Funded projects 2023
Table of contents
Initiation/ development of research cooperation
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Henning Haupt, Chair of Foundations in Art and Architecture, Faculty of Architecture
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
- Centre College, Danville, USA
- Iowa State University, Ames, USA
„Energy Cloud“ von Thea Formanski, Natalie Reichelt, Felizitas Schäfer
The International Color Lab took place on the initiative of the TU Dresden's Faculty of Architecture in collaboration with three US universities. The participants worked with practical methods on color spaces and architectural spaces. Color played the main role in this interior design lab, which began with three exercises to train the students' perception of and sensitivity to color. These exercises were conducted before the workshop at the school as a warm-up exercise via online meetings.
The lab itself took place in the presence of all participants in a studio room at TU Dresden and ended with an exhibition in the foyer of the Faculty of Architecture. The group worked on site-specific ideas for interventions with practical strategies to explore the three-dimensional, physical-spatial dimension of color. The topics and the discourse in the studio were accompanied by research contributions from the artistic, design and scientific perspectives of the teaching staff.
The International Color Lab was followed by discussions about follow-up projects. The continuation of this format is planned and should serve as a basis for in-depth research on color in space and architectural design theory.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 02.09.2023 – 12.09.2023
Applicant: Dr.-Ing. Xiaoping Xie, Institute of Building Climatology, Faculty of Architecture
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University, China
The Institute of Building Climatology (IBK) organized an event cluster in Shanghai in September 2023, supported by the flexible funding program for internationalization, among others. The IBK is known for its in-depth expertise in the development of building simulation programs and the testing of building materials and is a world leader in building climatology research.
Two of the cluster's simulation programs, DELPHIN and SIM-VICUS, were presented at several workshops. The DELPHIN program has already achieved a considerable market share in China, and the growth potential for SIM-VICUS is also estimated to be high. SIM-VICUS is a new type of open-source simulation tool designed to make building and neighborhood simulations accessible to everyone. The event demonstrated the possibilities and functions of the software and provided participants with practical experience. In addition, participants were encouraged to integrate DELPHIN and SIM-VICUS into their professional practice, research projects and curricula.
It is expected that the workshops will help to significantly increase the market share of the programs in the medium to long term, as China is already the largest market for DELPHIN and SIM-VICUS in Asia. Following the workshops, Prof. John Grunewald, the director of IBK, was invited to speak at the 15th Chinese Building Physics Conference. The cooperation with Tongji University will also be continued.
Expansion/ extension of research cooperation
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 01.10.2023 – 31.12.2023
Applicant: Dr.-Ing. Diana Burghardt, Institute of Groundwater Management, Department of Hydro Sciences
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- Shiraz University, Iran
In cooperation with the Department of Earth Science at the University of Shiraz, investigations into the development of groundwater resources for drinking water production were carried out as part of the funding. Among other things, funding was provided for a PhD student from the University of Shiraz to visit TU Dresden to carry out joint analyses. A model-based methodology for artificial groundwater recharge developed at TU Dresden was further developed. The results of the analysis will subsequently be published. The results of the project will also be incorporated into other research findings.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 08.03.2023 – 29.03.2023
Applicant: Dr. Ronny Peters, Institute of Forest Growth and Forest Computer Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Bragança, Pará, Brasilia
The research work focused on the continuation of an existing cooperation with the Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA) to predict the reactions of forests and other ecosystems to climate change with a focus on mangroves as a model ecosystem. As part of the flexible funding programme for internationalization, measurements and data collection were carried out with the involvement of biology students. The results of the work were incorporated into simulation models for tropical coastal vegetation.
In the long term, this cooperation has made a significant contribution to deepening international collaboration and strengthening the position of TU Dresden in the modeling of maritime tropical ecosystems. The collaboration also led to two joint publications, which included the biological characterization and measurements of the UFPA and the modeling of the TU Dresden.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 20.02.2023 – 31.12.2023
Applicant: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Samanthi Dijkstra-Silva, Junior Professorship in Sustainabilty Assessment and Policy, Faculty of Business and Economics
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- University of South Australia
- University of Technolgy Sydney, Australia
- Curtin University, Perth, Australia
The project aimed to foster collaboration between TU Dresden and three leading Australian universities, focusing on research in the areas of sustainability, management and hydrogen aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The first step was to intensify collaboration with selected researchers from the University of Technology Sydney, the University of South Australia, and Curtin University to establish partnerships, seek joint publications and explore funding opportunities. Letters of intent were signed for cooperation with the University of South Australia and the University of Technology Sydney.
