Frau Dr. Anja Lurson - Policy advisor for science, research and art (MWK) and Baden-Württemberg's state representative in Brussels as well as Dr. Uta Sprenger, deputy director of the department "European Union and cross-border cooperation" of the MWK met at HFT Stuttgart with policy advisors and scientists of the "baden-württembergischen Hochschulen für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAWs)".
Dr. Anja Lurson, as Baden-Württemberg's state representative in Brussels, met representatives of the universities in person in order to establish direct communication channels and be able to represent individual research interests. Together with Dr. Sprenger, she reported on current developments in European research funding and synergies with European structural funds such as the "European Regional Development Fund" (ERDF). Furthermore, Dr. Anja Lurson was interested in the specific challenges of HAWs in applying for and implementing EU-funded projects. This is because the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation of the European Union Horizon 2020 (H2020) not only supports basic research, but in particular also applied and application-oriented research up to market maturity. The universities benefit here because of their regional roots and their cooperation with SMEs. This cooperation is particularly encouraged by the H2020 project.
After the presentation of European research projects, a lively exchange of experiences with Mrs. Lurson and Mrs. Sprenger took place in the afternoon. In a joint discussion, institutional and individual opportunities in the new European research framework programme Horizon Europe were discussed.
By maintaining constant contact with the representation in Brussels, the state of Baden-Württemberg and the universities located there intend to intensify their participation in the EU's Research Framework Programme and specifically increase their chances of success. The event was organised by Universities of Applied Sciences e.V. (HAW BW e.V.,) the umbrella organisation of HAWs, in order to strengthen the contact to Brussels.
