Saxony's universities of applied sciences will be cooperating in future on transfer to industry and society under ^Saxony5- this collaboration will be funded over five years by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and  the Saxon State Ministry of Science and the Arts (SMWK), as announced today by Federal Research Minister Johanna Wanka in Berlin.

Berlin/Dresden, Zittau/Görlitz, July 4, 2017 - As the result of a competition among universities of applied sciences and small and medium-sized universities throughout Germany, the consortium of the five Saxon universities of applied sciences in Dresden, Leipzig, Mittweida, Zittau/Görlitz and Zwickau was named an "Innovative University" on July 4, 2017. Their joint project "^Saxony5 - Smart University Grid", which was recognized as excellent, will now be funded for five years.

The core idea of the cooperation concept is stronger and systematic collaboration between universities in transfer and cooperation with companies and organizations. Based on the most modern organizational form of electrical energy grids, the transfer network ^Saxony5 (i.e. Saxony high five) will intelligently network knowledge flows in the Smart University Grid project and align them better with the needs of partners in science, industry and society. Ultimately, new findings and inventions should be translated into innovative products and services more quickly for the benefit of citizens and consumers.

"We are delighted that our concept has been recognized," says Prof. Roland Stenzel, Rector of the University of Applied Sciences Dresden, which is leading the consortium. "We see this as a mandate for all five universities to open up even more to society in the future and to integrate ourselves even more closely into Saxony's innovation system."

Rector Prof. Albrecht from the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is also highly satisfied: "On the one hand, this competition success is confirmation of the many years of close cooperation between the five state universities of applied sciences in Saxony. Secondly, the millions in funding will enable us to establish structures and processes that will enable us to work more effectively towards knowledge and technology transfer."      

The "Innovative University" funding initiative was adopted by the federal and state governments in 2016. It is endowed with up to 550 million euros for two selection rounds of five years each and is aimed in particular at universities of applied sciences as well as small and medium-sized universities. 

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Prof. Dr. Friedrich Albrecht