Subsequent efforts focused on the development and submission of joint research proposals for externally funded projects. Funding opportunities were identified from organizations such as the DAAD, Universities Australia and strategic collaborations between the Australian and German governments on hydrogen. The project aimed to support researchers, especially PhD students and post-doctoral researchers, in international research and to promote mutual exchange. The long-term goals are to secure cooperation through BMBF project funding and to establish sustainable international collaborations.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 21.11.2023 – 25.11.2023
Applicant: Dr. Frank Beier, Chair of School Education/Institutional School Research, Faculty of Education
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- St. Augustino Hippo University, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
The funding was used to facilitate a project meeting aimed at establishing long-term cooperation with the St. Augustino Hippo University in West Kalmatia (Indonesia). As part of the funding, a project meeting and a symposium were held to prepare an Erasmus+ capacity building application. In addition, the existing network was expanded to include two further Indonesian universities.
St. Augustino Hippo University is an important partner for TU Dresden due to its location in rural Indonesia, surrounded by tropical rainforest and palm oil plantations. The establishment of high-quality teacher training and evidence-based school development, as envisaged in the project, plays a key role in regional development in West Kalimantan. Teacher training and school development in both countries should be mutually strengthened as part of capacity building and learn from each other by adopting a mutual perspective.
Through planned joint courses, student teachers at TU Dresden have the opportunity to gain direct contact with a region of the world that is less accessible due to its infrastructure and limited socio-economic resources. For TU Dresden students, this network provides numerous learning opportunities to get to know and explore social, ecological, cultural, and economic aspects and effects of a globalized world and to further their own intercultural education. The Borneo Mobility Exchange Program, which will see four students travel to Indonesia in 2024, will also increase student mobility and improve the quality of the planned research collaboration.
Funding line: Funding for the cooperation with strategic partners
Period: 01.10.2022 – 31.12.2023
Applicant: Dr. Michael Rädel, Polyclinic for Dental Prosthetics, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus
School: Medicine
Participating partners:
- Wroclaw Medical University, Poland
The funding program supported a joint study between TU Dresden and the Medical University of Wrocław. The aim of this study was to measure the impact of a pandemic situation on oral health and quality of life in different countries. To this end, an existing international study cohort of 400 people over the age of 75 in Germany and Poland were invited to take part in an interview, a questionnaire and an oral examination. Data was collected on quality of life, oral health, personal perception and use of dental care in the pandemic situation.
Among other things, a project workshop and a final public workshop were held as part of the funding. The data collected in the study is relevant for political decision-makers and scientific funding institutions, as valid data on pandemic situations in the field of dentistry is still lacking. The project thus also contributed to positioning TU Dresden as a relevant institution for COVID-19-related research.
Guest residence
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 01.03.2023 – 30.04.2023
Applicant: Dr. Lena Geuer, Institute of Arts and Music, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- Jan Van Eyck Academy of Arts, Maastricht, Netherlands
The funding was used to realize the exhibition "Plants and Meteorites: Cosmo-Poetic Narratives" by Cuban artist Yornel Martínez in the foyer of the Institute of Biology at TU Dresden. The exhibition was divided into three main themes: Herbarium, Meteorites and Political Posters. For the exhibition project, Martínez also worked with objects from the curatorial collection and incorporated them into his work. The artworks focused on particular events from Cuban culture and history which, against the backdrop of the socialist regime, also have parallels and points of contact with the history of the former GDR. This approach offered the opportunity to discuss the exhibition as part of the research project "The Global GDR" of the Institute of Art and Musicology and to involve other actors from Dresden's research and museum landscape.
