Intellectual Capital Report 2017/2018

2 Foreword

6 Organization, Strategy, Targets

12 Human Capital Junior Researchers 15

18 Structural Capital Bundled Student Advisory Services 23

26 Relational Capital

36 Teaching Reflection 43 TLC – Teaching & Learning Center 44

48 Research and Development Spotlight on Research 59

62 Further Training Other Figures for the 2017/18 Academic Year 66

68 Graphic Design & Imprint Foreword

Dear readers,

“So much is changing” – this was the introduction to the foreword of our 2007/08 Intellectual Capital Report. Even then, we were talking about “transformation” and structural changes in society. A great deal has indeed happened in the years that have passed since then.

Knowledge in all its forms comes to the fore, both as a social issue and as an economic asset. There is a greater focus on an institution tasked with imparting knowledge in the field of technology today than was the case ten years ago. Our environment is constantly changing. On the one hand, our educational and training programs and our research work have met with a positive response; on the other hand, it has become clear in recent years that we as an organization need to adapt to new requirements.

With the results of an extensive strategy process from the previous year in our pocket, we set out in the past academic year to implement transformation and structural changes within the organization as well. The main theme for 2017/18 was organizational development, which we shaped together with the stakeholders and which we are now bringing to life in the current academic year. Knowledge played an important role in this process: How can information flow between organizational units in an optimum way? How can existing competencies be used together in an optimum way?

4 While organizational changes are only gradually becoming apparent to the outside world, the academic year was not lacking in visible events and successes: We started the autumn with a new managing director, and since spring we have a re-elected president. For the first time, a start-up business is now based at UAS Technikum Wien. The computer science dualy study program as a trend-setting new organizational form entered its first year, and some degree programs experienced a sharp increase in applicants. Our first Josef Ressel Center was successfully concluded (to be continued).

Key data on all this and much more can be found on the following pages. The fact that we have decided to give the Intellectual Capital Report itself a completely new look after years of a fairly consistent appearance is a good match for the catchwords of upheaval and change. We hope that both the form and content of the Intellectual Capital Report will be the subject of much discussion.

Vienna, January 2019

Gabriele Költringer, EMBA FH-Prof. DI Dr. Fritz Schmöllebeck Managing Director Rector

5 Students per faculty

Industrial Engineering 1351

Life Science Engineering 734 Electronic Engineering 942

Computer Science 1153 Organization, Strategy, Targets

UAS Technikum Wien offers full- UAS Technikum Wien was founded in 1994 and is time, extra-occupational, and / or Austria’s only university of applied sciences focused distance study programs. Education solely on technical subjects. Its two locations, the main site in the 20th district of Vienna and the ENERGYbase is based on sound science and in the 21st district of Vienna, offer high-quality teaching, practical experience, with a focus research, and training. As of December 2018, around on imparting technical specialist 4,400 students are studying in 12 bachelor and 18 knowledge and expertise. master’s degree programs, and the number of graduates is just over 11,000. In addition, there are several hundred participants in ongoing further training formats.

UAS Technikum Wien offers full-time, extra-occupational, and / or distance study programs. Education is based on sound science and practical experience, with a focus on imparting technical specialist knowledge and expertise. It also covers business principles and personal development. There are a number of specialist laboratories (e.g. photonics lab, simulation of smart grids, game lab, etc.) to assist practical teaching and for research purposes. The Digital Factory tests the networking of independent systems and techniques in a real industry situation using autonomous robots.

Collaboration and regular contact with businesses give students and graduates of UAS Technikum Wien the very best career opportunities. A wide range of partnerships with foreign partner universities has resulted in networks with and study visits to other renowned universities. The Technikum Wien Academy also offers four short-cycle courses and three master’s courses focusing on professional training and development.

8 A wide range of partnerships with foreign partner universities has resulted in networks with and study visits to other renowned universities.

New Organizational Structure

The 2017/18 academic year marked an important phase in the further development of our university. At the end of the previous academic year, the “Technikum 2025” strategy process had delivered a set of important starting points to further develop UAS Technikum Wien and lead it on a successful path into the future. These starting points were taken up in 2017/18 and translated into specific steps. On September 1, 2018, i.e. at the beginning of the 2018/19 academic year, a comprehensively revamped organizational structure came into force.

An important chapter in the Strategizing core team’s final report dealt with the further development of the organizational structure: In order to further develop it (matrix organization, institutes, study programs, study centers) in such a way that they meet future requirements, an organizational development project was proposed with the intention of serving the following objectives:

• specialist and course-related redundancies of the institutes should be eliminated. Standardized and high-quality services, which are demanded by degree programs, should only be offered by one specialized institute. • Each institute should be given a clearly defined professional profile and a critical mass in terms of staff, curriculum and research potential. • The function, interplay and responsibilities of institutes, degree programs and study centers and other relevant bodies should be clearly defined and partnerships between institutes and degree programs improved.

9 This basically defined the catalog of requirements for Department Electronic Engineering a new organizational structure. In the course of the Fields of competence: 2017/18 academic year, a structure was jointly developed • Electronic Based Systems to meet these requirements. 13 institutes were turned • Electronics and Communication Technology into four faculties and six departments. The four special- Field of research: ist departments were each assigned to a faculty, and two • Embedded Syst. an& d Cyber-Phys.Syst interdisciplinary departments were also created: • Faculty of Computer Science Department of Industrial Engineering The Faculty of Computer Science comprises the Fields of competence: Department of Computer Science, and eight • Automation & Sensor Technology bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. • Renewable Energy Systems • Faculty of Electronic Engineering • Digital Manufacturing & Robotics The Department of Electronic Engineering and • Material Science & Production Engineering nine bachelor’s and master’s programs are as- • Modeling & Simulation of Mechanical Systems signed to the Faculty of Electronic Engineering. • Virtual Engineering, Technology and Innovation • Faculty of Industrial Engineering Engineering The Department of Industrial Engineering and Fields of research: seven bachelor’s and master’s programs are as- • Automation and Robotics signed to the Faculty of Industrial Engineering. • Renewable Energy Systems • Faculty of Life Science Engineering The Faculty of Life Science Engineering compris- Department of Life Science Engineering es the Department of Life Science Engineering as Fields of competence: well as seven bachelor’s and master’s programs. • Chemical Engineering & Biomaterials • Tissue Engineering & Ecotoxicology Overview of the six departments along with their • Integrated Healthcare fields of competence and research • Medical Devices & Health Engineering • Sports Engineering, Biomechanics & Ergonomics Department of Computer Science: Field of research: Fields of competence: • Tissue Engineering • Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics • Digital Enterprise Department of Entrepreneurship and Communications: • Software Engineering & Devops • Social Skills • Information Security • Languages Field of research: • Economics/Law • Secure Services, eHealth & Mobility Department of Applied Mathematics & Physics • Mathematics • Physics • Scientific Work

The new structures of the faculties and departments create clarity with respect to responsibilities and short decision-making channels. For this to happen, it is essential that the communication channels in the new organizational structure are adhered to. The new organizational chart with degree programs and departments as well as the detailed presentation of the fields of competence provides an overview of decision-making and communication channels.

10 At the end of the previous academic year, the “Technikum 2025” strategy process had delivered a set of important starting points to further develop UAS Technikum Wien and lead it on a successful path into the future.

11 Employees Administration 251

Teaching and Research 904 Human Capital

Quantitative Development

In the 2017/18 academic year, there was another increase in the number of staff employed at UAS Technikum Wien. A total of 1,155 people were employed at UAS Technikum Wien (both through employment contracts and as external lecturers). 451 of these employees were full-time employees, corresponding to 39 percent of all employees. Calculated as full-time equivalents, there In 2017/18, 1,155 people was also an increase in the productivity of full-time were employed at UAS employees to 347 full-time equivalents (FTE) in the Technikum Wien. academic year. This translates into average employment of just under 30 hours per full-time employee per week, with teaching and research staff having slightly fewer hours per week, and administrative and management staff having slightly more hours per week on average.

2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Total number of employees 1 058 1 094 1 155

• of which in teaching and research 845 886 904

• of which in administration 213 208 251 and management

Full-time employees in FTEs 316 320 347

In terms of full-time equivalents, there has been a slight shift from teaching and research staff (currently 41 percent) to administrative and management staff (currently 59 percent) in recent years. Measured in terms of the number of employees, the proportion of teaching and research staff has remained relatively constant at 80 percent over the past few academic years. The difference in the respective shares between FTE and number of employees is due to the large number of external lecturers. In the 2017/18 academic year, 700 external lecturers were employed at UAS Technikum Wien, compared to 175 full-time lecturers. However, due to external lecturers being employed for fewer hours on average, overall a bigger share or teaching hours are being offered by internal lecturers..

14 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Course hours offered 86 503 91 136 94 882

• by external instructors 38 765 38 285 40 297

• by internal instructors 47 738 52 851 54 585

Proportion of courses held by internal 55% 58% 58% teachers

Increasing the proportion of women among teaching • Family time: In order to clearly present the frame- and research staff has been a goal of UAS Technikum work for dealing with family time applications Wien for years. Measured in terms of the number of and to raise awareness of paternal participation employees, the proportion of women working here and support, a guideline on pregnancy, mater- is currently 23 percent. For external lecturers, the nity leave and parental leave with information percentage of male employees is particularly large; here on family time was drawn up and made available the proportion of female lecturers is only 20 percent to all employees on the intranet. This guideline (compared with 27 percent for internal lecturers). The is also actively sent to the pregnant employee proportion of women in administrative and managerial and the respective manager when a pregnancy is staff is much higher, with 56 percent of all employees reported. currently female. The difference is particularly notice- • Childcare: The existing range of childcare facil- able at the level of senior management and program ities available on school-free working days and directors. In the 2017/18 academic year, these accounted during the first week of the summer holidays for 29 full-time equivalents, of which only some 16 are very well received by both employees and percent were women. students. Parental feedback and wishes are taken into account. In the 2017/18 academic year, people from 52 different • Care: Employees needing to take time off to care countries were employed at UAS Technikum Wien. 18 for close relatives are not required to live in the percent of all employees had a nationality other than same household as the relatives. Austrian. As in previous years, the largest group of foreign employees comes from Germany with 73 em- The aim of the ongoing certification process is to recon- ployees, followed by the USA and Italy with significantly cile the interests of the university with the needs of the lower shares. students and staff in the best possible way in order to improve compatibility. Structures are being further de- Certifications and Initiatives veloped that make life easier without having a negative impact on the quality of work – indeed, just the opposite Working as well as studying with care duties are strongly is being targeted: improving quality through better influenced by the general conditions at the university. personal compatibility. At UAS Technikum Wien, we work continuously to develop possibilities for study/family/career balance. At UAS Technikum Wien, there is a clear lack of women We have been entitled to hold the certificate “Fami- in management positions, and we are working hard to ly-friendly University” since 2014 and, in fall 2017, the redress this balance. In the 2017/18 academic year, a total certificate was again issued and awarded by the audit of 39 people were employed in management positions board of trustees (Audit-Kuratorium). Five measures (including heads of degree programs), nine of whom have already been implemented with a further six still were women. In order to strengthen the circle of female or partially outstanding. Three of the measures from managers through good networking, a joint lunch is held the ongoing certification process that have already been once a month to serve as a basis to promote an exchange successfully implemented will be illustrated here: between them.

