On July 8, 2025, Dr. Michael Weber (BMFTR), Dr. Jochen Dreßen and Mario Farny (VDI TZ) visited the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The meeting focused on the LaNDER³ and PT Digital research projects, current funding opportunities for universities of applied sciences (UAS) and an intensive exchange on the visibility and role of UAS in the research landscape.

LaNDER³ and PT Digital impress experts during their visit to the HSZG

Partnership spokesperson Prof. Dr. Jens Weber gave a vivid insight into the LaNDER³ research and transfer project. Afterwards, the guests were able to visit the Lusatian Natural Fiber Center, the partnership's central research technology center on the Zittau campus.

LaNDER³ has been combining applied research, technology transfer and regional development since 2017 and has since established itself as a driver of structural change and bioeconomy in Upper Lusatia. A strong network of over 30 companies and research institutions has now been created, working together on practical solutions in the areas of circular economy, material innovation and bio-based products. In 2023, LaNDER³ was included as one of only five nationwide flagship projects in the analysis of the role of the circular economy in rural development, which was accompanied by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR). The initiative is also listed as an industrial model region on the interactive map of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).

The guests were impressed by the project's concrete application relevance and regional appeal, particularly with regard to the development of new manufacturing processes in close cooperation with industry - which were demonstrated in a practical way during the tour. LaNDER³ thus makes a visible contribution to raising the profile of the HSZG, to regional value creation and to the creation of sustainable jobs. As part of the federal program FH-Impuls ("Research at UAS"), LaNDER³ actively contributes to the implementation of the National Bioeconomy Strategy and is thus integrated into overarching political innovation processes.

The cooperation project "Digital twin - power transformer - the basis for a forecast-oriented condition and risk assessment of power transformers in electrical power systems" (PT Digital) was presented. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Transfer and Space (BMFTR) as part of the "FH-Kooperativ" funding program. Prof. Dr. Uwe Schmidt and Prof. Dr. Stefan Kornhuber are supervising the project on behalf of the HSZG, which is being carried out in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Gerd Valtin of the HTW Dresden. Industrial partners are Hitachi Energy GmbH, SachsenNetz HD.HS GmbH and 50 Hertz Transmission GmbH.

As part of the project, a digital twin of power transformers is being developed with combined consideration of the stresses and to derive the ageing. This digital twin is configured for the specific application based on the available data and then enables a forecast of the ageing situation under different load conditions based on the actual state. The project builds on existing work and results from the FH-Kooperativ project SmartTR project. There are clear advantages for users in the energy systems sector, industry and maintenance companies in particular: targeted maintenance and replacement planning of power transformers, taking into account the ageing condition.

The projects are examples of how universities in structurally weak regions can successfully combine research, sustainability and transformation and act as active drivers of change.

The degree was rounded off with insights into laboratories and learning locations at the HSZG, including the DLR_School_Lab, the high-voltage hall and the Zittau power plant laboratory.