The exhibition enabled an examination of artistic works from a Latin American perspective and was integrated into teaching on various occasions. It was also followed by a publication in an academic journal.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 16.02.2023 – 15.06.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Michael Gelinsky, Centre for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus
School: Medicine
Participating partners:
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India
The funding supported the four-month stay of two doctoral students from the Indian Institute of Science at TU Dresden, who worked at the Centre for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research on experimental projects at the interface between biomaterial research, additive manufacturing and tissue engineering. Prof. Dr. Bikramjit Basu, Head of the Laboratory for Biomaterials at the IISc Bangalore, was also conducting research at TU Dresden as the winner of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Prize.
The cooperation between Prof. Basu and TU Dresden has existed for almost ten years and has already led to top-class joint publications. Two joint manuscripts were submitted during the stay in Dresden. Return visits to the IISc are also planned to expand the cooperation.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 20.11.2023 – 20.12.2023
Applicant: Dr. Frank Beier, Institute of Education, Faculty of Education
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Dr. Jerome Joorst from the University of Stellenbosch received funding for his stay at TU Dresden through the flexible funding programme for internationalization. His stay builds on existing contacts with TU Dresden. Among other things, joint research projects focusing on pedagogical justice and participatory parity were initiated in this context. Talks were also held with student teachers on sustainability in the classroom and with teachers and trainers on the topic of socially just teaching methods.
The aim of the visit was to create a sustainable framework for cooperation between the two universities in the field of teacher training, particularly with regard to the focus areas of social justice and inclusion. In addition, reciprocal student exchanges have already been planned and a joint doctoral program is to be established in the long term.
Conference/ Meeting/ Symposium/ Colloquium
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 01.06.2023 – 02.06.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Christian Leßmann, Chair of Economics, esp. International Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- Frauenkirche Dresden Foundation
In 2023, TU Dresden hosted the "German Development Economics Conference", the annual conference of the Development Economics Committee of the Verein für Socialpolitik with around 200 international participants. As part of the flexible funding programme for internationalization, a public evening event was funded, which took place as part of the conference in cooperation with the Frauenkirche Foundation on women's rights in the Global South.
This public event in Dresden's Frauenkirche brought together an international audience with local academics and urban society. It also strengthened the cooperation between TU Dresden and the Frauenkirche Foundation.
Further information can be found here.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 15.08.2023 – 19.08.2023
Applicant: Julia Gatermann, Institute of English and American Studies, Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- International scientists
The funding supported the organization of the joint annual conference of the Gesellschaft für Fantastikforschung and the Science Fiction Research Association at TU Dresden.
It took place in Germany for the first time and facilitated an exchange between German-speaking and international specialist discourses on science fiction, future, and fantasy research. Under the theme "Disruptive Imaginations", the cultural impact of speculative world and future concepts and the processing of social transformation in the context of digitalization, climate emergency and social injustice were discussed.
The conference was part of ongoing efforts to establish TU Dresden as an international research hub for Critical Future Studies with a focus on Environmental Humanities, Science & Technology Studies, and Science Fiction Studies. The results will be published in an anthology and in specialist journals.
Further information can be found here.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 15.06.2023 – 16.06.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Michael Zech, Core Facility Environmental Analytics, Faculty of Environmental Sciences
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- University Bern, Switzerland
- University Greifswald, Germany
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
- University Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
- University of Innsbruck, Austria
- University of Science and Technology, Hefei, China
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation CSIRO, Adelaide, Australia
- Federal Institute for Geosciences And Natural Resources, Hannover, Germany
The international symposium served to improve access to highly specialized analytical equipment at TU Dresden and to strengthen cooperation. Numerous highly specialized analytical devices are operated in 14 laboratories at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences. The aim of ongoing DFG funding to establish a Core Facility 'Environmental Analytics' (CFEA) is to improve access to this equipment and use it more efficiently.