15 Development opportunities (further education etc.) spent on further training measures. The didactic short seminars in particular are enjoying a steady increase in The internal further training unit at UAS Technikum popularity. In order to address the challenges facing soci- Wien provides offers throughout the academic year for ety, two certification workshops on diversity and gender employees to acquire knowledge and qualifications in mainstreaming were also on offer, which were well a wide variety of areas. There is great interest among received and fully booked. With separate workshops for employees in further training measures; in the 2017/18 teaching, research and general staff, the goal of incorpo- academic year, 567 participants registered for further rating gender and diversity aspects into their day-to-day training measures (including all external events). The work was well achieved. commitment to continuous professional development is reflected in the equivalent of 309 full-time working days

2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Childcare days offered 9 9 11 12

Registrations 18 34 50 54

• of which students 6 13 13 11

• of which employees 12 21 37 43

Participants hours

2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Didactic short seminars 164 144 192 520 430 654

Internal seminars, total 228 186 200 689 731 751

• of which didactics seminars 33 43 27 189 290 191

• of which foreign languages 68 28 0 102 42 0

• of which research 20 18 44 196

• of which gender and diversity 43 34 22 352 271 196

• of which healthcare 84 68 98 46 102 98

• of which management 13 35 26 70

External seminars: Didactics 24 54 20 672 236

Information for new employees 30 50 50

Coaching 13 18 52 65 35 75

Didactics retreat 30 32 32 480 512 488

16 Junior Researchers: The path into research

The examples of Mathias Ballner and Andrea Werner The function of junior researchers show how versatile and different the areas of responsi- has long shown itself to be a bility are: proven springboard from studying Mathias Ballner, lecturer and course leader at the to research work. Technikum Wien, started work as a junior researcher in a research project for the development of a degree program while pursuing his master’s degree in “Intelligent in the Renewable Urban Energy Systems research area. Transport Systems”. Her position as junior researcher was advertised in 2017 for the research project “sLiM – smart Living in a “The aim was to evaluate whether there is a need for a Metropolis” within the Vienna programme for funding degree program in the field of integrative urban develop- universities of applied science (Wiener Fachhoch- ment.” Mathias Ballner explains that, within the project, schulförderung). the master’s degree program “Integrative Urban De- velopment - Smart City” was developed on the basis of “The research team wanted to look not only at energy occupational field research. “We had the first graduates and environmental aspects, but also at user perspectives. in summer 2018 – here it is possible to see the results of The significance of the energy revolution and the condi- one's work.” tions of photovoltaics was investigated.” Andrea Werner has a bachelor’s degree in Environmen- The UAS TW graduate started teaching in addition to tal and Resource Management and a master’s degree in his work in the research project. Today, holding lectures Socio-Ecological Economics and Policy – a mixture of and leading a course at the Technikum Academy are his energy and social sciences that was ideal for the sociolog- core activities. ical questions within the scope of this research work.

Andrea Werner holds a bachelor’s degree from the She now works on four research projects and helps stu- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences and a dents with their bachelor’s or master’s theses. master’s degree from the Vienna University of Econom- ics and Business Administration. At the Technikum, “All student-related work is connected to projects of the she works in the Department of Industrial Engineering department, which enables us to assign topics from the research projects, where we then receive support from the students.”

The projects enable students to participate in research while preparing their bachelor’s or master’s thesis, potentially enabling them to become junior researchers of tomorrow.

17 Students

Female 757 Male 3423 Structural Capital

In the 2017/18 academic year, the space used by UAS Laboratories Technikum Wien was expanded with the conversion and expansion of the BRC building at Höchstädtplatz, A large number of special laboratories are available for increasing the total area from 27,500 m² to 28,400 m². research and teaching in the following areas, including: With regard to larger modifications, the Teaching & • Physics and chemistry, electron microscopy, tis- Learning Center was set up on the ground floor, while sue engineering, environmental engineering, cell the information center (see "Bundled Student Advisory culture, cytometry, microfluidics, environmental Services, p.23) was set up in the pillar of "the bridge". chemistry, microanalytics, ecotoxicology The e-learning lab was also moved from the sixth • Embedded systems, smart homes and building floor of the BRC building to the pillar of the bridge and automation, assistive technologies and alternative re-opened there. The cleaning rooms, cloakroom and human-machine interfaces, electronics and net- lounge which were previously separated were combined working, industrial electronics, electronic design on the first floor of the BRC building. automation, audio-video, telecommunications • Computer science, usability, game engineering, RoboCup, IT security, transport and environment/smart city

Laboratories 62

Computer rooms 18

Computer workstations 671

Total area (in m²) 28 400

Usable area (in m²) 16 400

Investments in building infrastructure (in EUR thousands) 429

IT investments (in EUR thousands) 312

Licenses (in EUR thousands) 87

In the 2017/18 academic year, the space used by UAS Technikum Wien was enlarged with the conversion and expansion of the BRC building.

20 • Mechatronics and robotics, simulation laboratory • The control engineering laboratory was equipped for mechanical engineering, automation tech- with a laboratory notebook and a camera to nology, pneumatics, control engineering, sensor control motion-compensated high-speed video technology and materials engineering recordings • Renewable energy, heat pumps, smart grid, • The test benches in the laboratory for biome- generation plants (photovoltaics, wind), storage chanics and sports equipment technology were facilities, smart meters, interoperability given two additional force transducers and an • Biomedical engineering, rehabilitation technolo- additional motor control. The software for 3D gy, ventilation technology, healthy interoperabili- motion analysis was updated to the latest version ty, sports engineering and biomechanics • The RemoteApple Lab is designed to enable students to work on Apple devices via remote con- The following new laboratory equipment was obtained trol. This is needed in particular when a purely in the 2017/18 academic year: Apple-based environment is required in a course or project, such as when programming apps for • The Digital Factory makes it possible to research the iPhone. These devices were previously used technology trends and innovation potentials in both remotely and on site, which repeatedly led the field of Industry 4.0 by means of concepts and to overlaps and problems. application examples for intelligent production • In fall 2018, all laboratories and workspaces of environments. In the 2017/18 academic year, the the newly established Computer Science Faculty infrastructure of the Digital Factory was extended moved into the new rooms on the 5th floor of to include a mobile industrial robot (MiR 100), building section B. An open seminar room, which which moves independently in the factory and can also be used for events and lectures, is located is used, among other things, for transport tasks. in the entrance area. An open work area is locat- It was equipped with a collaborative robotic arm ed directly adjacent for students of the faculty, (UR5) as part of a project in order to perform above all for RoboCup projects as well as those complex tasks. The Digital Factory was equipped related to the smart city topic. The new Project with another collaborative robot (fanuc cr-7a/I) Space is also home to new offices, a conference in cooperation with FANUC in order to better room and an open kitchen with a social room. investigate human-robot collaborations as well. The new Security Lab has over 20 workstations • 22 high-end PCs with extensive special simula- and offers direct access to the neighbouring serv- tion software are located in the newly established er room. Network and security scenarios can be simulation laboratory for mechanical engineer- tested under realistic conditions in both hardware ing, which was made possible by sponsoring from and software Metaltechnology Austria (Fachverband Metall- • Students now have 17 high-performance com- technische Industrie (FMTI). This enables simu- puters with NVidia GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards lations to be carried out, for example for product at their disposal in the Game/AI Lab, and each development, design and simulation. This takes workstation has two monitors to ensure better account of the worldwide trend within the metal software development. These PCs make it possi- technology industry to relocate product develop- ble to calculate complex models from the fields of ment processes to the virtual simulation room. artificial intelligence and machine learning. Two This possibility to perform digital simulations is Sony PS3 and two PS4 Devkits are connected a unique selling point of the degree programs in via network to the rear of the GameLab and can mechanical engineering be used in class if required. An HTC Vive and an • Teaching and learning videos can be recorded Oculus Rift are available for VR applications in and edited in the e-learning lab. Workshops on projects and master theses e-learning are also held here. In summer 2017, the lab was moved to the bridge pillar of the F-building, with the new premises offering better framework conditions (both in terms of size and lack of noise for recording teaching videos)

21 • The Usability Laboratory is now called Experi- enceLab and has two mobile and two stationary eye-tracking systems in addition to the observation possibilities already in place with con- trollable network cameras and dynamic screen transmission of all devices. A Tobii X3-120 Re- mote Eyetracking System with additional holder for mobile devices as well as the skin guidance system Shimmer to measure the emotions of test persons are new here.

IT Developments

Over the academic year, 228 computers were updated with dual-boot images (Windows10 and GNU/Linux) in line with established hardware update cycles. One of the IT rooms was equipped with iMac devices as an Apple room in order to provide support in the field of app development. This means that all major operating systems are available for teaching at UAS Technikum Wien.

A generation change in our printing equipment resulted in the entire fleet of printers being replaced, along with the printer administration behind this. A modern system is being used, which provides or will provide new features such as the recharging of credit via online services, replacing the money loader, or mobile printing. Further- more, it is now possible to include printing equipment from different manufacturers. The existing A0 plotters are of course still available.

The focus during the further development of the campus management software FH-Complete was on helping the university pursue its strategy with regard to centralization, automation and digitalization. For example, a completely new tool was developed to optimally support the centralization of the admission process, and other services were put into operation to simplify collaboration in teaching and administration activities. These internal services are also intended to ensure that data is handled carefully and to ensure that sensitive data remains in our systems in accordance with the Gen- eral Data Protection Regulation. The requirements of the GDPR were implemented in a new FH-Complete module that includes tools for compliance with deletion deadlines as well as data export for data storage requests. Appropriate communication channels (email address- es, OTRS queues) have been set up for processing and documenting requests.

22 Sancho is the name of the digital assistant which will be used by FH-Complete in the next steps of automation and will support teaching and administration in various ways.

As in the past years, the "Linux Weeks" took place from May 3 to 5 This time, "PyDays", an internationally renowned Python conference, was a guest at the event in addition to lectures and workshops in seven parallel tracks.

Library

The library’s e-book offering was again expanded in the 2017/18 academic year. A total of 5,586 Springer e-books and over 11,000 OECD iLibrary titles are now available. The newly licensed eBook Central platform is a further building block in the transition from print medium to e-book.

In addition to its current activities (user advice, loans, cataloguing, PR activities, etc.), the library also focused A completely new tool was on the following areas in the 2017/18 academic year: developed to optimally support the centralization A series of training courses on library use and scientific research for students was held. Ten training courses took of the admission process, place for bachelor students, and there were also special and other services were put dates for incoming students (in English), for master into operation to simplify students or focusing on the electronic resources offered collaboration in teaching and by the library. administration activities.

The aim of the Open Access Publication Fund of UAS Technikum Wien is to promote the dissemination of Open Access publications by means of a financial contribution. In the 2017/18 academic year, five publications by UAS staff members were promoted as a result. Four of them are conference papers published in the ACM Dig- ital Library, and one an article in the eJournal “Frontiers in Physiology”. In the future, framework agreements with Open Access publishers are planned in order to reduce publication fees.

