Organization
Research & Transfer Department

Hochschule Niederrhein. Your way.

Only those who leave the beaten track can also find somethin

This principle applies in particular to the subject of research at a university of applied sciences. Research at the Hochschule Niederrhein is application-oriented; here, the people doing the research always have the immediate benefit of their results in mind. For the university's cooperation partners - companies, organizations, social institutions - the results of this research offer real competitive and locational advantages.

The Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences has established the Department II - Research and Transfer to support the professors who conduct research.

The tasks of the Department of Research and Transfer include the following central points:

Research Department

  • Support of the researchers of the Hochschule Niederrhein in the application and contract research process
  • Contract management and practice-oriented legal advice with a practical emphasis / orientation
  • Invention and patent management

 

Transfer Department

  • Planning and application of cross-border large-scale collaborative projects as well as coordination of existing large-scale projects integrated in Department II
  • Transfer of R.u.E.: Making science and research useful for companies

 

Markus Menkhaus-Grübnau
Personal Assistant of the Vice President for Research and Transfer
Ilona Gerards
Assistant of the Vice President for Research and Transfer

Presidium Advisory Board for FuT

The Presidential Advisory Board is composed of a total of 9 members. The members include research experts from the Hochschule Niederrhein as well as external representatives from institutions and companies. The members are listed in detail below:

Markus Menkhaus-Grübnau
Personal Assistant to the Vice President for Research and Transfer, Research Funding

About Mr. Menkhaus-Grübnau

About Prof. Jäger

Dean Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

About Prof. Bandt

Institute Director NIERS Economics, regional and sectoral structural policy

About Prof. Krehl

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Plüm
Chair Examination Committee, Chair Faculty Council Art and Design Science

About Prof. Plüm

Peter Bolten
Managing Director Development & Sales at AUNDE Group SE

About Mr. Bolten

Helmut Wallrafen
Management Sozial-Holding der Stadt Mönchengladbach GmbH

About Mr. Wallrafen

David Zülow
Executive Board of Zülow AG

About Mr. Zülow

Legal issues / contract design

Both publicly funded research projects and private contract research are usually complex and costly undertakings. The cooperation partners should agree on issues such as liability, confidentiality regulations and the rights to the results before the project begins. It would therefore be negligent not to conclude a written contract that ensures the smoothest possible process and proves what has been agreed in case of doubt. For this purpose, the Research & Transfer Department has drafted model contracts that can be adapted to each individual project. The Research & Transfer department will support you in contract negotiations, contract modifications and also in the drafting of new contracts.

contact

Dr. Susanne von Ameln
Head of Support Office Research and Law
Vera Zöllner
Legal Affairs Officer

Progress NRW

In keeping with the spirit of "Progress NRW", we will continue to develop our core research areas, research institutes and competence centers.

Our core research areas are:

Functional surfaces

The Hochschule Niederrhein places a strong focus on surface-relevant technologies and methods due to its history of origin and traditional ties to the textile and chemical industry. As a textile university, distributed over four faculties of Engineering (Textiles and Clothing, Textile Mechanical Engineering, Textile Design, Textile Chemistry) and in combination with the likewise long-standing competence areas of Paint Chemistry and Surface Analysis in Chemistry as well as the Cleaning and Hygiene program of the Faculty of Engineering, the HN has always had a strong nucleus of surface science.

This has been constantly expanded, so that today the expertise extends to several institutes and competence centres as well as some individual researchers. In particular, the Institute for Coatings and Surface Chemistry (ILOC) as well as the Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB), the competence centre Surface Technology and Applied Research (STAR), but also the Institute for Modelling and High Performance Computing (IMH) are increasingly dealing with surface-related topics.

Meanwhile, research and development approaches range from product design to plasma and nanotechnologies, adhesive technologies, technical textiles and joining technologies, and microzinc coating to modern cleaning management.

The entire specialisation has one of the strongest third-party funding streams at the university. The already existing image of the Lower Rhine as an applied surface and textile center is constantly being expanded. Building on our diverse surface expertise, a dedicated center, the "Hochschule Niederrhein Institute for Surface Technology (HIT)" was founded in 2016 as a central scientific facility. Through the unique application center for high-throughput technologies, future research will be more cross-thematic and interdisciplinary and as a public-private partnership even closer to the small and medium-sized enterprises in the region from the fields of adhesives, paints, coatings, corrosion protection, coating materials for printing, 3D printing and many more.