As part of the symposium with international scientific experts, interdisciplinary research ideas were developed, collaborations strengthened, and guest stays by young researchers prepared. A further contribution to improving the international visibility of the CFEA and thus of TU Dresden was made by creating interactive maps of the internationally active dating laboratories, which have been available on the CFEA website since October 2024.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 01.11.2023 – 03.11.2023
Applicant: Dr. Michelle Pfeifer, Institute of German Studies and Media Cultures, Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- London School of Economics (LSE), London, United Kingdom
The "Histories of the Smart Border" conference brought together international academics to explore historical perspectives on the increasing digitalization of borders. While states around the world are relying on ever newer "smart" technologies to manage and control migration, these developments are situated in longer historical contexts, not least in relation to projects of mobility control through colonialism, racism, and eugenics. The conference aimed to capture the international state of research at the intersection of media and technology history and border management in order to trace the central role of media, communication and information in the administration of migration. It was organized in cooperation with the London School of Economics.
The results of the conference were published in a special issue of an international journal. In addition, a proposal for a research project with the LSE is to be drawn up. The long-term goal is to establish a structured research network for media scholars on the topic of borders and migration.
Further information can be found here.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 16.11.2023 – 17.11.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Simon Meier-Vieracker, Institute of German Studies and Media Cultures, Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- University of Warsaw, Poland
The 12th edition of the international conference "Discourses in/of Disruption" brought together scholars from around the world to discuss discourse analysis as a multidisciplinary method in the humanities and social sciences. Organized by researchers from Germany, Finland and Poland, the event aimed to deepen the understanding of disruption in a discursive framework and promote international research collaboration. Livestreaming the event extended its reach.
The conference proceedings were published as an open access publication in the journal "IDS Open: Diskurs - interdisziplinär". The results of the conference are also intended to lay the foundations for international research cooperation and joint funding initiatives. The upcoming meetings of the network in Finland and Poland will further consolidate the international partnerships.
Funding line: Funding for the cooperation with strategic partners
Period: 30.03.2023 – 01.04.2023
Applicant: Dr. Regina Bergmann, Institute of German Studies and Media Cultures, Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- University of Wroclaw, Poland
The conference "Text Spaces and Spatial Texts Intermedial" was held in cooperation with the strategic partner University of Wroclaw within the funding program. The conference brought together findings from the Linguistic Landscape research area, which is being investigated both in Wroclaw and in Dresden. Linguistic landscape research is a current trend that analyses texts in public spaces.
The conference offered researchers and students a platform in this relatively young field of research. A conference volume was published afterwards. The continuation of the cooperation is already ensured through planned reciprocal working visits and the continuation of the "Days of Applied Linguistics" conference series. This will further strengthen the existing strategic partnership with the University of Wroclaw.
Further information can be found here.
Funding line: Funding for the cooperation with strategic partners
Period: 30.03.2023 – 01.04.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Marcus Köhler, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
- Wroclaw University of Natural Sciences, Poland
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences
- Vienna University of Technology, Austria
- Austrian Society for Historical Gardens
- State Palaces and Gardens of Hesse, Germany
The symposium "Beautified Landscapes in Central and Central Eastern Europe – Concepts, Actors and Realities" was organised as part of the funding. Three research projects of the Institute of Landscape Architecture presented previous research results in the field of "embellished landscapes". Speakers included lecturers from the participating partner institutions, who each have links to the topic in their own research projects. The aim of the symposium was to gain impetus for their own projects and to establish a long-term research dialogue with specialist colleagues and the institutions they represent. The contributions to the symposium were subsequently published in the journal "AHA! - Miszellen zur Gartengeschichte und Gartendenkmalpflege".
The symposium is intended to create points of contact for new collaborations in research and teaching. Students have already been able to use the contacts made for internships, scholarships, and final theses. Following the symposium, working discussions have already taken place with partner institutions in which common goals for a third-party funded project were explored and a working paper was launched.
Further information can be found here.
