Good ideas need freedom and support

Research at a university of applied sciences often arises where scientific curiosity meets specific practical questions. To ensure that an initial idea can develop into a viable research project, Worms University of Applied Sciences supports its professors in two ways: through internal funding schemes that provide financial and time flexibility, and by offering advice on securing external funding. Our partners in industry and society also benefit from this, as many collaborative projects begin with an internal preparatory phase or are jointly submitted to external funding bodies.

Many research projects require an initial phase in which ideas are tested, data is collected or partners are secured, before a larger application can be submitted to external funding bodies. For this phase, Worms University of Applied Sciences awards start-up funding from the Rhineland-Palatinate State Research Initiative. This funding can be used, for example, to finance preliminary studies, feasibility studies or the preparation of collaborative projects with partners from industry. The aim is for the funded projects to develop into independent, externally funded projects in the long term.

Research takes time. Professors who are carrying out or preparing a research project may temporarily reduce their teaching load. This gives them the freedom to devote themselves fully to a project without compromising the quality of their teaching.

For particularly large-scale projects, there is the research semester. During this period, professors are exempted from teaching duties for one semester and can devote themselves entirely to research – for example, to complete a project, publish findings, explore new topics or collaborate closely with businesses and research institutions.

In addition to internal resources, the Research Department provides support in securing funding from federal, state and EU programmes, as well as from foundations. This also includes programmes for joint research between universities and businesses, such as the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM). We identify suitable calls for proposals, advise on application strategies and support you right through to the submission stage.