University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern

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The Hochschule Kaiserslautern sees itself as a modern university for applied sciences and design. Around 6,200 students from more than 80 countries and some 150 professors study, teach and research five faculties at the Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, and Zweibrücken campuses. In 1996, the Hochschule emerged from a department of the former Hochschule Rheinland-Pfalz, which dates back to the mid-19th century, and utilized its independence to devote itself to the core tasks of undergraduate education, academic development, applied research and development and its resulting technology transfer, and to further improve its competitive standing.
The courses offered consist of more than 50 innovative Bachelor's, Master's, and vocational training courses in the fields of Life and Engineering Sciences, Design, Business Studies, IT, and Communications. The study courses are designed to be practice-oriented, interdisciplinary, and flexible, and are also characterized by strong links to the local region. A high level of internationalism in the study courses is ensured by promoting student and professor exchanges with more than 100 partner universities worldwide.
The HS Kaiserslautern is making a considerable contribution to safeguarding the next generation of skilled workers and to the training of skilled and management employees in the region with the future-oriented development of the range of courses offered, and with new study models, such as the Cooperative Study Model KOSMO that the university offers in close cooperation with industry partners, and by opening up the university to professionally qualified students.
There are many projects supported by the BMBF to ensure the quality of teaching and bridge the gap between professional and academic education. The project "Promoting Individual Study Paths" (FIS) takes the students' abilities into account and develops intensive support measures during the course to facilitate the transition into studying and work. It is funded by the BMBF program, the Hochschulpakt Säule III - better study conditions and higher quality in teaching.
The goal of the BMBF-funded, a cooperative project by the Hochschule Kaiserslautern, Koblenz, and Trier, Open MINT Labs (OML) is to collaboratively develop and execute Blended Learning Lab concepts in the subjects of Life and Engineering Sciences in order to increase motivation and success in studying.
The collaborative Entrepreneurship Office of the TU and HS Kaiserslautern is the central point of contact for career-minded and entrepreneurial members of both universities and local research institutions. It supports interested parties with several employees and an extensive program of events, starting with raising awareness, ranging from consultation and qualification, up to preparing for becoming independent.
The cooperative project, "Offene Kompetenzregion Westpfalz" [Open Competencies Region of West Palatinate], focuses on competencies and supports increasing the range of courses available for students in employment with familial responsibilities, and also promotes the expansion of the educational network in the region.
Application-oriented research & development is mostly carried out in cooperation with businesses. The Hochschule serves as a partner to the local economy, whereby the support given as part of students' employment in a company means that many people are actively involved in the transfer of knowledge and technology. The active involvement in the knowledge transfer network, twin-rlp, also taps into the six other (Fach-) Hochschulen's potential in the Rhineland-Palatinate region.
With the establishment of the now four applied research focus areas of "Integrated Miniaturized Systems," "Reliable Software-Intensive Systems," "Sustainable Products and Services," and "Highly Efficient Technical Systems," the university has reinforced its research profile. The core competencies here are Microsystems and Nanotechnology (a modern, clean room with several processing lines allowing for micro-and nano-components), Mechanics of Materials (internal stress analysis), or System Development is developed with close consideration of technical or organizational features. The other core competencies are in Light Construction, Energy, and Mechatronics, where the future challenges in Construction and Design will be in the fields of energy, securing a supply of raw materials, intelligent mobility, and digital networking.
Some institutions have been established that relate to these focus areas and are available to support industry partners in assignments or collaborative projects. The four newest institutions will be mentioned here; information on all others can be found on our homepage under "Research." At the BioMedical Engineering competence center, established with financial support from the state, expertise in the new subject area of Applied Life Sciences is shared among the professors involved. Synergies from the fields of Microsystems and Nanotechnology, as well as Medicine and Biology, provide entirely new diagnostic approaches, treatments, and simulation options. The core competency of the Institute for Sustainable Construction and Design is the integrative, energetic, and technical optimization of architectural planning and execution processes with consideration of the life cycle of buildings. The Institute for Plastics Technology Westpfalz (IKW) is a research and testing institute at the HS campus in Pirmasens that works in reinforced and non-reinforced plastics. It serves as a partner in executing public and privately funded projects along the plastic components supply chain. It deals with chemically produced and bio-based (i.e., sustainably sourced) thermoplastics, duroplastics, and carbon, glass, and natural fibers. The Institute for Energy-Efficient Systems (IES) is a platform for application-oriented research related to "energy efficiency."

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