In 2004, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched the funding program "Applied Research at Universities of Applied Sciences in Cooperation with Industry." Once a year, German universities of applied sciences in the three disciplines of engineering, natural sciences, and economics can submit applications for project funding in which small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are their cooperation partners. These applications are evaluated by reviewers according to a points system, which determines whether funding is granted or rejected. In the last three years, 255 projects have received funding commitments totaling €35 million.
In the BMBF ranking of funding applications submitted between 2004 and 2006, the Giessen-Friedberg University of Applied Sciences (FH Giessen-Friedberg) achieved third place nationwide with a total of 43 initiatives, behind the Aachen and Anhalt Universities of Applied Sciences. In the ranking based on the number of successful applications, the university in Central Hesse came in sixth place among more than one hundred competitors, with seven funded projects. Within the state of Hesse, FH Giessenthe leading position in research and development funded by the BMBF program. BMBF funding from the most recent application round supports the initiative "Simulation and Modeling of Nanostructured Electronic Components," headed by Prof. Dr. Alexander Klös from the Giessenof Department Electrical and Information Engineering. This project involves a collaboration with Braun GmbH (Kronberg), the Technical University of Darmstadt, and other European universities.
Also funded by the program is, for example, the project "Broadband Wireless Internet in Public Transport," which is being carried out at the Friedberg Department of Information Technology – Electrical Engineering – Mechatronics. A team led by Prof. Dr. Joachim Habermann is working there on new developments in the field of mobile communications, cooperating with companies such as T-Systems and City University in London.