Funding line: Funding for the cooperation with strategic partners
Period: 30.06.2023 – 31.10.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Maik Gude, Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering
School: Engineering Sciences
Participating partners:
- Wrocław University of Technology, Poland
- Wrocławskie Centrum Akademieckie, Poland
- Free State of Saxony's liaison office in Wrocław, Poland
- Saxony Economic Development Corporation
- University of Economics Wrocław, Poland
- University of Wrocław, Poland
As part of the funding, the 5th Saxon-Polish Innovation Day, which took place for the first time in Dresden from September 21 to 22, 2023, was partially financed. The Innovation Day was dedicated to the topic of "Innovative solutions for sustainable mobility" and offered a platform for networking partners from research, administration, politics, and business. It was used to develop joint research and transfer approaches in the field of innovative solutions for sustainable mobility. The Innovation Day was aimed at around 150 participants.
In addition to specialist presentations and round tables, where concrete project ideas and the basis for cooperation were developed, the "Young Innovators" exhibition took place as part of the Innovation Day. Young players from the scientific environment in Wrocław and Dresden presented their cooperation projects, showed success stories from their collaboration, and provided inspiration for future activities.
Following the Innovation Day, a Bridge2ERA project has already been submitted and coordination has been initiated for a further project on the topic of route specifics and lightweight rail vehicles. In addition, initial plans were made for a Saxon-Lower Silesian event on the topic of the circular economy in cooperation with the Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Neutral Circular Economy (CircEcon).
The strong cooperation between Saxony and Poland, based on the nucleus of the Wrocław-Dresden city partnership, is not only of strategic importance for TU Dresden, but also for the entire science and business location of Dresden, as well as for Saxony as a whole. The Innovation Day and the accompanying activities in preparation for it strengthened the existing networks with various institutions from science, politics, and administration, as well as with business enterprises and associations.
Further information can be found here.
Funding line: Funding for the cooperation with strategic partners
Period: 25.09.2023 – 28.09.2023
Applicant: Dr.-Ing. Anna Martius, Boysen-TU Dresden-Research Training Group
School: Engineering Sciences
Participating partners:
- Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
Funding was provided for the autumn colloquium "Hydrogen Economy - Strategic Element of a Future GreenGas Deal" of the 4th Boysen-TU Dresden Research Training Group. The fellows presented the current status of their projects and discussed current challenges in a knowledge café format. Prof. Veeneman (TU Delft) took part in the colloquium as a "critical respondent". He also held one-to-one discussions with the fellows, which focused on the inclusion of socio-technical challenges.
Following the colloquium, follow-up consultations were agreed, which are to take place at regular intervals throughout the project. Prof. Veeneman is involved in the autumn school 2024, among other things. In the long term, the existing joint activities with TU Delft are to be strengthened with regard to interdisciplinary, application-oriented research, particularly in the areas of energy, mobility and the environment. Among other things, the establishment of an international transregio-research training group and a joint research group with TU Delft is planned.
Further information can be found here.
Mobility measure
Funding line: Funding for the cooperation with strategic partners
Period: 25.09.2023 – 28.09.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Joachim Schneider, Institute of History, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
The funding was used to expand research into overarching regional history topics within the framework of the Eastern Partnership. In 2023, the focus was on historiography in Saxony and Bohemia with a particular focus on Upper Lusatia. Dr. Jan Zdichynec (Charles University) visited TU Dresden in this context to look through materials on this topic in Dresden libraries and archives. Discussions also took place in preparation for a conference that will examine the concepts and interdependence of urban and regional historiography on a cross-regional comparative basis, as well as for a summer school that will focus on transfer and exchange relationships between northern Bohemia and Saxony and Lusatia.
The longer-term aim of the co-operation is to develop joint research topics on the cross-border interdependence of the history of Saxony and Bohemia in the early modern period. The project is a co-operation between the Institute of History and the DRESDEN-concept partner Institute of Saxon History and Cultural Anthropology (ISGV).
Promotion of young talent
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 21.08.2023 – 08.09.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Christoph Haberstroh, Institute of Power Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering
School: Engineering Sciences
Participating partners:
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
The international summer course "ECC – European Course of Cryogenics" was co-financed as part of the funding. This is a joint course of the Technical Universities of Dresden, Wrocław and Trondheim, which also takes place at all three universities. The course in 2023 at TU Dresden dealt with basic principles and liquid hydrogen technology. The international participants then traveled to Wrocław. The course there focused on helium technology, cryocoolers and instrumentation. Finally, the course on liquefied natural gas took place in Trondheim. Lecturers were members of the organizing universities as well as external experts. In addition to teaching, the program also included technical excursions, exercises and demonstrations.
