Initial situation

Even before the start of the project in 2015, TUAS had already shown itself to be strong in research and third-party funds at a continuously high level. However, despite its strategically favorable location at the southwestern border triangle, the research projects focused primarily on national research programs. As a result, TUAS‘ administration acknowledged that less experienced researchers avoided applications for European funds within the Research and Innovation Framework Programme of the European Union due to its complexity and resource intensity. A systematic advisory structure in the form of a central point of contact for EU consulting did not yet exist.

Objective

The primary objective of the “START” project was to establish a research culture that is lived at all levels, from students to staff and professors. This was to be accompanied by the successive expansion and advancement of European and international research efforts at Trier University of Applied Sciences and the strengthening of the global research and cooperation network. This was achieved by establishing professional advisory structures as a central EU advisory and coordination office.
The success of this strategy is demonstrated, among other factors, by the continuously increasing number of large-scale Interreg projects at Trier University of Applied Sciences. Trier University of Applied Sciences has thus succeeded in further developing its partner network, opening up new cross-border cooperation in Europe, and sustainably expanding its research infrastructure.

Activities

The advisory structures for EU research created in the project represent the heart of the project and the central contact point for the three project target groups of employees, students, and researchers.
Those interested in research are professionally accompanied here, also beyond the project duration, from the outline to the search for partners and the preparation of research proposals. Newly appointed researchers are being sensitized and activated for EU projects at an early stage using a workshop. A unique feature of the START project is the integration of research into education. Within the framework of a fundraising seminar, students get to know the application processes during their studies and can develop their project ideas in interdisciplinary teams. TUAS is thus laying the foundation for successful research careers at an early stage. An annual competition for EU research with a student funding line also made a decisive contribution to the internationalization of research in the project.

Duration

2014-12-15 to 2020-9-30

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