23 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Total stock of print media 19 166 20 148 21 085

Number of licensed e-books 4 424 around 16,000 around 16,600

Downloads of e-books / e-journals 104 984 100 575 *564 782

Number of loans 5 669 4 855 4 340

* before 2017/18: In the course of the last three years, about half of the downloads of entire print stock (a total of more than 20,000 titles) was e-books, from 2017/18: downloads categorized using the new RVK (Regensburger Ver- of individual chap- bund-Klassifikation) classification system. The entire ters from e-books print inventory is to be included in this system by 2020. (“COUNTER” standardized statistics) In summer 2018, some of the print media was also relo- cated according to this classification in order to ensure a clearer layout and faster retrieval of the media.

The library’s electronic media management has been A total of 5,586 Springer further improved. The e-mail reminder system and e-books and over 11,000 the reservation system for borrowed media have been OECD iLibrary titles are now optimized, as has the possibility of remote access to the library system for students and staff. The new data available. protection regulation has resulted in workflows being improved, the deletion of user data being commissioned and the library regulations adapted. Preparatory work also began for the new ALMA library management system to be implemented in 2020.

24 Bundled Student Advisory Services The information center at Höchstädtplatz

What exactly is Biomedical Engineering? Can I even study Computer Science without an A in Mathematics? And last but not least: Is technology suitable for girls at all? A technical university is confronted with many questions. For a long time now, UAS Technikum Wien has therefore been setting store by comprehensive student advisory services, as offered by only a few in the German-speaking world. This offering was significantly expanded again in March 2018: A team is on hand in the In March 2018, a new central newly established information center at the main site to location was opened for all provide advice and assistance. questions relating to technical

On the ground floor of the previously unused “foot” of degrees. the F building directly at the corner of Dresdner Strasse and Marchfelder Strasse, an inviting advice-giving environment was created, with the first floor serving as office space in which the information center staff also provide administrative support for the university.

In addition to being able to obtain advice on site, the information center can be contacted by telephone, e-mail or WhatsApp: “Technical degree programs are not always self-explanatory. We must also work to overcome psychological barriers and prejudices – not only among our prospective customers, but also among their par- ents,” said Managing Director Gabriele Költringer at the opening ceremony. “This is why we have expanded our student advisory services and bundled them geographi- cally. The new information center is clearly visible from afar and offers a pleasant atmosphere.”

The core target group for bachelor degree programs is under 20 years old. Anyone working with this age group knows that reaching for the telephone is no longer as easy as it was in previous generations. That is why the UAS TW information center also uses WhatsApp and has been conducting daily consultations there for quite some time.

The current opening hours and all contact channels for the information center can be found at www.technikum-wien.at/infocenter

25 Citizenship of students

Austria 3305 EU 400

Third country 475 Relational Capital

Teaching, research, knowledge transfer – the traditional mission at universities is often supplemented by a “third mission” or third pillar. The image of universities standing in the middle of society being in regular exchange not only with their own students, employees and various scientific communities, but also constituting hubs in a diverse knowledge network is gaining acceptance.

Anchored in the FEEI network from On the one hand, UAS Technikum Wien is in a privi- the very beginning and founded in leged position here while, on the other hand, it faces spe- response to the economy’s need for cial challenges. Its advantage is that its partnerships with companies and other institutions have existed from the top talent, the close relationship with very beginning: closely involved in the network of the industry and practical applications Association of the Austrian Electrical and Electronics is part of the DNA of UAS Technikum Industries (FEEI) from the start and founded in response Wien. to the economy’s need for top talent, the close relationship with industry and practical applications is part of its DNA. The well-known shortage of MINT skilled workers means that there are fruitful contacts with the business world to be had. At the same time, however, the challenge is to introduce young people to these topics.

A change of mood in society is also being slowly reflected in the number of applicants at UAS Technikum Wien. The fact that computer science and engineering courses are oversubscribed several times over was not the norm just a few years ago. This means that while the growing interest in the degree programs on offer would also make further growth possible in terms of study places, a great deal of information work is still needed at the same time in order to attract female students, in particular, to technology. Despite all the positive energy that MINT role models may experience in society – girls being actively encouraged to pursue a technical degree after graduating from high school is still the exception in Austria.

28 Despite all the positive energy that MINT role models may experience in society – girls being actively encouraged to pursue a technical degree after graduating from high Promotion of Young Talent school is still the exception in Austria. Partnerships are constantly maintained with 33 schools in the extended neighbourhood, where annual workshops and information events are held. In addition, the Dialog with the Business World University of Applied Sciences presents its educational offerings at many other schools on site – measures that Business and UAS Technikum Wien are in permanent help anchor the option of pursing a technical course contact with each other at various levels: Hundreds of of study in the minds of potential students. Technical external lecturers from various sectors make a contribu- courses are, however, not just discussed through student tion to our in-house teaching. In the degree programs, advisory services. The UAS has been a member of the cooperation is maintained, for example, through intern- RoboCupJunior committee since 2007. This platform ships for students and regular guest lectures. Recruiting organizes annual national and international competi- partnerships exist throughout the entire university, with tions for children and adolescents under the age of 19. companies posting vacancies in the job portal of the UAS Technikum Wien Alumni Club, among other things. In Another initiative uses the subject of robots as an entry the 2017/18 academic year, a total of 2,500 such job ad- into the world of technology. As part of the “Robots for vertisements were published. The company fair, where Kids” initiative, children between the ages of ten and potential employers present themselves to students, was sixteen are invited to spend a week working with robots again attended by 60 companies. Due to the multiple together with the Vienna Children’s Friends organiza- overbooking of exhibitor slots, however, it has been pos- tion (Wiener Kinderfreunde). UAS Technikum Wien sible to make this event bigger for the current academic also participates in the Vienna Daughter’s Day together year 2018/19. with 163 other organizations and, in addition to general information events such as Open Days and Bachelor Info The second career event of UAS Technikum Wien, the Day, Robotics Day also introduced students to the topic Career Lounge & Master Night, offers companies an- of robotics this year. other opportunity to present themselves exclusively at the University of Applied Sciences. Once again in 2018, Startups Remain Catalysts 40 companies were on site to get to know students and graduates in a relaxed networking atmosphere, as After first coming to light in 2016/17, the topic of start- well as advertising current job vacancies in the fields of ups and entrepreneurship continued to gain momentum technology, IT and business. At the same time, lectures in 2017/18. The Entrepreneurship Initiative events were and presentations of our master’s degree programs are very popular. In addition to the tried-and-tested format taking place throughout the university. As such, the of the Startup Lounges, which take place once a se- Career Lounge & Master Night offers the ideal combi- mester, the workshops from last year have been further nation for those who wish to progress both professional- developed in terms of their topics. Instead of focusing on ly and academically. the basics of setting up a company, the two semesters of 2017/18 saw current technology trends scrutinized from the perspective of startups. A technology-oriented introduction is followed by presentations from new companies that are already active in their respective fields. Partnerships are constantly maintained with 33 schools in the catchment area, where annual workshops and information events are held.

29 Whether the topic is virtual reality or autonomous driving, these three-hour “Start me up Mondays” were very well attended. A Facebook live stream was also very popular. However, the blockchain topic was the crowd-puller par excellence: In front of more than 260 interested Whether the topic is virtual reality people in the overcrowded Festsaal, the founders and or autonomous driving, these three- experts worked hard to raise awareness for this particu- hour “Start me up Mondays” were lar topic. The audience kept asking questions again and again – from blockchain basics to the finer details and very well attended. philosophical debates. A follow-up appointment in the summer semester announced by Entrepreneurship Rep- resentative Thomas Faast was greeted with resounding applause – and despite a somewhat subdued Bitcoin hype, there were again a great many visitors. All video recordings of the start-up Regular events, which are open to everyone in addition events can be viewed at: www.techni- to students and employees, are part of the Entrepre- kum-wien.at/entre- neurship Initiative, the aim being to ensure the transfer preneurship of knowledge. Startup mentoring has established itself as a further measure. ToolSense is one of the first startups to move into the incubator of UAS Technikum Wien in the 2017/18 academic year. Theft on construction sites causes several billion euros worth of damage worldwide every year. In order to eliminate this problem, three students of UAS Technikum Wien have joined forces to develop solutions in the field of anti-theft, live tracking and sensor data analytics for hand-operated power tools. UAS Technikum Wien supports the IoT/AI startup, which is now enjoying a great deal of success, with office space, technical know-how and the network of the university.

Internationalization is not an end in itself, but an important instrument for improving the quality of teaching and acquiring new skills.

30 International Relationship Capital In the Health-CONNECT, IoCEST, StudyAtHome Internationally and Internationalization is not an end in itself, but an im- ENGINE projects, curricula, learning portant instrument for improving the quality of teaching and acquiring new skills. In this respect, the 2017/18 objectives and contents of different academic year represented a conceptual phase in which degree programs are adapted to fit new measures were planned and implemented in order an international outlook. to make better use of internationalization.

The focus of the previous academic year was a survey both of the specifics of the individual degree programs The call for proposals 22 by the City of Vienna’s fund to and of the different realities of student lives (e.g. ex- support universities of applied sciences focused on the tra-occupational or distance study) in terms of interna- internationalization of teaching. Of the seven projects tionalization and partnerships with foreign universities. ultimately funded, four are being carried out at UAS To this end, in summer 2017 degree program discus- Technikum Wien, which adds considerable strength to sions were held with all degree programs during which the internationalization measures being carried out here. concrete partner universities, individual circumstances In the Health-CONNECT, IoCEST, StudyAtHome In- etc. were discussed. These discussions serve as a basis ternationally and ENGINE projects, curricula, learning for further measures. objectives and contents of different degree programs are adapted to fit an international outlook. Furthermore, The internationalization of degree programs at UAS some attention is paid to the accessibility of the adapted Technikum Wien is important for the development of educational offer, e.g. through virtual project teams. strategic partnerships with universities, as international degree programs increase the attractiveness for partner internationalization@home universities. More strategic partnerships mean greater mobility for employees and students. In addition, For a long time now, internationalization has not only internationalization@home (e.g. English-language been possible abroad, but also within “one’s own four courses for regular students or intercultural training for walls”. International learning setups and intercultural employees) will be expanded. experiences (such as exchanges with incoming students or language courses) play an important role here. Equally Internationalization of Curricula important, however, is that international students are able to cope with everyday life at the university (e.g. In the course of internationalization, the range of with the aid of English-language signage or newsletters). English-language courses is being expanded, which Work will continue on these aspects in the future. requires corresponding skills on the part of lecturers and students. Preparations have therefore been made for an English Teaching Certificate and an Intercultural Skills Certificate to be introduced in the 2018/19 academic year.

31 The International Week on The International Week on Building Engineering, Building Engineering, Energy Energy & Mobility was held at UAS Technikum Wien for & Mobility was held at UAS the third time already. Partner institutions from China, Mongolia, Portugal, France and Romania came together Technikum Wien for the third to discuss concepts in these areas. The program included time already. a visit to the energy park in Bruck an der Leitha, content-focused workshops and networking with regard to the organization of research.

With a delegation from Mid Sweden University, among other issues, a joint degree program was discussed which is due to start in the 2018/19 academic year. A large delegation also arrived from Lapland University of Applied Sciences, with the aim of creating a sustainable and comprehensive network between the two universities (beyond the exchange of individual lecturers).

