Promotion, management and coordination of research and development activities at THWS – these are roughly summarised the responsibilities of the Committee for Applied Research, Knowledge and Technology Transfer (FWTT Committee). The committee consists of the Vice President for Research, the deans and the heads of the institutes.
Current projects
All ten faculties of THWS carry out research to a varying extent. For some projects, the researcher sits at a desk behind a computer screen, for others research is conducted in a three-storey lab. Some projects yield lots of publications obtaining little third-party funds, while other projects require so much paperwork that publishing time is cut short in order to obtain a great number of third-party funds. Higher education institutions raise third-party funds from public and private parties to supplement the regular budget to promote research and development, and to support young academics and teaching.
No matter the kind of research, any type of research is important. THWS has three research focuses: "human and mobility", "energy technology and energy efficiency" and "digital and intelligent systems".
Professors can respond to calls for proposals of external institutions. One exemplary funding institution is the Free State of Bavaria. While the decision to support a project lies with the funding institution, the overall project coordination is carried out by the Campus of Applied Research, that is in contact with the FWTT Committee about completed projects.
The committee's responsibilities
One of the essential responsibilities of the FWTT Committee is the provision of the list for teaching load reductions in research projects. Research professors are sometimes exempt from their teaching obligations to allow sufficient time for research. Professors have to teach 18 weekly semester hours per semester (SWS), two percent of which can be used for research purposes. But this has only been possible since 2006 as universities of applied sciences functioned as mere teaching institutions where research was not intended.
For THWS as a whole, these two percent for research amount to about 90 weekly semester hours (SWS). These hours are pooled up and divided evenly by the FWTT Committee based on clear criteria. The granted alleviation is based on the project volume, the project period, and the number of doctoral students. Reduction of teaching of one weekly semester hour corresponds to about 50 clock hours. Seen this way, the SWS are a valuable currency that can also serve as a token of appreciation for the researcher's performance.
Close cooperation
The FWTT Committee cooperates closely with the Extended Board of Management, which has to accept the reduced teaching load as the list is merely a suggestion of the committee. The Campus for Applied Research (CAF) plays a major role in research at THWS. It takes on administrative tasks e.g., by supporting staff with project applications, or by keeping project lists up to date. External stakeholders include cooperating companies and state institutions like the University of Würzburg, research institutes like the CAE e.V. or the Fraunhofer ISC, and municipalities.
Close cooperation between professors is also highly relevant. Former Vice President Professor Dr. Jürgen Hartmann emphasises that teaching is the essential aspect of higher education institutions. "The problem is that researchers are most visible externally. Projects are featured on the website or are mentioned at events. However, it is not mentioned anywhere if someone puts a lot of effort into supervising a master's student. To me it is crucial to embed this equal importance of teaching and research in colleagues' minds. That excellent teachers are just as important as excellent researchers." He adds: "We have to make lecturers see that research is real, hard work, and we have to make researchers see that for us teaching is the most important aspect. Research and teaching depend on each other."
The structure of an FWTT meeting
Due to Corona, the meetings are still taking place via Zoom. The pandemic did have one upside though as it led to growing numbers of participants. Participants work at different THWS locations and the virtual format spares them the trip. A meeting takes about two hours. It starts with an official welcome by the head of the committee (the vice president for research, knowledge and technology transfer).
Another point on the agenda is the allocation of teaching load reductions with discussion. "On some days more discussion is required", project assistant at the Campus of Applied Research, Nina Kuhn, adds with a smile. The structure of the meetings differs in summer and winter semesters. In the summer semester, the most recent state of each project is being presented by research manager Dr. Simone Heimpel, employee of the CAF. In the winter semester, the heads of institutes present the performance of their institutes in the previous year. Consecutively, the vice president reports on important research activities followed by a free discussion on suggestions and ideas.
"Towards the end of the meetings the atmosphere is most often positive.", Nina Kuhn says. Minor disputes or discrepancies of the past two hours are put in the past and the participants enjoy the exchange. It is the exchange that is highly relevant. The FWTT Committee offers room for suggestions, ideas, and support. During the exchange parallels of certain projects could be detected which could lead to new cooperations or simply to help and tips being offered. Nina Kuhn emphasises: "The FWTT Committee is not a working group. It is a platform for exchange among researchers."