21 Forging new paths in research Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg is one of the most research-intensive universities of applied sciences in NRW and nationwide. In order to keep it that way, new paths must be forged again and again. In the field of sustainability research, many new future-oriented topics are currently being developed at our university. Research into decentralised hydrogen storage is one example. It offers flexibility in storing electrical energy from renewable energy sources, hence facilitating their practical use. This is an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. Research and transfer are closely intertwined spheres of activity at the university. That is why the university‘s Research Commission was expanded into a Research and Transfer Commission. An important topic for the commission in 2020 was assessing the ethics of research projects. A new process was set up to support all researchers at the university with ethical questions about their projects. A topic that preoccupied our entire society in 2020, not least due to the effects of the pandemic, is digitalisation.
We also forged new paths in research in 2020: • the Project for the Professionalisation of Research Data Management FDM-Scouts, funded by the Digital University NRW (DH), has begun in the library with this goal in view; • in cooperation with the DH NRW, we conducted a survey for standardising information on research activities. The aim is to create a nationwide standardised core data set for research. We are also forging new paths for young academics. The new NRW Promotionskolleg of the universities of applied sciences offers doctoral candidates and supervisors a professional environment for doctoral procedures with extensive networking opportunities. The review by the Science Council in 2021 aims at obtaining the right for the Promotionskolleg to award doctorates. This is a new path that is long overdue. The professors at Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg currently supervise over 120 doctoral students. Prof. Dr Margit Geißler
Vice President for Research and Young Academics