Student and Employee Mobility

As in previous years, both As in previous years, both staff and students of UAS staff and students of UAS Technikum Wien demonstrate considerable interest in Technikum Wien show gaining experience of various kinds abroad. great interest in gaining 41 of the 221 business trips made by employees were experience of various kinds supported by Erasmus+. Although the total number of abroad. trips abroad increased, the number of Erasmus+ grants fell from 64 to 41. Of these 41, 16 were for teaching purposes and 25 for training purposes. The gender ratio is relatively balanced here. 17 women and 24 men visited universities in the Erasmus+ area. What is striking, however, is that only two female employees traveled for teaching purposes. A reverse gender ratio is noticeable when it comes to training mobility, with 15 women and 10 men leaving UAS Technikum Wien for this purpose. The comparatively high proportion of female staff members who travel can also be explained by the fact that administrative staff, who are more likely to be female in this field of activity than in teaching, can apply for funding for stays abroad and are also happy to take advantage of this offer, such as to attend language courses.

32 2016/17 2017/18

Outgoing employees 199 221

Incoming employees 73 63

Outgoing students 166 119

Incoming students 94 90

Institutional partnerships 84 85

• of which non-European 20% 22%

• of which European 80% 78%

The situation is reversed for the international guests 34 percent of all student mobility was undertaken by who visited UAS Technikum Wien in the 2017/18 female students in the 2017/18 academic year, compared academic year. While the number of visitors fell slightly with 28 percent in the previous year. from 73 to 63, the proportion of Erasmus+-funded students coming here rose from 30 to 48. As in the years The numbers of incoming students are similar to those before, visits for further education purposes outweighed of the previous year. 90 students from partner univer- those for teaching (29:19). However, the gap between sities around the world completed either a semester the sexes has widened significantly. While in the 2016/17 abroad or an internship at UAS Technikum Wien. It is academic year, exactly one third of the visitors were striking that the share of women has fallen compared to women, there were now only five compared to 48 men. the 2016/17 academic year. While 38 percent of incoming students were female during that period, this figure There has been a slight decline in the mobility of has now dropped to 30 percent. students at UAS Technikum Wien. While 166 students completed a semester or internship abroad in the 2016/17 academic year, only 119 did so in the 2017/18 academic year. However, there has been an increase in 90 students from partner the number of women who have decided to stay abroad. universities around the world completed either a semester abroad or an internship at UAS Technikum Wien.

33 Beyond the Borders of Europe: University Mobility in the Context of Erasmus+

Key action 1 (individual learning mobility) of the European Com- mission's Erasmus+ program has, since 2015, included the Erasmus university mobility spin-off of theInternational Credit Mobility (ICM). This promotes student and staff mobility in the higher education sector between program and partner countries around the world, and has thus enabled UAS Technikum Wien to exchange and transfer knowledge with international partners since the beginning of the activity in 2015.

While the submission in 2015 was made in cooperation with the The cooperation with these National Research University Higher School of Economics in Russia four partner countries, which and the Mongolian University of Science and Technology in Mongolia, was supported by the 2016 which since then have been a fixed part of the annual application, this project, had a number of was soon expanded by the existing partnerships with the Instituto Tecnologico de Buenos Aires in Argentina and the China Three Gorges significant effects on the University in China. international landscape of UAS Technikum Wien, The cooperation with these four partner countries, which was including the development supported by the 2016 project, had a number of significant effects on of transnational curricula the international landscape of UAS Technikum Wien, including the development of transnational curricula in the form of joint degree in the form of joint degree programs with Russia and Argentina, student projects on urban de- programs with Russia and velopment in Ulan Bator with Mongolia, or the presentation of joint Argentina. research results at congresses, such as the one at the BauZ Exhibition in January 2018 with Chinese partners of UAS Technikum Wien.

The cooperation is reflected in a variety of topics at UAS Technikum Wien, including the area of Information Systems Management and Information Systems, Mobile eyetracking for usability evaluation and sustainable building and sustainable urban development. In addition to the technical topics, it also includes, for example, the introduction of gender mainstreaming to the everyday life of partner universities. The highlight of each academic year for the students of UAS Technikum Wien, who within the framework of the joint degree program with Moscow study for one year at HSE, is the graduation, which is now celebrated at the Austrian Embassy.

In the course of the first round of the project, the first specific international week of UAS Technikum Wien was developed on the topic of Building and Energy Design &

34 Engineering and Environmental Technologies with partners from the project. This exchange now takes place every year and offers added value to the existing network of UAS Technikum Wien.

The program has been instrumental in the development of strategic partnerships over the years between the four partner countries China, Mongolia, Russia and Argen- tina. The project involved staff ranging from university management and teaching to IT and gender/diversity management. After their travels, they received the Erasmus+ Mobility pass as a sign of recognition from the university. This underscores, among other things, the value placed on acquiring non-formal skills, such as intercultural competence or learning a new language.

The project in 2016 enabled 22 students, 15 staff and 11 teachers to travel to and from the four partner countries and, at the end of the project, 100 percent of the partic- The program has been instrumental ipants were satisfied. In addition to the visible effects of in the development of strategic the project, this was one of the reasons why this project partnerships over the years between of UAS Technikum Wien was selected among the three best for the Erasmus+ Award 2018 in the category of the four partner countries China, higher education. Mongolia, Russia and Argentina.

Since 2015, the ICM project has been supporting the international measures of UAS Technikum Wien, en- riching the international landscapes of all participating universities, and has become an integral part of UAS Technikum Wien and its focus on internationalization.

35 Development of student numbers

2014–15 3827

2015-16 3973 2016-17 4093

2017-18 4180 Teaching

In the 2017/18 academic year, 13 bachelor’s and 18 master’s degree programs were offered in four different organizational forms (full-time, extra-occupational, dual and distance study) at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien.

Full-time / Extra- occupational Degree program Type Semester Study places / Dual / Distance study

Biomedical Engineering Ba 6 FT 80

Biomedical Engineering Sciences Ma 4 FT 20

EO 60 Electronics and Business Ba 6 DS 30

Electronic Engineering BA 6 FT 40

Embedded Systems MA 4 EO 35

Renewable Urban Energy Systems MA 4 EO 35

Game Engineering and Simulation MA 4 FT 20

Healthcare and Rehabilitation Technology MA 4 FT 30

Industrial Electronics MA 4 EO 20

FT 70 Computer Science BA 6 DUAL 30

BA 6 EO 60 Information and Communication Systems & Services

Information Management and IT Security MA 4 EO 40

Innovation and Technology Management MA 4 EO 35

Integrative Urban Development – Smart City MA 4 EO 30

International Business and Engineering BA 6 EO 75

International Business and Engineering MA 4 EO 60

38 New and Improved Degree Programs The first dual computer science course of study was also launched in Austria in the 2017/18 academic year, This In the 2017/18 academic year, the master’s program is an attractive, practice-based study model to meet the in Mechanical Engineering was launched. The new strong demand for study places in computer science master’s program is designed to provide students with degrees. In contrast to the full-time form, the “dual” the know-how they need to cope with the increasing form of organization has a significantly higher number digitalization of mechanical engineering. The focus of mandatory practical phases in partner companies of this study program is on developing machinery and anchored in the curriculum in terms of content and or- plants, starting from coming up with ideas and prepar- ganization, that are intended to promote the systematic ing drafts in a structured way down to the construction, interweaving of knowledge and application, theory and calculation and simulation thereof. Graduates should practice, abstraction and problem. be able to understand, organize, plan and manage this entire development process in the various sectors of mechanical engineering.

Full-time / Extra- occupational Degree program Type Semester Study places / Dual / Distance study

Mechanical Engineering BA 6 FT 55

Mechanical Engineering MA 4 FT 35

Mechatronics/Robotics BA 6 FT 60

FT 20 Mechatronics/Robotics MA 4 EO 20

Smart Homes and Assistive Technologies BA 6 FT 30

Software Development MA 4 EO 35

Sports Equipment Technology BA 6 FT 50

Sports Equipment Technology MA 4 FT 30

Environmental Management and Ecotoxicology MA 4 EO 35

Telecommunications and Internet Technologies MA 4 EO 35

Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine MA 4 EO 35

Urban Renewable Energy Technologies BA 6 FT 75

Transport and Environment BA 6 FT 40

FT 45 Business Informatics BA 6 EO 45

Business Informatics MA 4 EO 50

39 Since the master’s program in Innovation and Tech- nology Management promotes interdisciplinarity and diversity in a targeted manner, and also benefits from a heterogeneous student population, the FH teaching board (FH-Kollegium) agreed in December 2016 to broaden the admission requirements for the master’s The final reports of the evaluation procedures, which program from the 2017/18 academic year. also contain measures for the further development of the degree programs, were dealt with by the UAS Techni- On the basis of a university-level understanding of qual- kum Wien council in May 2018. The measures are being ity and the quality objectives of UAS Technikum Wien in planned and implemented by the Quality Assurance the area of studying and teaching, the bachelor’s degree service department together with the degree programs, program in Computer Science and the master’s degree with the timeframe depending on the scope of the programs in Information Management & Computer changes (minor changes to the study regulations, which Security, Software Development and Game Engineering can be decided autonomously by the program director; & Simulation underwent an evaluation process in the non-minor changes, which are decided by the FH teach- 2017/18 academic year, which comprises the phases of ing board; and changes requiring accreditation, which planning, surveying, documentation, evaluation and im- result in an amendment application to be submitted to plementation. The quality objectives of UAS Technikum AQ Austria). Wien in the field of studying and teaching are:

• Students reach the level of education associated The steady increase in the with the qualification goals (feasibility) during the number of students in recent standard study period. years continued. • The curriculum meets scientific and professional requirements. • The conditions and organization of the degree programs are effective and support the achieve- Students ment of the educational objectives. • The courses initiate, accompany and support The continuous increase in the number of students in the learning processes of students to achieve the recent years continued and reached 4,180 in the 2017/18 learning outcomes. academic year. Both the ratio between full-time and ex- • The lecturers are technically up-to-date and qual- tra-occupational study programs and the proportion of ified as higher-education teachers. women in these degree formats underwent only minor changes compared with previous years. The quality objectives are not standards and criteria that the degree programs must comply with and which result Due to the continuing rise in demand for technical in a yes or no decision. By using various instruments training and further education, the UAS accepted and methods (online surveys of students, graduates more students in the 2017/18 academic year than there and teachers; statistical evaluations, occupational field were study places available (subsidized from federal research, expert workshops), it is evaluated how good funds). These additional study places are provided for the degree programs are in achieving the quality objec- in accordance with the available budget and without tives. The underlying question is therefore not: “Are we impacting the consistently high quality of education at good enough?” but: “How good are we?” This finding the university. is used to derive measures for the further development of the degree programs, serving as a kind of continuous Total number of students improvement process.

