresden)

Subproject 4: Co-Creation Lab “Connected Mobility” (Prof. Andreas Pretschner, HTWK Leipzig)

Subproject 5: Co-Creation Lab “Additive Manufacturing” (Prof. Horst Exner, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences)

Subproject 6: Co-Creation Lab “Supply Infrastructure” (Prof. Tobias Zschunke, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences)

Subproject 7: Co-Creation Lab “Agriculture and Biodiversity” (Prof. Knut Schmidtke, HTW Dresden)

Subproject 8: Co-Creation Lab “Surface Technology” (Prof. Silke Mücklich, West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau)

Subproject 11: Cluster for Media-Based Knowledge and Technology Transfer (Prof. Christof Amrhein, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences)

Subproject 12: Business Cluster for Resource Recovery Planning (Prof. Christian Busch, West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau)

Subproject 13: Marketplace of Ideas (Prof. Tobias Zschunke, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences)

Subproject 14: Transfer Through People (Prof. Anne-Katrin Haubold, HTW Dresden)