Hochschule Offenburg sees itself as an active partner in its regional and trinational innovation ecosystem. It embraces its responsibility to engage in societal processes of dialogue, development, innovation, and transformation while upholding the freedom of research and teaching. The goal is to collaboratively address and shape pressing societal challenges and to guide them toward knowledge-based discussion and solutions. Knowledge transfer encompasses a wide range of exchange processes and formats with relevant partners in the University’s surrounding community.

Hochschule Offenburg has a broad understanding of knowledge transfer; that is, in addition to traditional technology transfer—which has a long tradition at the university and is primarily characterized by mostly bilateral collaborations with companies in the commercial sector—it also encompasses knowledge transfer and the impact of artistic activities. These are often characterized by the fact that they involve not so much bilateral as multilateral collaborations with a range of complementary partners from the university’s environment.

In general, Hochschule Offenburg defines transfer as structured, reciprocal exchange relationships between the university and partners from business, civil society, culture, politics, administration, and other interest groups, with the aim of generating economic value and/or societal benefits.

You can read more about Hochschule Offenburg’s understanding of transfer in the Transfer Strategy (German, pdf), which was developed in the first half of 2022 through a participatory process, finalized in the second half of the year, and adopted in early 2023.