4.180

4.093

3.973

3.827

2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

40 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Total students 3,827 3,973 4,093 4,180

Full-time students 1,795 47% 1,875 47% 1,958 48% 2,146 51%

• Full-time female students 322 18% 337 18% 362 18% 412 19%

Extra-occupational students 2,032 53% 2,098 53% 2,135 52% 2,034 49%

• Extra-occupational female students 316 16% 360 17% 387 18% 344 17%

Female Students as networking. In the summer semester, for example, a meeting was held at Siemens Building Technologies on The proportion of female students has risen slightly in the premises of Siemens City. line with the trend of recent years. Currently, just over 18 percent of all students are female. UAS Technikum Wien Working as well as studying with supervision duties has taken several measures to introduce more women are strongly influenced by the general conditions at the to technology and technical fields of study and to create university. At UAS Technikum Wien, we work contin- framework conditions that specifically support female uously to further the study/family/career balance. UAS students. Congresses and events such as the Daughter Technikum Wien has been entitled to hold the certificate Days or the FiT Study Information Fair are used to spe- “Family-friendly University” since 2014 and, in fall 2017, cifically address female school-leavers and inform them the certificate was again issued and awarded by the audit about technical training opportunities (see the chapter board of trustees (Audit-Kuratorium). Five measures on Relational Capital). have already been implemented, with a further six still or partially outstanding. One measure, for example, The measure implemented over the past five academic is the expansion of childcare facilities for students and years to increase the share of women among students employees on school-free working days and during the as part of the “Women in Crafts and Technology” (FiT) first week of school holidays. program was continued in the 2017/18 academic year with two preparatory courses. The participants are spe- ProjectKitchen, the MakerSpace of UAS Technikum cially prepared for the Smart Homes and Assistive Tech- Wien, organized a series of workshops in cooperation nologies as well as Computer Science bachelor programs. with Mz*Baltazar's Lab (Vienna's feminist creative space for hackers and others). In these “hands-on” workshops, Whether girls and young women opt for a technical both technical basics and a creative and artistic exam- course or a technical degree also depends on wheth- ination of the implications of technology were dealt er there are corresponding role models. “EUR 1,000 with, with artists and lecturers from Mz* Baltazar's Lab instead of flowers” is the title of a growing cooperation working together with the participants with electronics, with the Association of the Austrian Electrical and sounds and other media. The workshop series started Electronics Industries (FEEI). On the one hand, six with a lecture by Dr. Stefanie Wuschitz on the work of scholarships are awarded every year to excellent female Mz* Baltazar's Lab, their own definition of the term students to bring women who perform outstandingly in “feminist hacking”, the worldwide phenomenon of the technical field into the spotlight. Secondly, events for feminist hacker spaces and the planned collaboration of female students and graduates are held at various tech- ProjectKitchen and Mz* Baltazar's Lab. nical companies under the title “Network meetings EUR 1,000 instead of flowers”. The content of these meetings is to get to know the company and provide input on topics concerning women in technology in particular, as well Currently, just over 18 percent of all students are female.

41 Students with Foreign Citizenship as many people of Chinese origin as people of German origin studied at UAS Technikum Wien. The number of The trend towards an increasingly international student students from India and the Ukraine, on the other hand, body at UAS Technikum Wien is continuing. The has declined significantly in recent years. Particularly proportion of students from the EU rose again for the noteworthy is the fact that an increasing number of first time, while that of students from third countries, foreign students coming to UAS Technikum Wien are which had increased in recent years, remained the same. female. 30 percent of all female students have a foreign Germany still plays the most important role when it citizenship, compared to 20 percent of all male students. comes to individual countries of origin. However, the The internationalization of the degree programs, which number of students from the People’s Republic of China was decided on and started in the past few years, offers has sharply increased: In the 2017/18 academic year, half these foreign students, among others, additional opportunities to study at UAS Technikum Wien.

2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Proportion of students with foreign 16% 18% 20% 22% citizenship

• of which EU 8% 7% 8% 10%

• of which third countries 8% 11% 12% 12%

Proportion of female students with for- 24% 26% 28% 30% eign citizenship Proportion of male students with foreign 15% 16% 18% 20% citizenship

Nations represented 78 82 84 82

Germany China Iran Turkey

Students in 2015/16 142 51 46 32

Students in 2016/17 166 83 56 43

Students in 2017/18 209 114 73 57

Students by Type of School

There were no major changes compared to previous years with regard to the previous education of students at UAS Technikum Wien. Graduates of a vocational high school (BHS) continue to represent the largest group of students. The second-biggest group is made up of graduates from a high school providing general education (AHS). More than 70 percent of all students come from one of these types of schools. While female students increasingly start at UAS Technikum Wien after graduating from a general high school, male students mainly come from vocational high schools.

42 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Prior education total female total female total female

BHS (incl. college) 1,664 10% 1,769 10% 1,751 10%

AHS 1,199 27% 1,203 28% 1,310 28%

Foreign school-leaving exam- 598 25% 579 21% 580 24% ination Other domestic university 283 8% 317 7% 279 10% entrance examination

Professional qualification 61 1% 74 1% 79 1%

Others 229 16% 225 18% 186 19%

2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Access to master’s degree total female total female total female

UAS bachelor 887 15% 899 15% 914 15%

University bachelor 244 34% 266 38% 251 37%

UAS master 52 27% 46 24% 43 30%

University master (and 118 33% 95 40% 68 44% higher)

Post-secondary degree 4 0% 9 22% 8 38%

Others 14 21% 14 71% 8 38%

Total UAS degrees 939 16% 945 15% 957 15%

Total bachelor’s degrees 1,131 19% 1,165 20% 1,165 19%

In the course of the admission procedure for a bachelor’s Master’s Students after Completion of degree program, it is possible to take a qualification Academic Degree examination. This additional examination is not a generally valid university entrance examination, but it The vast majority of all master’s students at UAS Techni- enables the student to acquire a qualification for a certain kum Wien have a bachelor’s degree. Most of them have course of study at UAS Technikum Wien. For this, it is in turn graduated from universities of applied sciences, necessary to complete a relevant apprenticeship, a voca- even though the share of students with a bachelor’s de- tional secondary school (BMS) or three years at a higher gree from a university has increased in the last few years. technical school (HTL).. Qualification examinations are Female students are more likely to have a university de- a common way of being admitted to a degree program gree (bachelor’s, master’s, or higher) than male students. without a “Matura” (Austrian school-leaving exam). They must be taken in the subjects of German, English and Mathematics as well as in Physics for individual degree programs. For some years, UAS Technikum Wien has been offering preparatory courses in mathematics, physics, English, and German to prepare potential students for the qualification exam. This path, which several dozen prospective students successfully follow every year, has established itself as an additional opportunity to enable people with a technical background but without a Matura to attend a technical degree program.

43 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Applications Admitted Applications Admitted Applications Admitted

Bachelor’s degree programs 1,950 1,304 1,968 1,266 2,098 1,337

Master’s degree programs 1,012 816 928 791 970 776

Total 2,962 2,120 2,896 2,057 3,068 2,113

Share of admissions 72% 71% 69%

2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Admission rate of female students 59% 61% 61%

• to bachelor’s degree programs 53% 51% 55%

• to master’s degree programs 71% 82% 73%

Graduates

A total of some 11,000 students have completed their studies at UAS Technikum Wien so far. While the number of bachelor’s and master’s degrees is roughly the same as two academic years ago, the number of certificate courses increased sharply during this period (at A total of 11,000 students have a comparatively low level) from 38 to 125. At almost 50 completed their studies at UAS percent, the proportion of female graduates in the certifi- Technikum Wien so far. cate courses is considerably higher than in bachelor’s or master’s degrees.

Applicants

For the first time, there were more than 3,000 applicants (i.e. prospective students who took an entrance exam) for a degree program at UAS Technikum Wien, of which two thirds were bachelor degree programs. There were also nearly 200 new participants in courses. The admission rate, especially to bachelor degree programs, has declined over the last few academic years, with the number of study places not keeping pace with the interest in studies at UAS Technikum Wien. Whereas in 2015/16, 67 percent of all those interested were admitted to a bachelor’s degree program, the figure was just under 64 percent in 2017/18.

For female students, there is a considerable difference between the enrolment rate in bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. The admission rate to bachelor’s degree programs is lower, but has risen in recent years.

44 Reflection: Understanding in higher education teaching

By FH-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Martin Lehner Head of Department of Entrepreneurship and Communications

Virtually no other didactic consideration is as popular procedure – once a principle or the like is introduced, as the statement that one wants to enable students to only one example is shown and the students then work understand. Put another way: Students should not only on tasks – is often not very effective. It is better if they have memorized knowledge available, but should also work on two or more examples, gradually developing have understood and comprehended it. “Understanding” them, in order to then work on tasks comprehensively refers to comprehending and grasping something or and independently. It is known that students can be grasping facts, and this process of interpretation is then given support to understand the examples using what reflected in the fact that the students know or are able to are known as prompts (key questions, requests) to do something. In addition, they are able to give expla- become aware of the logic of the solution to the example. nations themselves, which at best support an expanded In particular, learners can gain a lot from solution exam- understanding of their own or of others. Understanding ples if they are able to fill the gaps in reasoning through is characterized by certain features: conclusions. There are other transformations that support and prove the understanding in equal measure. • Integration into existing knowledge: Under- These include, for instance: standing means that the new information fits harmoniously into the existing knowledge. Links • Capturing structures: Display content in the form are created between what is known and new con- of a structural scheme or a mind map; cepts, thereby expanding the individual patterns • Creating classifications: Bring contents (key- of interpretation of the person concerned. words, arguments, formulas) into a coherent • Standards of understanding: Understanding order; always means the same as “understanding • Determining what is important: Bring content “to correctly” without the need to expressly state so. the point”; This means that it would not make much sense to • Simplifying the facts: Prepare content for a target speak of insight without reference to a measure of group with little previous knowledge. understanding – usually “correctness” or “truth”. • Transformation: Understanding is basically a holistic matter because if someone understands a certain fact (= X), then he or she understands similar facts in an area around X as well. All forms of application and transfer are suitable to determine understanding.

Understanding can be promoted by the fact that the students develop certain connections for themselves. This applies to both the inner context, the factual basis of understanding, and the outer context, i.e. the embed- ding of the contents in a wider context. Learning from examples is often a good way of promoting an initial understanding. Here the research shows that the usual

45 TLC – Teaching and Learning Center

The new service center of UAS Technikum Wien is innovative, digital and competent.

In the 2017/18 academic year, the Teaching & Learn- ing Center was founded as one of the measures of the 2025 strategy of UAS Technikum Wien to serve as a new service point for teachers and students. The aim is to further improve the quality of teaching and learning processes, bundle competencies and create synergies. In addition, a greater level of digitalization in teaching activities is intended to allow for more flexible and individual learning in terms of time in order to meet the changing demands being made of learning and teaching. Another central focus is on supporting students with their own studies.

Services offered in the 2017/18 academic year

... for students

The TLC offers numerous support services for prospective and current students. These include, for example, all activities related to “Studying without Matura”. Qualification courses in German, English, mathematics and physics prepare applicants who do not have a Matura for the qualification examinations offered by UAS Technikum Wien. If these examinations are passed, it is possible to attend a degree program at UAS Technikum Wien in the chosen field of study, provided that the entrance exam (Reihungstest) to be taken during the admission procedure has been successfully passed.

During the summer break, all freshmen have the opportunity to attend warm-up courses in mathematics, physics, computer science, electrical engineering, English and German. These are free of charge and help first-semester students to refresh their knowledge in the individual areas in order to make a better start to their studies.

In addition to these offers, the blended learning plat- forms for mathematics and physics support self-study with examples, scripts and learning videos.

46 The TLC staff are also available to answer any questions students may have about problems with the Moodle learning platform used at UAS Technikum Wien.

We are constantly working on expanding our services. From the 2018 winter semester, for example, Welcome Days will be held for all first-year bachelor students, familiarizing them with the general surroundings, structures, examination regulations, etc. at the UAS and thus given them a smoother start to their studies.