Health and nutrition research

The core research areas of health and nutrition research represent an optimal link between many years of experience and expertise and current social challenges. This manifests itself externally in the Competence Centre for Routine Data in Healthcare of the Faculty of Health Care, in the Faculty of Ecotrophology through the Competence Centre for Microbiology and Biotechnology (CCMB) and in the newly founded Competence Centre for Applied Mycology and Environmental Studies (KAMU). In the latter, the fields of mycology of beneficial fungi (macromycetes) and microbiology with a specialisation in molds (micromycetes) are brought together.

In many fields, such as medical technology, health economics, occupational health and safety, food hygiene, health textiles, health-conscious nutrition, hygiene management in hospitals, optimization of hygiene products, development of bacteriological rapid tests, innovative retinal testing devices and health logistics, the foundation courses of medical and nutrition research are translated into innovations close to the market.

The institutes for Occupational, Environmental, Health Protection and Ethics (A.U.G.E.), the Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB) and the Competence Centre for Research for Intelligent Assistance Systems and Technologies (FAST) with numerous individual researchers provide support here.

Recently, this specialisation has been strengthened by the newly established Competence Center eHealth (CC eHealth). eHealth is an increasingly important pillar of Health Care and poses major challenges to all stakeholders. The focus of the new competence centre is on scientific analysis and the development of innovative technical solutions that enable new forms of inter- and intra-organizational cooperation and process organization with the help of innovative information and communication technologies.

IT and Logistics Concepts [Forschungsschwerpu

The Hochschule Niederrhein is located in the middle of the central logistics region in the heart of Europe. For this reason, there is also close cooperation with logistics activities in the immediately neighboring Netherlands.

Likewise, The Hochschule Niederrhein has a long tradition in the field of applied computer science in several faculties. IT-related issues are important in research and development in any applied discipline. The focus is on the two research institutes for business process management and IT (GEMIT) and for pattern recognition (iPattern), as well as the competence centres for research into intelligent assistance systems and technologies (FAST) and the eWeb Research Centre for research into online commerce or eCommerce.

In addition, many other institutes and competence centres at the university also deal with this topic, including the Institute for Modelling and High Performance Computing (IMH). The range of topics extends from IT security and optimization of data networks to the development of software solutions for almost every application.

Most recently, the competence centre Clavis for information security of the Hochschule Niederrhein was founded, which conducts application-oriented research to ensure and increase the information security of organizations and companies in the Middle Niederrhein region.

Product and process development

One of the original tasks of a university of applied sciences with an engineering orientation, such as the Hochschule Niederrhein, is the applied scientific development of new products and processes with a direct link to utilization and the market.

Especially the strengthening of the central target group, the regional middle class for the global competition, requires fast applied-science-to-business implementations. Product development mainly takes place in technical-engineering disciplines, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, textile and Clothing Technology and Chemistry.

However, the product development aspects of design are also of enormous importance. Process development is also applied here in the above disciplines. In addition, however, process engineering, computer science and industrial engineering, which also includes the social factors.

In particular, this specialisation is located in the research institutes for modelling and high-performance computing (IMH), for business process management and IT (GEMIT) and for occupational safety, environmental protection, health protection and efficiency (A.U.G.E.), as well as in almost all competence centres. The wealth of topics ranges from mechatronics, plastics technology, object design, the theory of inventive problem solving and process control to strategic patent development.

A new addition is the competence centre Intelligent System Solutions for Automation (ISA), which stands for practical, applied developments of intelligent technical systems and solutions and develops innovative training and business models through efficient and practical technology transfer.

Social and Economic Innovations

A large part of the innovative research and development at The Hochschule Niederrhein takes place in the numerous social science disciplines. In addition to Social Sciences and Business Administration and Economics, the university has social scientists in almost all subject areas, who conduct interdisciplinary research and development together with experts from Engineering and Natural Sciences. The spectrum ranges from direct social science research to, among other things, marketing, controlling, small and medium-sized businesses and management, to structural policy analyses, feasibility studies and expert opinions in the technical fields, as well as research areas in education, psychology and gerontology.