The course promoted the Europe-wide exchange of engineering students as well as cooperation with the participating universities. TU Dresden's role as a recognized player in the field of cryogenics was consolidated. In addition, industrial collaborations and further third-party funded projects are being sought following the summer course.
Summer schools
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 20.03.2023 – 26.03.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Lukas Giessen & Dr. Eckhard Auch, Institute of International Forestry and Forest Products, Department of Forest Sciences
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- Rhodes University, South Africa
- University of Cape Town, South Africa
The flexible funding program for internationalization supported an international winter school on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in a global perspective as well as a preparatory e-learning course for young researchers. NTFPs such as cocoa, coffee, bamboo, wild plant and animal foods, medicinal plants, or peat play an important role in tropical forestry, local livelihoods, and healthy diets.
The Master's degree course in Tropical Forestry at TU Dresden continues the long tradition of international forestry education at the Tharandt campus. The international winter school in Dresden brought the faculty's lectures on non-timber forest products (NTFP) and the institute's research up to date. Two renowned NTFP researchers from South Africa were invited as lecturers.
Running the winter school has strengthened research and collaboration networks with leading South African partner universities and increased visibility for upcoming alumni workshops there. Long-term benefits include the enrichment of the Tropical Forestry Masters curriculum with cutting-edge NTFP research, ensuring ongoing benefits with each module offered. Sustainability will be ensured through the integration of findings into taught modules and continued collaboration within the Institute's alumni and research networks. Existing modules will incorporate the content of the project.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 10.07.2023 – 22.07.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Daniel Lordick, Institute of Geometry, Faculty of Mathematics
School: Science
Participating partners:
- National School of Architecture Paris-Malaquais (ENSAPM), France
- University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
The two-week summer school "Architectural Math for Bamboo Structures" was supported by the flexible funding program for internationalization. In the first week, the international participants were taught the mathematical principles for the production of lightweight and material-saving load-bearing structures and the associated digital design tools. In the second week, a bamboo sculpture called "La Fleur Mathématique" was then produced together under the guidance of international experts. The sculpture used the previously developed geometric principles for its construction. It was then presented in cooperation with the Kunstgewerbemuseum as a contribution to the exhibition "Pflanzenfieber" (Plant Fever) in Schosspark Pillnitz and documented on film.
The concept of the Summer School was developed by Ahmed Elshafei, who was a guest researcher at the TU Dresden as part of the Dresden Fellowship Program. The Summer School will now serve as a starting point for further projects in the field of sustainable building with renewable raw materials. In addition, a research proposal has already been submitted with ENSA Paris-Malaquais. In addition, a cooperation with Graz University of Technology has been established, which is supposed to lead to joint summer schools and a joint research proposal.
Further information can be found here.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 27.11.2023 – 01.12.2023
Applicant: Radka Tomečková, Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering
School: Engineering Sciences
Participating partners:
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, New Delhi, India
In 2020, the bilateral project "Combating Environmental Pollution through Internationalisation of Education" (COMPOLL) was launched by the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology at TU Dresden and the Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi). As part of the flexible funding program for internationalization, the implementation of a joint winter school, which took place at IIT Delhi, has now been co-financed. The funding was used to finance the participation of ten doctoral students from Dresden as well as the expansion of the organizational team to include a student assistant and a research assistant.
The winter school "Pollution, Life-Cycle Assessment and Recycling" included specialized lectures as well as practical workshops and the application of the acquired knowledge in group competitions. Various aspects of environmental pollution, its causes and its impact on human health were highlighted and scientific and technical solutions were offered.
The COMPOLL project aims to strengthen the existing contacts between IIT Delhi and TU Dresden and to bundle activities that serve to increase awareness of environmental pollution through waste reduction and recycling, the use of bio-based materials and the return to design solutions that enable repair and refurbishment. The project will help to intensify the cooperation between the Dresden area and New Delhi in the coming years by intensifying the partnership at institutional level and developing and implementing innovative teaching and research profiles.