... for lecturers

The service for lecturers is also constantly being expanded. The work in this academic year focused particularly on overhauling and further developing the Moodle learning platform. It was made more functional, given a make-over and had an example course set up with numerous learning videos about working in and with Moodle.

Numerous Moodle training courses – from beginner courses to advanced level – were held by the TLC team for teachers as well as administration staff. The didactics retreat of the Vice Rectorate for Teaching was actively supported with a sequence on how to record teaching videos in a simple way. Numerous teachers were also personally coached for their actual work in and with Moodle and given support to solve special problems.

There was continuous filming work being performed in the newly created eLab to create further learning videos using a modern interactive smartboard. The aim here is to provide students with meaningful support with their learning, especially during periods of self-study far away from the University of Applied Sciences. The focus of this academic year was on mathematics.

In this academic year, the TLC also initiated the first standardizations in the field of courses in interdisciplinary areas such as soft skills, English, as well as economics and law.

47 Students 4180 Employees 1155 Research and Development

In recent years, there has been alternation between growth and phases of consolidation.

50 A Summary of R&D Developments

Looking at the number and total volume of R&D projects over the last five years, significant increases alternated with years of consolidation. From 2014/15 to 2015/16, the total volume remained almost the same, rising by almost one million euros in the following year. In the 2017/18 academic year, it remained roughly at this higher level again, with only a slight increase. The same also applies to the number of R&D projects carried out at UAS Technikum Wien.

2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Total number of projects 64 82 91 115 118

New projects 26 37 42 64 63

Total volume (EUR million) 3.5 4.7 4.6 5.5 5.8

Total third-party funding (EUR million) 2.7 3.5 3.4 4.2 4.4

• from orders (EUR million) 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.6

• from subsidies (EUR million) 2.6 3.2 3.2 3.8 3.9

Number of R&D projects Volume of R&D projects (Mio. Euro)

118 5,8 115 6 5,5

5 4,7 91 4,6

4 3,5 64

3 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

51 Funding Structure and Outlook

As in previous years, the majority of third-party funded projects of UAS Technikum Wien are financed by the Vienna programme for funding universities of applied science (Wiener Fachhochschulförderung). In the 2017/18 academic year, this represented 62 percent of third-party R&D funding or 66 percent of the volume of all third-party funded projects. A further 28 percent of third-party funding came from the Austrian Research 90 percent of all third-party Promotion Agency (FFG) this academic year. In the area R&D funding from grants in the of EU funding, again no application was approved in 2017/18 academic year came Horizon 2020 despite several attempts during the academic year, which means that the share of international from the City of Vienna or the research projects at UAS Technikum Wien remains low. FFG. R&D at UAS Technikum Wien still takes place mainly in rather small projects (volume below EUR 100,000) or very large ones (volume above EUR 400,000). Only a small proportion of projects have a volume in between these two amounts. Small projects (such as commissioned projects, innovation checks and FFG qualification networks) account for a total of 19 percent of the total volume, despite their small volumes. Very large projects (such as projects of the City of Vienna or the Christian- Doppler-Gesellschaft) account for 71 percent of the total volume.

Slightly less than half of all funded projects take place in cooperation with partners. Cooperation with companies that are involved in 40 percent of all funded projects, above all in FFG-funded projects, remains particularly strong.

Given the Austrian and international funding landscape, a sharp increase in research output at UAS Technikum Wien is not to be expected in the coming years. For several years now, the City of Vienna's funding program for universities of applied sciences, which accounts for the majority of third-party funding for R&D, has had an approximately constant overall budget, which restricts the opportunities for growth in R&D.

52 Current Topics and Developments

Josef Ressel Centers are funding models in which An important area of research work is the dissemination application-oriented research is carried out at a high of results through lectures or publications. The newly level over several years in cooperation with business launched publication database of UAS Technikum Wien partners. In 2017, a total of eleven of these centers is intended to provide a more comprehensive and accu- existed at Austrian universities of applied sciences. The rate picture of publication activities. In the 2017/18 aca- first Josef Ressel Center at UAS Technikum Wien, which demic year, 101 publications were published by research- was funded from 2013 to 2018, was concluded in this ers of UAS Technikum Wien, of which about half were academic year. It was possible to obtain approval for a publications in the context of conferences and slightly further center based in the Embedded Systems research more than a third were articles in scientific journals. This focal area, which will enable a further long-term re- roughly corresponds to the number of publications in search perspective there. the 2016/17 academic year. Furthermore, 98 scientific lectures were held by researchers of UAS Technikum The internationalization of teaching at UAS Technikum Wien in the 2017/18 academic year. Wien is an important topic for the coming years. In the past academic year, several externally funded projects With its startup initiative “Start me up”, UAS Tech- funded by the City of Vienna were launched in which nikum Wien would like to give students, employees, international cooperation was established, and curric- alumni and all other interested parties an incentive to ula and didactic methods were developed for specific pursue entrepreneurial thinking and innovation, the aim subject areas. The “IoCEST” project, for example, deals here being, among other things, to make students more with the internationalization of curricula in areas such attractive to employers and to facilitate the transfer of as engineering and environmental technologies, while knowledge into the economy. As such, UAS Technikum “Health-CONNECT” aims to harmonize learning Wien offers support to interested parties and all those objectives and content in the field of eHealth through who already have innovative business ideas. In fall 2016, an exchange with partner universities in Portugal and events and workshops were launched in which experts Germany. On the one hand, this makes the degree talk about what it takes to set up a company successfully. programs of UAS Technikum Wien more attractive for Moreover, anyone looking to set up their own business international students, and on the other hand, the qual- is given support from mentors of UAS Technikum Wien. ifications that students achieve here are more relevant The aim is to help startups on an individual basis and to for international use. take advantage of partnerships, e.g. with INiTS, Vienna Business Agency, etc. There has been contact with Requirements for technical research increasingly go around 30 internal and external startups since summer beyond purely technical knowledge. Funding bodies 2016, which have been supported in various ways. For are increasingly demanding the integration of trans- example, UAS Technikum Wien provides coaching and disciplinary approaches, and for research to have an infrastructure services to the successful IoT startup economic or social use. In the 2017/18 academic year, ToolSense, which was founded by students of the uni- further education courses were again held for research- versity. All in all, UAS Technikum Wien has become a ers on these topics, and these are to be further inten- visible player in this field over the past year and has also sified in the 2018/19 academic year. In order to offer built up its own lively community. researchers working at UAS Technikum a qualification beyond the master's program, a dissertation cooperation with Vienna University of Technology has been set up as of the 2018/19 academic year. This allows students to complete doctoral studies at Vienna University of Technology, where part of the supervision takes place at UAS Technikum Wien. Further partnerships of this kind with universities outside Austria are planned for the next academic year.

53 Organization of R&D at UAS Technikum Wien safety requirements must be much more robust than in everyday applications. From May 2013 to April 2018, the The strategic research activities of UAS Technikum team of the Department of Embedded Systems at the Wien are organized via the interdepartmental research Josef Ressel Center VECS (“Verification of Embedded focal areas: Computing Systems”) dealt with the verification of em- • Embedded Systems and Cyber-Physical Systems bedded computer systems for such safety-critical appli- • Renewable Urban Energy Systems cations. In cooperation with Bluetechnix R&D GmbH, • Secure Services, eHealth & Mobility LOYTEC electronics GmbH, Infineon Technologies • Tissue Engineering and Molecular Life Science Austria AG, Siemens AG Österreich, Kapsch TrafficCom Technologies AG and Oregano Systems GmbH, new approaches for • Automation and Robotics the verification of embedded systems, both at the hardware and software level, were jointly researched. During Embedded Systems and Cyber-Physical Systems the five-year period of the center, around 30 scientific publications were produced documenting the results Embedded Systems and Cyber-Physical Systems rep- of the project. Finally, an open source tool suite was resent the largest relevance-oriented research area at developed that helps develop systems that react more UAS Technikum Wien. Located at the Department of robustly to faults and errors. This tool suite is called FIJI Embedded Systems, this research focal area includes the (“Fault-Injection Instrumenter”). two basic technological fields of “testing and verification of distributed embedded computer systems” and “design “What we have developed is a framework that can spe- of embedded computer systems” as well as “smart home cifically intersperse errors in programmable logic devices and assistive technologies” applications. Another area (so-called FPGAs – Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) in in the environment of the “Internet of Things” (IoT) order to analyze the effects of errors on system behav- is currently under construction within the institute. ior,” says Martin Horauer, who headed the Josef Ressel Research activities are generally concerned with the Center VECS between 2013 and 2018. “When develop- development and expansion of competencies, but also ing safety-critical systems, one tries to subject them to with the utilization of the results for academic teaching a certain stress. FIJI helps developers to think about the in relevant degree programs at UAS Technikum Wien errors that can happen while the system is being built, as well as researching current issues in cooperation with and to develop a more robust system.” By publishing industry. An example of the latter activities is the “Josef FIJI under an open source license on the VECS project Ressel Center” funding program, in which universities of website, other academic institutions, companies, and applied sciences carry out “application-oriented research individuals around the world can not only use the tool at a high level” with Austrian companies, according to suite, but also continue to develop it by having access to the definition of the Christian Doppler Forschungs- the entire source code. gesellschaft (CDG). Two proposals of the Department of Embedded Systems have successfully undergone the In 2017, a proposal for another Josef Ressel Center, international scientific review process to date and were which was partly linked to VECS, was prepared by considered worthy of support by the committees of the the Department of Embedded Systems, which was CDG. approved in spring 2018 and opened on July 1, 2018. The institutes's new Josef Ressel Center focuses on the Modern electronics have substantially changed our lives: development of “Electronic Based Systems”: The team Cabin pressure control in aircraft, railway signalling at the new center again will cooperate with Austrian systems, brake control in cars – electronics under high companies.

The Josef Ressel Center funding program has been What we have developed is a around since 2012. As of October 2018, 14 Josef Ressel framework that can specifically Centers have since been set up in Austria. The only two intersperse errors in programmable centers established to date in Vienna are both located at logic devices to analyze the effect the Department of Embedded Systems at UAS Techni- of errors on system behavior.

