A quiet buzz fills the auditorium, cameras flash, and a sense of anticipation hangs in the air. Around 200 representatives from the worlds of science and politics have gathered to celebrate a special moment: Bavaria's doctoral centres are honouring their first graduates. They embody a new chapter in research in the Free State.
With the Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act of 2023, Bavarian universities of applied sciences and technical universities in particularly research-intensive areas were granted the independent right to award doctorates – an important step towards strengthening application-oriented research. Science Minister Markus Blume emphasised: ‘Today we are celebrating a piece of Bavarian scientific history. This is research with a down-to-earth approach and passion.’
THI President Prof. Walter Schober, Head of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts Stephanie Jacobs, and Prof. Matthias Kleinerder, Chair of the Expert Commission that assessed the establishment of doctoral centres at universities of applied sciences and technical colleges in Bavaria, also praised the importance of the new centres as drivers of innovation, practical relevance, and scientific excellence.
The focus of the event was the presentation of certificates to the scientific directors of the 22 doctoral centres. These cover a broad spectrum – from advanced building technologies and digital innovations to transformation and sustainable development – and together form a strong network for future-oriented research.
Special honours were given to the first graduates who successfully completed their dissertations at the newly established centres at the universities, including two doctoral candidates from OTH Regensburg:
Dr Manuel Schönberger, Doctoral Centre for Applied Computer Science: ‘A Two-fold Strategy Towards Mature Quantum Data Management’
Dr Lisa Grabinger, Doctoral Centre for Applied Computer Science: ‘Data Science in Empirical Eye-Tracking Research’
All graduates represent the scientific awakening at Bavaria's universities – for research that is practical, interdisciplinary and socially relevant.
