The Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) has been granted the right to award doctorates in the research field "Sustainable Intelligent Technologies for Resource-Optimised Production (NITRO)." This was announced by the Bavarian Ministry of Science on Tuesday, 16 July. This allows young scientists to now pursue a doctorate directly at DIT in this field. The first doctoral centre "Digital Technologies and Their Applications (DigiTech)" was announced in October. DIT is part of a network with the Technical University of Augsburg (THA) and the University of Applied Sciences Landshut in both doctoral centres.

At the DigiTech and NITRO doctoral centres, DIT is authorised to award doctoral degrees. Graduates with a relevant Master's degree can pursue a doctorate. As DIT President Prof. Waldemar Berg reports, "A total of 19 professors – including five from DIT – are part of NITRO due to their scientific expertise and research strength. They are now authorised to independently supervise doctorates." Research activities at the doctoral centre focus on production systems and processes, product design and materials engineering, as well as technology and innovation. The key themes of sustainability and resource efficiency are integral to all areas. DIT particularly contributes in areas such as nanotechnology, high-frequency technology, sensor technology, and bionics to the new doctoral centre. "All these thematic focuses are essential foundations for the further development of intelligent and resource-efficient technologies, which are indispensable for artificial intelligence, for example," says Berg.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Dorner, Vice President for Research at DIT, adds, "Interdisciplinary young scientists will research new materials, manufacturing processes, and methods for environmentally friendly, resource-saving, and economical production, thereby contributing to solving current social, economic, and ecological problems." While 24 doctoral students are already active in the first DIT doctoral centre "DigiTech," the first doctoral students in the new doctoral centre "NITRO" are expected to start at the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025. "The establishment of the two doctoral centres creates the appropriate conditions for the scientific careers of our students," says Dorner. For them, the right to award doctorates at universities of applied sciences is a logical step in recognising the scientific achievements of their researchers and leading excellent doctoral students to the doctoral title, as at universities.

As one of the most research-intensive technical universities in Bavaria, Deggendorf Institute of Technology offers young doctoral students an attractive research environment at its many technology campuses. "Doctoral studies at DIT have a long tradition," says DIT President Berg. "Through cooperative doctorates with universities, numerous young scientists in Deggendorf and at our research centres in the region have been prepared for careers in research and development." Today, they work in leading positions in development departments and management of companies or as professors. Berg also adds, "Through cooperation with companies, our DIT doctoral students gain insight into the significance of research and innovation in a business context and how science, theory, and practical relevance interact."

Today, scientists at DIT conduct research in 17 research centres at twelve locations in the region and beyond. "Through 'NITRO,' research, particularly at the Deggendorf, Plattling, Hutthurm, Cham, Parsberg, Weißenburg, Freyung, Teisnach, and Pfarrkirchen locations, will be strengthened," concludes Professor Dorner. These locations house research groups and institutes in materials research, production technology, and sustainability research.

More information: DIT Doctoral Programmes

At the beginning of June, the international founding team "future-link" from the Startup Campus of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) received an EXIST startup grant of €131,500 for their idea of a retrofit solution for easy machine data collection.

The young founders—Shivam Parmar (India), Ali Aljalali (Syria), and Johannes Bardon (Germany) got to know each other at DIT and have set themselves the goal of offering companies a manufacturer-independent plug-and-play retrofit solution for recording machine data. This should then be able to be used for fully automated process monitoring of machinery. Since older machines often lack the necessary interfaces for data extraction, future-link is developing a product using DIT's patented "Method and System for Machine Data Collection" (DE102019101132). This product enables uncomplicated machine data collection (MDE) without external sensors or existing interfaces. Additionally, the startup offers operational data collection (BDE), which, when combined with MDE, provides a comprehensive overview of the production process. To ensure information security, the data traffic of the system, which runs on Raspberry Pi and Windows, can operate within a completely independent network, separate from the manufacturing operation.

Having moved into the Startup Lab in Veilchengasse, Deggendorf, the three founders now have twelve months to turn their prototype into a market-ready product. Concurrently, they are also working on expanding their business model.

On Tuesday, 23 April, the first national workshop of the Interreg Danube Region project "NRGCOM" took place. It was organised and hosted by the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) as a partner in the project. The focus was on Energy Communities and how they can best develop in the region.

The NRGCOM project was launched in January and aims to create an environment in which renewable energy communities can flourish in the Danube region. This aim was also addressed by the workshop on 23 April. After the project presentation by Agnes Frank, DIT’s project manager, Prof. Dr. Raimund Brotsack together with Dr. Robert Bauer introduced the topic. A number of examples of good practice from Fuchstal, from the regional power plant in Cham and from the association Bayerische Bürgerenergie were presented. The participating energy communities and local action groups then discussed potential cost-effective infrastructure solutions and technological developments, as well as how the issue will develop in the future. For the participants, the workshop laid the foundation for cooperation with DIT as a partner in the "NRGCOM" project. In the further course of the project, legal solutions will be researched, operating models analysed and a model for creating favourable conditions for energy communities will be developed. The foundations laid at the first national workshop held by the DIT will be further developed on 3 June. This next workshop on business and governance models of energy communities will take place at the European Campus Rottal-Inn.

The national workshop was preceded by a kick-off event. It took place from 12 to 14 March in Budapest and brought together all 13 project partners from a total of 12 countries. The Interreg Danube Region project "NRGCOM" is led by the South Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency. The overall objective of NRGCOM is to promote energy communities in the Danube region by creating an environment in which community renewable energy initiatives can develop to facilitate the energy transition and increase energy efficiency.

The project runs from 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026 and is funded by the Interreg Danube Region Programme, co-funded by the EU. In total, there are 13 project partners and 14 associated strategic partners from 12 countries. They will review the (legal) framework conditions, analyse business models and governance techniques, collect best practices and solutions and develop policy recommendations. The aim is to raise awareness of the concept and increase its dissemination in the partner countries through awareness-raising activities. It will also propose legal solutions, analyse operational models and provide training.