54 kum Wien, which was transferred to the new Electronic With the “Clean Energy for all Europeans” package, the Engineering Department at the end of the 2017/18 EU presented a very ambitious proposal for our future period. energy system two years ago. In the future, so-called “Renewable Energy Communities” or “Citizen Energy Renewable Urban Energy Systems Communities” are to offer prosumers and consumers the opportunity to make a contribution to energy system The transition of the energy system towards a sustain- transformation by making joint use of self-generated enable supply system has made great progress in recent ergy, as well as through investments in joint generation years thanks to intensive research and development and storage facilities. activities, particularly in the field of technology. Re- newable generation technologies such as wind power In the “awarenESS” research project, the feasibility and photovoltaics have established themselves on the of a community storage facility for rural communities market and, together with conventional renewable gen- is being investigated using the specific example of eration technologies such as large-scale and small-scale Großschönau. A key aspect here is the development of hydropower, make a relevant contribution to sustainable suitable management, cooperation and accounting mod- electricity and heat generation. Given the rising number els that enable all participants to participate fairly, on an of private, decentralized, fluctuating energy gener- equal footing, and in accordance with their individual ation plants in combination with electricity storage, possibilities and usage preferences, while at the same an increasing share of e-mobility and the increasing time taking into account their individual requirements electrification of building heating systems, the energy and interests. system faces major challenges, the complexity of which will continue to grow from today’s perspective. In order Based on ideas regarding energy communities, the to guarantee security of supply with maximum energy research project “Zukunftsquartier” aims to develop efficiency and a high proportion of renewable energy transferable concepts for plus-energy neighborhoods as sources in the future, our energy system must therefore substantial preparatory work to implement an energy undergo a fundamental transformation in the coming showcase district in Vienna. By analyzing a larger num- years, taking into account the rising level of digitaliza- ber of neighborhoods and developing recommendations tion, current social developments, and changing frame- for action (e.g. for the planning process, for technology work conditions and requirements. At the same time, combinations and for stakeholder involvement), the new innovative technological (e.g. blockchain, artificial project is intended to be an important initiator and intelligence) and systemic developments and achieve- pioneer for the realization of future innovative energy ments open up new opportunities to jointly address showcase neighborhoods in Vienna and other cities. these challenges at local or regional level. In view of the developments mentioned at the begin- In order to meet these challenges, an interdisciplinary ning, flexible energy consumption is becoming increas- team of researchers at UAS Technikum Wien within the ingly important both in industry and in the private research focal area Renewable Energy Systems deals sector. In the “Flex+” project, concepts are being devel- with topics in this context at different levels. In close oped together with component manufacturers, energy cooperation with university and non-university research suppliers and other research institutions, and tested in institutions, as well as in cooperation with the energy real-life situations with more than 100 private house- industry and Austrian companies, the experts of the holds in Austria. The aim is to develop the flexibility of R&D focal area were involved in more than 25 national private heat pumps, electric boilers, battery storage and and European research and training projects in a leading electric cars and to use them for network and system capacity in 2017/18. Leading roles in national and inter- purposes. national expert networks – such as the deputy head of the photovoltaic research program of the International The “SPIN.OFF” research project shows that electricity Energy Agency (IEA) – are in the hands of the experts storage facilities in the private sector and in businesses of the R&D focal area, as are the scientific management can make an active contribution to relieving the burden and co-designing of various specialist conferences. on the grid. Together with the Vienna University of

55 Various socially acceptable and environmentally friendly scenarios for a flexible urban energy system digital medical documentation using the CDA standard will be developed. (commissions from, among others, the Austrian Medical Association or PVA). As such, patients have full control and overview over their data at all times and from any Technology and other project partners, a self-learning location. energy management system based on an artificial neural network is being developed and tested in an office build- For the success of digitalization, interdisciplinary ing in Vienna to reduce load and generation peaks. cooperation is seen as the key to success. An important aspect is promoting cooperation between IT experts and However, a decisive factor for the long-term success specialists with specialist knowledge in order to generate of these mostly technical developments is their social promising ideas and develop innovative solutions. acceptance. In the “sLIM - Smart Living in Urban Me- Since its inception, the research focus “Secure Services, tropolis” project, funded by the City of Vienna, different eHealth & Mobility” has consciously being promoting approaches to make the urban energy system more flex- this aspect by way of the fact that employees of UAS ible are being developed. However, the focus here is not Technikum Wien working together in research teams so much on the technical potential as on the social and across departments. This can also be seen in current environmental effects. Various socially acceptable and projects such as HealthConnect, IES Austria, REHA- environmentally friendly scenarios for a flexible urban Bitation or GreisslerPLUS, in which knowledge from energy system are being developed against the back- information and communication technology, biomedi- ground of important trends in the fields of environment, cine, electronics, electrical engineering and mechanics technology and society. is applied.

Secure Services, eHealth & Mobility Another interdisciplinary project is the Innovation Lab for Medical Technology and eHealth (INNOVATE), the Improving quality of life, promoting innovation and aim of which is to provide an easy-to-use technological conserving resources: these are the strategic long-term basis on which data protection-compliant, easy-to- goals of the Smart City framework strategy, which use eHealth solutions can be developed, even without aims to ensure that the city of Vienna retains its status high-level specialist knowledge. The project is current- as the most livable city up to 2050 and to improve its ly investigating the quality requirements for mobile reputation as an innovative city. Digital transformation applications that can be found in both the medical and constantly offers new innovative processes, models and lifestyle sectors. Firstly, quality aspects from classical developments to achieve these goals using the latest software development were examined for their relevance technologies, and is therefore a central factor in achiev- to mobile applications, filtered out and consolidated ing them. Digitalization makes it possible to create by means of expert interviews. The result was that demand-oriented and efficient care structures in order interoperability and secure services were highlighted to promote healthy and climate-friendly mobility, and as the most important aspects. Following on from this, to continuously improve the provision of healthcare to specifications, guidelines and communication standards citizens. In the field of eHealth, for example, it helps re- were collected and selected on the basis of previously duce the number of hospital stays through interoperable defined criteria in order to implement two application telemonitoring systems in accordance with the telemon- cases as Android prototypes for validation. The resulting itoring framework architecture of the Federal Ministry of applications and the collected quality criteria are used for Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection teaching purposes in various degree programs. developed by UAS Technikum Wien. Another example are rehabilitation concepts that are supported by IT solutions in the personal environment, such as those developed and tested in the REHAbitation research For the success of digitalization, project. With a view to data transparency and increas- interdisciplinary cooperation is ing the health awareness of patients, the research focus seen as the key to success. can boast a large number of projects for the creation of

56 Another aspect of digitalization is the major relevance of the preparation of data used, because only “smart data” can enable the digital transformation to lead to increased efficiency in processes and new market models. In order to process unstructured data, and to analyze and use them based on approaches from the field of artificial intelligence, they must first be made interoperable and exchangeable. Interoperability of data and systems in the context of medical information systems has been a core topic of the “Secure Services, eHealth & Mobility” research focus for years.

However, the requirements for interoperable data and systems are not limited to the medical sector. The Integrating the Energy System (IES) research project investigates and demonstrates how harmonization processes for standardized data transmission from a medical setting can be transferred to the energy world and applied there. For this purpose, use cases were defined with stakeholders from the energy environment and this requirement was technologically implemented using profiles. The use cases include the communication of measured variables from energy components in the field to a central control unit, the transmission of schedules (performance specifications to be fullfilled in the future), as well as the adjustment of system configurations. These three profiles were implemented by project partners and external companies, and validated by means of interoperability and conformity tests. The test software Gazelle from the field of eHealth was adapted, reconfig- ured and embedded into the IT infrastructure of UAS Technikum Wien. Participation in the European IHE Connectathon 2018 in The Hague can be seen as a pre- liminary highlight, where early software solutions based on the defined profiles were tested. Another such event will take place at Energybase in January 2019 to enable software manufacturers to conduct quality-assured, internationally recognized interoperability tests.

57 Tissue Engineering and Molecular Life In the fields of tissue engineering Science Technologies and regenerative therapies, techniques that allow the The research activities of the Biochemical Engineering Institute (at the end of the 2017/18 observation period, replacement of injured or destroyed it was merged into the new Department of Life Science tissue in patients are being further Engineering) use molecular life science technology developed and optimized. concepts and the basic science of biochemistry. This ap- proach makes it possible to investigate potential threats to the environment and human health. biochemical mode of action of shock waves in order to be able to recommend optimized courses of treatment to In the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative thera- the clinic. pies, techniques that allow the replacement of injured or destroyed tissue in patients are being further developed In ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry, cellular and optimized. One of the focal areas of regenerative systems and simple organisms such as bacteria and algae, medicine at UAS Technikum Wien is to discover how as well as more complex organisms such as snails and shock waves affect cells and tissue. worms, make it possible to estimate the hazard potential of chemicals and their mixtures in the environment. Mo- In the field of biomaterials, the many years of intensive lecular biological methods make it possible to determine research and development work on a novel structure the exact mode of action of these undesirable substances made of silk fibers with the aim of regenerating tendons and are therefore the focus of intense development work and ligaments contributed to the establishment of the for use in teaching and research at the University of startup company Morphomed in 2017, where this new Applied Sciences. technology forms the basis for developing an implant for use in hospitals as a substitute for the cruciate ligament. Furthermore, the microinjection method was successfully established in fish egg cells. This allows substances New findings in the field of disease models for use in such as anti-cancer agents to be tested during the five- skeletal muscle regeneration were published in a review day development phase up to the amphibious zebrafish article entitled “The Importance of Biophysical and larva, which is not yet subject to animal testing laws. Biochemical Stimuli in Dynamic Skeletal Muscle” in the This enables a variety of new areas of application and international journal Frontiers in Physiology. forms the basis for further research projects.

For years, there has been no scientific mechanism of One of the strategic cornerstones of the research focus action explaining the success of shock wave treatment is the targeted development of a research-led mindset for non-healing wounds of diabetes patients in hospitals. among students by directly integrating current research In a project funded by AUVA, the effect of shock waves projects with the teaching at the Institute of Biochem- directly on diabetic cells of mice or human cells with ical Engineering. In order to help students acquire increased glucose load is being investigated together skills in the best possible way, the focus is on suitable with the LBI Traumatology department at the Lorenz- student-centered didactic approaches that promote Böhler-UKH hospital. The aim is to investigate the networked thinking and social interaction based on a

58 combination of knowledge, experience, practical skills of machines, systems, products, and associated com- and self-organization. ponents. Innovative automation and robotics solutions combine mechanical engineering expertise with highly The “Problem-based Learning (PBL) in Molecular Life developed sensor concepts and powerful computer algo- Science” funding project launched with funding by the rithms. The networking and communication of system City of Vienna in the 2017/18 academic year will enable elements via the Internet and the processing of the data a comprehensive expansion of the existing expertise acquired in this way enable a wide range of technical with PBL and other explorative teaching approaches, as concepts and business models, the development of well as an increased use of further innovative didactic which has only just begun. With regard to system archi- methods, especially in the two extra-occupational mas- tecture, safety and the direct cooperation between man ter’s programs “Tissue Engineering and Regenerative and machine, current concepts of this “fourth industrial Medicine” and “Technical Environmental Management revolution” still leave many questions unanswered. and Ecotoxicology” as well as in the bachelor’s program “Biomedical Engineering” at the University of Applied The “Automation and Robotics” field of research Sciences Technikum Wien, thereby ensuring the high concentrates on application-oriented research on the quality of teaching. Students work in PBL modules following topics: based on complex, realistic and job-relevant problems with high application relevance in small groups that • Advanced automation: Smart manufacturing can be properly supported by teachers. Many problems in the digital factory, control and regulation of are generated directly from the research focus and mechatronic systems, artificial intelligence in the supervised by researchers. In addition to the (further) factory of the future, safety and security issues in development of PBL modules, work focuses on expand- automation and robotics ing the didactic skills of teaching and research staff and • Innovative sensor technology: imaging sensor on creating an effective support system and appropriate systems, intelligent sensors and sensor signal accompanying measures for the modules. Establishing processing, multimodal sensor technology and an international network, public events and workshops sensor fusion, machine learning will also ensure that PBL is anchored at UAS Technikum • Robotics: selected issues relating to industri- Wien and contribute to Vienna’s image as a location for al, mobile and service robotics, collaborative high-quality teaching and to the usability of the project robotics, intelligent industrial work assistants, results for other educational institutions as well. cognitive robotics, human machine interface • Materials technologies and generative manu- Automation and Robotics facturing processes: new materials (long fiber reinforced) and intelligent material deposition Automation and robotics are important core areas for for biomimetics-inspired designs that follow the the development of efficient, resource-conserving flow force production systems, but also for non-industrial applica- • Industrial operations management: Business tions. Both society and the market require mechatronic models, ontologies and architectural models for systems that are user- and environmentally friendly, as the digital factory, integrated simulation, control well as being highly efficient and adaptive, i.e. intelli- and optimization of processes. gent. The primary driving force here is the digitalization

59 Concepts can be implemented with artificial intelligence and statistical reasoning that cannot be implemented by classical control engineering. Algorithmic performance is substantially determined by the mathematical framework conditions. Dynamic or partially unknown Concepts can be processes are therefore difficult to map. Based on these framework implemented with artificial conditions and the limits of classical control engineering, methods intelligence and statistical were researched which allow service robots to only navigate on the basis of data. The resulting algorithms were implemented, success- reasoning that cannot be fully tested and combined with existing AI frameworks (including implemented by classical deep learning) to produce methods that can evaluate and imitate control engineering. robot motion based on data. Development was supported through master’s theses; these concepts were then implemented in the Digi- tal Factory. A second physical instance of this factory in a miniature format (3D-printed robots), a “mini factory”, offers the possibility to examine these concepts there as well.