Funding line: Funding for the cooperation with strategic partners
Period: 01.05.2023 – 20.10.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Remmer Sassen, Chair of Business Administration, esp. Environmental Management, International Institute (IHI) Zittau
School: Central Units
Participating partners:
- University of Cooperative Education Saxony, Bautzen, Germany
- Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, Görlitz, Germany
- Karkonosze Academy of Applied Sciences, Jelenia Góra, Poland
- Wroclaw University of Technology Branch in Jelenia Gora, Jelenia Góra, Poland
- Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic
- Wroclaw University of Economics and Business Branch in Jelenia Góra, Poland
The funding supported the preparation and realization of the ACC Forum of the Euroregion Neisse. The Academic Coordination Centre (ACC) of the Euroregion Neisse unites the universities in the border triangle of Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland, including the IHI Zittau of TU Dresden. The ACC publishes a regular scientific journal, organizes an annual conference for young scientists and coordinates projects in research and teaching at the partner institutions. In October 2023, the second ACC Forum took place as a combination of autumn school and conference under the motto "From Change to Transformation". The underlying theme was that a more sustainable future goes hand in hand with fundamental change in society, the economy and technology. The forum offered students from the Euroregion Neisse the opportunity to present their research to an international audience.
The ACC Forum initiated by IHI Zittau is to become a permanent focal point for teaching, research, and transfer activities in the transformation region in the future, making the Euroregion Neisse an internationally visible research hub for transformation expertise in the long term by creating a sustainable cooperation framework for students, researchers, and innovative economic players in the region. This will also strengthen IHI Zittau's internationalization and location strategy.
In addition to the development of an internationalized ecological research and teaching profile in cooperation with the Senckenberg Museum, IHI Zittau has strongly linked the internationalization of its management-oriented teaching profile with the development of double degrees with partners in Central/Eastern Europe in recent years. A central project here is the establishment of a "Central European Campus Neisse/Nisa" with the TU Liberec, which is to be expanded into a tri-national teaching and research network involving all ACC partners in the future.
Further information can be found here.
Funding line: Funding for the cooperation with strategic partners
Period: 27.05.2023 – 04.06.2023
Applicant: Dr.-Ing. Christian Wölfel, Institute of Machine Elements and Machine Design, Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering
School: Engingeering Sciences
Participating partners:
- Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
- ICN Business School, Metz/Nancy, France
- Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
The "Circular Design Challenge" was an international and interdisciplinary summer school held as a workshop for Master's students of architecture, design and engineering. In a practice-based teaching-learning format, the participants developed solutions to strengthen the "Repurpose" circular strategy and transferred elements of serial buildings and vehicles into new circular solutions. Scientists from the participating partner institutions supported the workshop on site. The workshop results were presented at the Cosmo Science Forum in Dresden.
The event served as the kick-off for an international series of workshops. The aim is to strengthen the visibility and international collaboration of Dresden as a center of science and the partners involved on the topic of sustainable circular design. Contacts with TU Delft have already been established in the field of civil engineering and will be further expanded. For example, the conclusion of an Erasmus+ agreement is being prepared. There are also plans to apply for international research projects and joint publications.
Review of the Circular Design Challenge
Rückblick auf die Circular Design Challenge
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 03.07.2023 – 07.07.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Gerd Schwerhoff, Institute of History, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- University of Warwick
Around 30 undergraduate students interested in research from EUTOPIA partner universities took part in the Eutopia Undergraduate Research Summer School to work together on the topic of "Violence in History". The summer school was prepared and organized by history researchers from the Universities of Warwick and Dresden. Thematic modules with lectures and seminars introduced topics such as "interdisciplinary research on violence", "rites of violence", "gender-specific violence", "verbal violence" and "culture of remembrance". In addition, the city of Dresden and DRESDEN-concept partners, such as the Dresden State Art Collections and the Saxon State Library - Dresden State and University Library, acted as excursion and learning locations.
The summer school served as a pilot project for the expansion of the EUTOPIA network in terms of both teaching and research. The cooperation is also intended to serve as a starting point for joint research initiatives involving other EUTOPIA partners.
