New place of learn­ing planned: Co­oper­a­tion of HNU with Areal Di­gital in Gün­zburg

HNU President Prof. Dr. Uta M. Feser, District Administrator Dr. Hans Reichhart, Leipheim's Mayor Christian Konrad and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Grinninger talked about the planned collaboration at Areal Digital in Leipheim and signed a joint cooperation agreement. "We have the best conditions for our new location in Areal Digital. This concerns both the location and the innovative offers of the start-up center," says Prof. Dr. Uta M. Feser, who represented HNU on site together with Prof. Dr. Jürgen Grinninger, head of the Systems Engineering degree program.

Systems Engineering program

The three universities of Augsburg, Kempten and Neu-Ulm in the Bavarian-Swabian region are pooling their expertise in the "Digital and Regional" project and jointly offering the Systems Engineering degree program. Systems Engineering is a modern engineering degree program that combines the fields of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and applied computer science in an interdisciplinary manner with operations, supply chain and project management. Industry 4.0 is a success factor for securing competitiveness, but it presents companies with major challenges in setting up and managing such complex networked systems. The competencies required for this are trained in the degree program and applied in practice through projects.

The bachelor's degree program can be studied full-time or part-time alongside a job. The part-time model allows students to work in the company for at least three days. This particularly close integration of theory and practice enables them to acquire knowledge and skills that can be applied directly in a corporate context. Modern teaching formats such as blended learning enable learning independent of location and time.

Linking studies, start-up and company

The decision to locate the lab in the digital startup center Areal Digital was made deliberately for this location: Since December 2020, Areal Digital has been offering startups and founders from the region workplaces, consulting and events, among other things. From now on, students will also be able to take advantage of these services. Thus, there is the possibility that students can further develop ideas that have arisen in the course of study projects through the support and offers of Areal Digital and, in addition, found their own start-up. In addition, they should be encouraged to think entrepreneurially, both in their studies and in their careers.

The founders at Areal Digital benefit from the lab's facilities. They have access to the lab's equipment and the university's expertise to drive their own projects forward. Areal pro, with its diverse mix of industries, also played a role in the decision. With exciting companies in the immediate vicinity, there is great potential for joint projects, which is advantageous for the practical focus of the degree program. "Areal pro as a business park is the perfect place for everyone, whether a company or a start-up," says Mayor Christian Konrad. "We are very happy that we could add another important piece of the puzzle by locating HNU in Areal Digital."

A future-proof network for the entire region

For the Günzburg district, this cooperation is also a great benefit. The already excellent educational offerings in the district have now been expanded to include higher education. With this cooperation, District Administrator Hans Reichhart has realized his goal of offering education in the region for all age groups and educational desires.  With the Digital Operations Lab, there is now another building block for the digital ecosystem in the region, in addition to the Digital Business Incubator in Leipheim and the Technology Transfer Center, which helps to be better positioned for the challenges of the future. For this reason, District Administrator Hans Reichhart initiated the establishment of the center together with HNU. With the comprehensive joint offer in the areas of education, training and start-ups, the attractiveness of the region for skilled workers will be further increased: ""University, start-ups and companies will soon not only implement projects together; here, tailor-made ideas and solutions for the economy will be developed. The district of Günzburg, together with its Areal Digital and the HNU, enables all local students to create their own future - quickly, competently, in a network. Higher education that is so practically oriented is a perfect fit for us."

Conversion into a modern learning and research location.

The cooperation between Areal Digital and HNU within the framework of the Digital Operations Lab is only the first step. An expansion and deepening of the cooperation is already being planned for the future. For this purpose, extensive conversion work is planned to better adapt the building to the requirements. The entire space is to be made more open and modern in order to do justice to the networking idea by providing many opportunities for exchange and collaboration.

Further offers already in planning

In addition to the real lab, a regular lecture program for the Systems Engineering degree program is also to be established. In addition, programs for external students are planned to promote lifelong learning, such as certificate courses or business circles. Overall, a competence center for the areas of start-up, operations and supply chain management in the context of Industry 4.0 is thus being created in the Areal Digital, which is a strong signal for the entire region.