At the beginning of the new year, entrepreneurs from the region met with "their" university lecturers for the 7th time as part of the "Business meets Science" event at the Zittau location of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. In keeping with what is now a long-standing tradition, the General Business Association of Zittau and the surrounding area (AUV), the Dresden Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Zittau and Görlitz branches, the Dresden Chamber of Crafts and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences invited guests to this New Year's reception at the university.

This year, the university welcomed the guests to Haus ZI - and with over 120 people, the number of participants once again increased significantly, which speaks for the quality of this event format.

The main focus of the evening was on the Faculty of Economics and Industrial Engineering, with the first part of the presentations initially satisfying the curiosity of those present about the renovation status of the ZI building. Dr. Wolfgang Menzel reported on the tradition of the building and its current and future use.

Prof. Dr. Straßberger, Dean of Faculty W, then presented the study opportunities, the technical equipment of the laboratories and the research topics of the faculty. Straßberger appealed to companies to provide internships for students. This is the only way to secure the next generation of skilled workers for and in the region.

Robert Freudenberg, who is responsible for strategy and investment management at the Görlitz and Weißwasser municipal utilities in the "Energy" division of Veolia, shared his positive experiences of cooperation with the science partner. As a graduate of our university, he knows the institution from the FF and reported on joint research activities with lecturers from Faculty W.

The Vice-Rector for Research, Prof. Dr. Tobias Zschunke, then summarized the current development of the university and emphasized the importance of close cooperation between business and science in his presentation. The framework conditions for this intensive partnership are to be further improved through structural changes.

Among other things, there is a further event format in the cooperation: the entrepreneur workshop discussions. As a triumvirate, the university, Dresden Chamber of Crafts and the Zittau Chamber of Industry and Commerce office offer a technology-related discussion platform.

Launched in 2015, this series of events will be continued this year with two themed evenings. On March 16, 2016, the workshop discussion will be dedicated to energy efficiency and the load management potential of companies. Load management often offers further economic benefits for companies if they manage to shift their electricity requirements to weaker demand times. On 26.10.2016, data security in the company will be the topic of the workshop discussion.

Following the presentations, the guests were able to take a tour of the laboratories of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering/Computer Science and the Rector's Office during a tour of the completed first construction phase of the renovated ZI building.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues from the "Technical Administration" department - it was only thanks to their energetic, uncomplicated help that it was possible to create a pleasant atmosphere in the corridors of the building that was appropriate for the event.  On January 12, 2017, "Business meets Science" will take place for the eighth time - new ideas were already developed during this year's successful event.