Further information can be found here.
Workshop/ Seminar
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 11.07.2023 – 13.07.2023
Applicant: PD Dr. Anne-Laure Garcia, Institute of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- Université d'Angers, Angers, France
The funding was used to co-finance a workshop at which social scientists from Germany and France came together to discuss transformations in family orders and the social challenges that arise from them. The special potential of feature film analysis in gender and family research was highlighted by comparing academic traditions and family policy frameworks in France and Germany. The TU Dresden also involved the Gender Concept Group and the Center France | Francophonie.
The workshop facilitated a dialogue between social scientists with a focus on gender and family research from both countries and emphasized the potential of feature film analysis. In the long term, the workshop contributed to sharpening the Franco-German research profile of the Dresden Institute of Sociology and promoted cooperation between the participating institutions. The event also offered participants the opportunity to make new contacts, develop joint research ideas and plan joint projects. The results of the workshop will be published in an anthology.
Further information can be found here.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 01.03.2023 – 30.09.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Angela Mensing-de Jong, Institute of Urbanism and Urban Studies, Faculty of Architecture
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- Krakow University of Technology, Poland
- City of Krakow, Poland
As part of an ongoing development strategy to transform the city into a modern metropolis, the city of Krakow has planned a new multifunctional district called "New City" on a large area in the south-east of the city. As part of the partnership with TU Dresden, an international workshop and a semester project were initiated using the flexible funding program for internationalization, in which around 90 students took part in interdisciplinary teams.
They worked on concepts for the challenges of agglomerations in a European context and developed sustainable and process-oriented planning concepts. This cooperation also made it possible to compare different approaches in teaching and research.
The visibility of TU Dresden in Krakow was increased by the public final presentations as well as exhibitions and publications. In addition, cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture at TU Krakow was further expanded, and mutual visits and projects, such as the "Urban LAB", in which TU Prague and ENSA Strasbourg are also participating, are already planned. In the long term, a joint English-language "Joint Master Program" is in preparation.
Further information can be found here.
Funding line: Flexible funding program for internationalization
Period: 27.10.2023 – 28.10.2023
Applicant: Dr. Florian Cord, Institute of English and American Studies, Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies
School: Humanities and Social Sciences
Participating partners:
- International participants from College Station (USA); London (UK), Vienna (Austria), Leeds (UK), and Ada (USA)
The workshop "Cultural Studies Now - Thinking 'Conjuncturally'" aimed to revitalize the critical potential of cultural studies, including by addressing contemporary crises such as the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Renowned academics from the USA, the UK and Austria came together at TU Dresden to discuss theory and methods.
The results of the workshop will be published in a special issue of a scientific journal. It was also discussed whether the workshop format should be expanded into a regular event hosted by institutions around the world.
Funding line: Funding for the cooperation with strategic partners
Period: 01.10.2023 – 07.10.2023
Applicant: Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Angela Mensing-de Jong, Institute of Urbanism and Urban Studies, Faculty of Architecture
School: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Participating partners:
- Czech Technical University Prague, Czech Republic
- Krakow University of Technology, Poland
- ENSA – Strasbourg National School of Architecture, France
The "URBAN LAB Dresden" was an international, interdisciplinary workshop format organized by the Chair of Urban Design. It took place in cooperation with architecture faculties from Krakow, Prague, and Strasbourg.
The workshop centered on the development of ideas for urban development in the Alberthafen/ Flutrinne/ Ostragehege area in Dresden. The workshop was offered as part of existing modules in the Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Transport Science degree programs at TU Dresden. Local stakeholders, such as local companies and associations, were also involved in the design process. After the workshop, the concepts were further developed at the individual universities and presented in an exhibition in Dresden in spring 2024. The kick-off event and final presentation took place in public, giving students the opportunity to enter into dialogue with the public and communicate subject-specific content.
The continuation of the "URBAN LABs" format is planned for the future. A joint Master's program in Urban Design is also being planned by the four participating universities. In addition, joint research proposals and further exchange programs are envisaged.
Further information can be found here.