Institutes such as Social Concepts (So.Con), the Lower Rhine Institute for Regional and Structural Research (NIERS) and the process-oriented institutes GEMIT and A.U.G.E. build on many years of experience and expertise. Together with competence centres such as the eWeb Research Centre as well as Childhood Education on the Move (KiB) and Resource-Oriented Age(n)s Research (REAL), they are further expanding the university's reputation as a university for needs-oriented social research. The competence centre Social Urban Design (SOUND) also contributes to this, whose researchers initiate and scientifically, as well as design, accompany socio-cultural changes concerning spatial quality of life, teaching and learning spaces, aesthetic education, demographic change, health promotion and integration.

The most recent establishment of this core research areas is the EthNa Competence Centre CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility).

Energy Efficiency

The latest core research areas at the Hochschule Niederrhein cover all facets of energy. On the one hand, innovative energy technologies and new management approaches are directly developed or designed here. On the other hand, an increasing number of research and development projects in other subject areas deal with energy-related issues. For example, process control and planning tasks are currently also increasingly being considered in terms of energy-saving potential.

The SWK-Energiezentrum E² teaching and research center and the NEW endowed professorship for controlling, particularly in the energy industry & business energy management, are mainly concerned with this subject area. The specialisations of the SWK-Energiezentrum E² are in the fields of plant engineering and planning, mechanical and thermal process engineering, process technology, statistical methods, environmental technology and process development; those of the NEW endowed professorship are energy cost management, energy-adjusted investment/efficiency calculation, integration of energy aspects into corporate controlling and analysis of the effectiveness of relevant energy regulations.

In addition, a scientific focus on energy efficiency measures is also provided by the Institutes of Business Process Management and IT (GEMIT), Occupational Safety, Environmental Protection, Health Protection and Ethics (A.U.G.E.), the Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB) and the Competence Center for Microbiology and Biotechnology (CCMB).

Research staff unit

The Research Staff Office is where the threads for researchers come together for competent support. We would like to support you in making your research projects successful. To do this, you need careful resource planning, from personnel to material resources, and must observe many formal (including legal) framework conditions.

In addition to national, European and international projects, we will also advise you on externally-funded research opportunities.

For many years, research has been one of the main pillars of the Hochschule Niederrhein alongside teaching education. The staff unit coordinates the research and development activities of the university.

Markus Menkhaus-Grübnau
Research funding officer
Dr. Jessica Frieß
Consultant for Research funding
Nina Hauptmann
Consultant for Research funding
Dr. Sabrina Keil
Consultant for Research funding
Sarah Hoffmann
Research Data Management (FDM) Officer
Helen Schneider
Research Information System (FIS) Officer

Internal area for researchers of the HN

In the internal area for researchers you will find important documents and further information for the successful application and implementation of your R&D projects at the Hochschule Niederrhein.

Transfer of research and development

Companies have to face the ever-increasing demands of the market and accept this challenge. Increasing competitive pressure requires new ways to secure growth. To maintain their market position, entrepreneurs are forced to expand their product range or to develop and occupy new markets with new products.

At the same time, companies are faced with the challenge of making production more economical and using new technologies to produce more cost-effectively. Qualified employees play an important role in the fast and effective use of new machines and processes.

Time is an important factor in this process, because too much hesitation or too long start-up times can mean loss of market advantages. Shorter product life cycles also mean shorter utilization times, and payback must be achieved through market share rather than price.

A successful way to achieve the desired entrepreneurial goals is to find solutions together with competent contributors.

Innovation is a call for dialogue and cooperation

The Hochschule Niederrhein offers a wide range of know-how as a cooperation partner to support the innovation process in companies. A large number of professors are available to companies to help solve their problems:

  • Developments that would tie up too much capacity in the companies can be given to the university as research and development projects.
  • Delimited, manageable questions can be worked on as diploma theses.
  • Consultations, expert opinions and continuing training are offered by professors.
  • Facilities and laboratories can be used for measuring and testing purposes at low cost.

The Transfer Department is the institution of the Hochschule Niederrhein that helps companies to make use of the professors' knowledge for their company. It helps to find the right person with expertise for open questions and mediates interdisciplinary processing for complex problems.

contact

Dr. Antje Hambitzer
Head of Support Office Transfer
Andrea Finken
Doctoral College

The Hochschule Niederrhein Transfer GmbH

The Hochschule Niederrhein Transfer GmbH supports the research and transfer activities of the Hochschule Niederrhein whenever fast, less bureaucratic solutions are required.

