At its meeting on July 21, 2016, the Institute Council of the Institute for Process Engineering, Process Automation, and Measurement Technology (IPM) at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences elected Professor Alexander Kratzsch as the new director of the institute. He has now served as director of the largest research institute at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences since November 1, 2016. Prof. Kratzsch had previously served as a project manager at the institute and has thus acquired extensive knowledge and experience in scientific and Business Administration fields, as well as in the area of employment law. In addition to his role as the new director, Prof. Kratzsch serves as the head of the “Measurement Technology/Process Automation” department, with research focuses on the flexibilization of energy systems, the development of non-invasive measurement methods, and digital safety control technology.

Professor Frank Worlitz, who has led the Institute since January 2007, did not stand for re-election after three terms but will continue to work at the Institute in his field of “Mechatronics,” specifically magnetic bearings.

The new director has made the continuous scientific and structural development of the IPM a top priority. To achieve this, it is necessary to maintain the current workforce of approximately 40 employees and to further develop their professional expertise. This involves safeguarding scientific expertise in all research areas as well as ensuring the reliable operation of the extensive testing facilities covering an area of approximately 1,400 m². With the successful establishment of the “Zittauer Kraftwerklabor” on the grounds of Zittau Stadtwerke GmbH, a major investment was made under the IPM’s leadership to expand the material and technical infrastructure and to ensure the future viability of teaching and research in the field of energy and the environment at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences’ Zittau campus. Prof. Kratzsch’s goal is to work together with the professors and staff of the IPM to systematically develop the Zittau Power Plant Laboratory into a “Digital Energy Laboratory 4.0” for Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The new director’s agenda also includes intensifying collaboration with the Fraunhofer IWU on the Zittau campus under the title “Lightweight Construction and Energy Technology.”

The IPM is primarily funded by additional resources—so-called third-party funding—which the IPM secures through competitive grants against other universities, colleges, and research institutions. This is an ongoing challenge for the staff and for the six professors working at the institute. As department heads, they lead the institute’s departments on a full-time basis in addition to their teaching obligations. For many years, the IPM has generated an average of 60% of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences’ total third-party funding. “Therefore, it is a logical and appropriate step,” says Prof. Kratzsch, “that in the future we will receive funds from the university’s basic research budget (to improve its ability to secure third-party funding) to support research at the IPM.”

Prof. Kratzsch is particularly committed to integrating the IPM’s outstanding research results and numerous test facilities—especially those in the Zittau Power Plant Laboratory—more deeply into teaching than has been the case to date. “I am convinced,” said Prof. Kratzsch, “that in this way, together with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, we can offer and consistently further develop attractive and modern teaching units in the field of energy and the environment for young people.”

Further information can be found here.