Knowledge and Technology Transfer

Ostfalia’s knowledge and technology transfer unit is your first port of call if you seek a link to the university in order, for example, to avail yourself of the knowledge of experts or to discuss issues of a specialist nature. Apart from this function, the service includes:

  • Providing support for collaborative ventures in the context of grant-funded and contract research
  • Providing information about the research priorities and projects at Ostfalia
  • Arranging contacts to Ostfalia’s professors
  • Providing advice on funding possibilities for projects in collaboration with companies, associations, institutions and research establishments – at regional, national and international levels
  • Providing advice on invention disclosures, patents and property rights
  • Organizing events with a view to initiating collaborative ventures and exchanging ideas and knowledge

 

Partners

In order to offer the best possible service, the Knowledge and Technology Transfer team works closely with the following partners:

 

Knowledge and Technology Transfer in dialogue

Third Mission

Gert Bikker and Martina Lange in an interview on the topic "third mission"

 

Third mission: Transfer at Ostfalia

In an interview, Gert Bikker, Vice President for Research, Development and Technology Transfer, and Martina Lange, Head of Knowledge and Technology Transfer, explain what the "third mission" is and the role Ostfalia is playing in this field.

 


More and more frequently people talk about the "third mission" at universities – what does that mean?

Gert Bikker: Universities have different orders or "missions". Teaching and research at universities has always been an integral part of these missions. Since Ostfalia as a university of applied sciences is very application-oriented in teaching and research, the transfer to practice is very natural for us and closely connected with teaching and research. Now the "third mission" is increasingly coming into focus – it refers to an advanced transfer concept.


Martina Lange: Here transfer does not just mean that universities transfer knowledge and technology into society. Rather, the "third mission" describes a multi-directional process. In interaction with civil society the universities make their contribution to solving social challenges by considering the cultural, social and political dimensions together and applying knowledge accordingly across disciplines as well.

 


What does this change at Ostfalia?

Gert Bikker: Due to the close relation to application in research at Ostfalia the research of professors is already transfer-oriented as they work together with companies and associations in their research projects. What is new is that the cooperation will be extended to other social groups and, increasingly, issues will be taken up from society – the researcher’s work is getting more demand-oriented, so to speak.


Martina Lange: The existing cooperations will be further developed and intensified with the help of various formats. For example, Ostfalia organises "Round Tables" where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) discuss concrete digitisation strategies with professors from various departments or social institutions come together with researchers in order to determine their needs in the area of transfer.

 


Ostfalia has a transfer strategy. What are the central contents of the transfer strategy and what does that mean for practice?

Gert Bikker: The transfer strategy is derived from the overall strategy of Ostfalia. Ostfalia sees itself as an integral part of the regional innovation system and is strengthening its activities for the further development of the region using new ways of transfer. Central topics are a sustainable entrepreneurial culture and the promotion of business start-ups, increasingly integrating actors from (civil) society in research, innovation and transfer processes, as well as creating consulting and support structures in order to facilitate the international networking of the university in the field of research. Furthermore, the expansion of Ostfalia’s research areas, the extension of collaborations with industry, other universities, research organisations and institutions as well as the cooperation with the economic development of the district of Wolfenbüttel in the field of technology transfer and innovation consulting are important components of the transfer strategy.

 


Last but not least: How are such projects financed?

Gert Bikker: The research at Ostfalia is mainly financed with third-party funds. For example, the project GrowIn 4.0 at Ostfalia is currently running on European subsidies. The project’s goal is to reach out to SMEs and support them in the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies and services. Transfer projects are also made possible by funding from the Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM) of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, as well as bilateral co-operations, as for example with the district of Wolfenbüttel. In addition, the current coalition agreement with the state of Lower Saxony seeks to improve transfer structurally and institutionally in terms of the "third mission". Corresponding state funding is pending -- we are looking forward to it.

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