Our services for our regional and supra-regional target group include

  • the procurement of research, development and transfer services,
  • contract management for cooperative R&D projects,
  • project management for inter- and transdisciplinary joint projects.

 

In addition, specific funding advice and project evaluations are among the services to be further expanded by Hochschule Niederrhein Transfer GmbH, which was founded in 2014.

Managing and Scientific Director

The Tandem Lower Rhine Project

As part of the project 'Tandem Niederrhein', The Hochschule Niederrhein would like to establish a structured path towards a UAS professorship. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in cooperation with the federal states is funding the project under the surname 'FH-Personal'.

Dr. agr. Antje Hambitzer
Project Management Tandem Lower Rhine
Susanne Kranzusch
Assistant Project Tandem Lower Rhine

Our affiliated institutes

  • DTNW - German North-WestTextileResearch Centre e.V.: The DTNW is a research center where both basic and application-related research is carried out that is related to the production, processing and usage properties of textiles → www.dtnw.de
  • FKuR Kunststoff GmbH: The FKuR Group is a medium-sized, privately managed group of companies that focuses on the development, production and distribution of high-quality specialty compounds and the distribution of specialty plastics → www.fkur.com

 

Inter-university competence centre

On November 15, 2012, the Executive Board of the Hochschule Niederrhein founded the doctoral college at the Hochschule Niederrhein.

Among other things, the doctoral college takes into account the third Bologna step for graduates of universities of applied sciences and is intended to strengthen the research culture at the Hochschule Niederrhein. The Hochschule Niederrhein has set itself the goal of improving the doctoral opportunities of its excellent graduates and the qualification of young academics.

The primary task of the doctoral college is an interdisciplinary central contact and coordination point for all doctoral projects for students, professors and professors at the Hochschule Niederrhein.

In addition to the systematic recording and supervision of doctoral activities at the university, the networking of doctoral students is also a priority. The aim is to create a communication platform for young academics and to facilitate joint, cross-doctoral activities.

An overview of the current funding opportunities / scholarships can be found here

Registration information

Are you doing your doctorate in a cooperative procedure with a university at the Hochschule Niederrhein? Then you can register here in the doctoral college of the university so that we can inform you about cooperative doctorates, cross-doctoral activities and about seminars. Registering for the doctoral college entitles you to participate in the events and seminars. The entry is voluntary.

Registration form

Important note for the registration

It is important to provide proof of cooperative doctoral studies by confirming on the second page (cross) as well as the signature of the supervisor at the Hochschule Niederrhein!

Please send the completed and signed document to the Doctoral College in the Department of Research and Transfer.

contact

Andrea Finken
Doctoral College

Project for the introduction to a FIS

A FIS enables both the internal administration and the (external) presentation of researchers and research activities at the HSNR. It is a database that is continuously updated and is based on the structure of the Core Data Set Research (KDSF). The Research Information System does not manage research data, this falls under the Research Data Management area. The project for the introduction to the FIS has been running since June 2023 and is designed to last 2 years.

Detailed information about the FIS at HSNR can be found on the intranet.

contact

Helen Schneider
Research Information System (FIS) Officer

Gender Equality Plan (GEP)

The Equality Plan (GEP) of the HSNR consists of the Framework Plan for Gender Equality for the entire university and the decentralized Equality Plans of the faculties (link to internal area) and other institutions. These lay down the overall goals for equality and the advancement of women. In addition, they specify measures and control instruments for achieving the goals for a period of five years. They are available in the currently valid version approved by the Senate for the period 01.03.2019 to 29.02.2024.

In accordance with this framework plan and §§ 5, 5a and 6 of the State Equal Opportunity Act (LGG NRW), the faculties, central institutions and university administration each develop a support plan for the realization of gender equality. The deans of the faculties as well as the management of the institutions are responsible for the development of binding targets and measures to achieve them.

Each year, the presidential report reveals the "university in figures" with a gender quota for the individual faculties.

A team consisting of the central Equal Opportunity Officer, the head of the MINT Forum and MINT-DUAL, theEqual Opportunity Officers of the facultiesand the Equal Opportunity Commission is dedicated to the topic of equality.

The Equality pages provide all university members with information about events on the topic of equality and the advancement of women. The HSNR also organizes trainings on various topics, especially for women.

Framework of the Hochschule Niederrhein