Within the framework of a research cooperation with the Austrian Ministry of Defence in the field of autonomous land-based systems, new technologies for autonomous service robots are to be further developed, improved and optimized on the basis of existing microsystems. These microsystems are rescue robots made by the Viennese company taurob, which can be used as search-and-rescue robots when disasters occur. Within the framework of this research cooperation, the semi-autonomous and fully autonomous capabili- ties of these robots are to be improved and presented, assessed and evaluated in various deployment scenarios.

60 Spotlight on Research

A video gives an insight into the REHABITATION project funded by the FFG, along with the overarching research focus.

Since its inception, the “Secure Services, eHealth & Mobility” research focus has been consciously using the cooperation between IT experts and specialists with specialist knowledge. Employees work together in cross-departmental research teams. The REHABitation project, funded by the FFG, not only illustrates this aspect, but also shows how solutions can be developed in interaction with potential users: By involving a competence network (including end users), rehabilitation and prevention measures were developed which record and validate the functions of the biomechanical movement system and postural control by means of mobile and domestic technologies. The video, made in early summer 2018, gives an insight into this project and the research focus. www.technikum-wien.at/ rehabitation-youtube

Video Series: Alumni as Role Models

The UAS TW graduate videos illustrate the variety of career paths available after completing a technical degree.

The importance of moving images in modern communication is increasing. Videos have also become an important communication tool to highlight study and research operations at UAS Technikum Wien. However, a particularly successful video series deals with what comes after graduation: The image of technical professions in the minds of young people is dusty and prejudiced. Every academic year, the videos, in which we visit graduates at work show, how colorful and varied reality is. Youtube playlist with more than 30 graduate portraits: www.technikum-wien.at/alumni-youtube

www.technikum-wien.at/ alumni-youtube

61 Age of students

up to 17 18 to 27 2 3007 28 to 37 1000

38 to 47 48 to 57 58 to 67 135 33 3 Further Training

The Technikum Wien Academy is part of Austria’s largest university of applied sciences, offering further training and development courses. While the UAS The complete range of concentrates on the publicly financed bachelor’s and continuing education courses offered by the master’s degree programs, the TW Academy’s continu- Technikum Wien ing education portfolio ranges from one-day seminars to Academy can be found postgraduate master’s courses over four semesters. The at academy.technikum- wien.at TW Academy draws on an extensive pool of knowledge, with tailored, in-house expertise across disciplines that can be expanded by external experts if required. Constantly evaluating the training and lectures provided Through the TW Academy, UAS Technikum Wien is ensures their quality and the satisfaction of participants active on the private training market as well as on the with the courses offered. All programs have been de- publicly financed training market. The Academy’s stu- signed in close cooperation with business and industry. dents come from 38 countries and have 30,000 square The teaching content and learning outcomes therefore meters of learning space at their disposal, including the reflect the qualifications and skills that are currently in space used by UAS Technikum Wien. All programs have demand on the labor market. been designed to accommodate extra-occupational studying goals. All seminars and lectures are taught by experts from UAS Technikum Wien and from collabo- rating institutions and companies. This ensures both the academic and teaching quality of the courses.

Developments in the 2017/18 Academic Year

In the previous academic year, the Academy consolidat- The TW Academy draws on an ed its range of vocational education and training courses extensive pool of knowledge, with – a development from which the institution was able to tailored, in-house expertise across benefit throughout 2017/18. There was a clear increase in the number of participants in seminars. The number of disciplines that can be expanded by participants in international programs actually doubled external experts if required. compared to the previous year. In the Pre-College Programs, the number of participants increased by more than half to a total of 58. Short-cycle studies also saw an increase of one third. The masters' courses have also been able to establish themselves well: The programs available were consolidated and, within this range, there was also a sustained increase in the number of participants. The following is an overview of the most popular and most important training fields from the TW Academy portfolio:

64 Certifications and Seminars The more precise, structured and consistent the analysis of problems and needs, the fewer the number of costly Thanks to the ELGA, IHE, and HL7 initiatives, the errors that find their way into development. This means Technikum Wien Academy has become an established that projects have even fewer costs caused by errors, a and in-demand eHealth training program provider. The fact which, in turn, sustainably boosts the success of the employees of UAS Technikum Wien are recognized project and creates more satisfied customers. throughout the industry as experts in this field and are Usability has become the most important success factor actively involved in the refinement of the standards. for software products. Users demand technology that meets their needs, because a lack of usability leads to The segment has also developed very strongly in the poor acceptance, high rectification costs or even rejec- field of CPRE – Requirements Engineering. Require- tion of the product. With the IBUQ Foundation Level ments engineering as the first step of system develop- and the IBUQ Advanced Level, there are two highly ment significantly influences the success of a project. A sought-after and internationally recognized certifica- systematic, structured and high-quality recording of re- tions in the range of programs on offer. quirements, customer wishes and needs helps to develop customer-oriented products and services. In addition, a good needs analysis forms the basis for cost estimation, project planning, implementation and quality assurance.

Certifications and Seminars in 2017/18

Total days Participants of whom women

Total certifications 67 172 34

ELGA IHE HL7 12 21 1

ELGA CDA Implementation 3 4 0

IREB CPRE Foundation Level 16 46 6

IREB CPRE - RE@Agile Primer 2 5 1

IBUQ Foundation Level 6 28 13

IBUQ Advanced Level 6 13 4

ICT Basic – Certification exam 1 42 8

ICT Advanced 21 13 1

Seminars 27 156 34

International programs 9 60 31

MedTech Summer Academy 8 25 10

Total 111 413 109

65 Pre-College Programs in 2017/18

Pre-College Programs Number of semesters Associate students of whom women

Pre-College Program 2 71 30

Pre-College Program extended 4 28 4

Total 99 34

Pre College Programs (Pre-Study Courses)

The objective of the two pre-college programs – the two or four-semester pre-study courses – is to prepare foreign students with average or poor German language skills for technical studies in Austria.

Short-cycle Courses (Academic Courses)

Short-cycle courses, which are designed as short, The App and Web-Development condensed academic training courses lasting no more short-cycle courses are particularly than three semesters, developed positively in the popular as practical and market- 2017/18 academic year. The App and Web-Development short-cycle courses are particularly popular as practical oriented programming courses. and market-oriented programming courses. The two short-cycle courses are geared towards one another and can be taken simultaneously. The focus is on new career areas related to the mobile Internet. Short-cycle courses are aimed at people who, after achieving their Matura or after dropping out of university, are looking for the opportunity to complete vocational training at an academic level that is in demand on the labor market. Previous knowledge is not required.

66 Short-cycle Courses (Academic Courses) in 2017/18

Short-cycle Courses Number of semesters Extraordinary Students of whom women

App Development 3 25 4

Web Development 3 29 3

Digital Marketing 3 15 15

Software Testing 3 13 13

Total 82 35

Master’s Courses in 2017/18

Number of semesters Extraordinary Students of whom women

MSc Digital Business 4 48 36

MSc Project and Process Management 4 54 18

MAS User Experience Management 4 30 10

MBA Business Development 4 16 2

Total 148 66

Postgraduate Master’s Programs

Since the 2015/16 winter semester, UAS Technikum Wien in collaboration with the Technikum Wien Academy offers master courses according to the Law on Studies at the University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschul-Studiengesetz) Due to the course being unique on the further education market in Austria and its specific focus of the topics, interest in this new further education option was considerable from the very start.

For example, the well-established Master Digital Business is dedicat- ed to the varieties of online marketing, social media marketing and mobile marketing – what is referred to as the “Digital Triple Play”. From concept development to the successful execution of measures and digital monitoring, students learn how to further develop and sustain your company’s marketing.

67 Other Figures for the 2017/18 Academic Year

461 photos 852 / 98

Employees of UAS Technikum The most common male first Wien have the possibility to name of UAS students since upload a photo to accompany 2003 with 852 mentions is their details for display in the in- Michael, while the most com- ternal area (CIS). In the 2017/18 mon female first name with 98 academic year, 461 employee mentions is Julia. photos were rejected and 1,956 accepted.

7,854 km

Cooperation partners and those interested in cooperation from the most diverse regions of the world regularly visit UAS Tech- nikum Wien. The visitors who traveled the furthest distance in the 2017/18 academic year had to travel 7,854 km to come here.

68 89 Disasters -4 points

The bug tracking system is used Applicants for degree programs to report problems to IT or at UAS Technikum Wien take building services. In the 2017/18 an entrance exam, the result of academic year, more than 6,000 which determines whether they bug tracking tickets were creat- are admitted to the program. ed, fortunately only 89 of them The best result in the entrance of the type “Incident: Disaster”. exam in the 2017/18 academic year was 603.75 points, the worst -4 points.

69 Graphic Design

The graphics in this report were produced using specially developed simulation software. Based on Witten and Sander’s research on diffusion-limited aggregation at the beginning of the 1980s [1,2] , a growth process is simulated in which individual particles randomly adhere to each other due to Brown’s movement and thus form an agglomerate.

This model for the formation of fractal structures is used in many areas of physics and biology, for example in electroplating (electrolytic deposition), crystallization processes, high-voltage discharges, the agglomeration of soot or dust particles and the growth of bacterial colonies.

In the graphics of this report, each particle shown represents a statistically registered person at UAS Technikum Wien. The cover shows the total number of everyone – students as well as employees.

While on the cover, as well as on the colored double pages, there are specific, legible representations, the same graphic instrument is used on the remaining pages to create freer and more abstract graphics.

[1] T. A. Witten/L. M. Sander, 1981. Diffusion-Limited Aggregation, a Kinetic Critical Phenomenon

[2] T. A. Witten/L. M. Sander, 1983. Diffusion-Limited Aggregation

Imprint

Publisher

UAS Technikum Wien Höchstädtplatz 6 1200 Vienna T: +43 1 333 40 77-0 [email protected] www.technikum-wien.at

Layout

Process – Studio for Art and Design www.process.studio

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