Cooperations and Partnerships

In its work-integrated study programmes, Bielefeld UAS works very closely with companies from all industrial sectors. The flexible study concept allows companies to train their own recruits in a cost-effective and needs-oriented manner. Work placements (of about three months in each case) merge course content and hands-on application. This way, students are familiarised with their future tasks and gradually take on responsibility. Around 300 companies already cooperate with Bielefeld UAS in work-integrated courses. Partnerships often lead to further collaboration in research and development projects, for example.

»Intelligent Technical Systems OstWestfalenLippe«, in short »it’s OWL«, is the term for a partnership of 174 companies, universities, scientific competence centres and business-related organisations in the region of Ostwestfalen-Lippe (East Westphalia-Lippe). It was founded in 2011 with the objective of devising innovations in the fields of automation, automotive and mechanical engineering. One of the partners of “it’s OWL“ at Bielefeld UAS is the Institute for System Dynamics and Mechatronics (ISyM).

In 2011, Bielefeld UAS and the Gütersloh-based domestic-appliance manufacturer Miele opened the Mieletec laboratory. Since then, students can work as research assistants for Miele and study for their master’s degree at the Bielefeld UAS at the same time. »This way, we succeed in involving students in practical research early on. We gain fundamental insight into the physical causal chain by interlocking experiment and simulation, thus paving the way for future leaps and bounds in technology«, said Prof. Dr. Christian Schröder, former Vice President for Research and Transfer, who runs the Mieletec laboratory together with Prof. Dr. Sonja Schöning.