Universities of Applied Sciences exchange views with EU policymakers on their role in the future 9th Research Framework Programme - their research stands for impact orientation and social relevance.

Representatives of the EU Commission as well as representatives of numerous national and European political organisations met last Wednesday in Brussels for the "Croissant Event, UAS4EUROPE for FP9!". The focus was on a political exchange on the role and function of European Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the 9th Research Framework Programme.

There was a consensus that universities of applied sciences stand out as research institutions primarily due to their heterogeneous research partnerships. Universities of applied sciences cooperate equally with universities, non-university research institutions, companies/industry and public and private organisations. All European universities of applied sciences are characterised by their application-oriented research. In the regions in which they are located, they are regarded as key institutions for the transfer of innovation to all areas of society. Universities of applied sciences conduct impact-orientated research and focus on the social relevance of their research activities. As Luciana Vaccaro, the current chair of UAS4EUROPE, summarised in her statement: "Europe needs the universities of applied sciences - the universities of applied sciences need Europe!"

Kurt Vandenberghe, Director in the EU Commission's Directorate-General for Research, emphasised that the universities of applied sciences will play an important role in the 9th Framework Programme precisely because of their impact-oriented research. They ensure that the social relevance of the research activity, the involvement of the population and various stakeholders and the impact-orientation of the research project are appropriately ensured in the research projects submitted. It is precisely in these areas that the EU Commission sees potential for improvement in the current Horizon 2020 research framework programme, which should be tackled in the 9th framework programme.

"From an Austrian perspective, we are pleased that the Commission has recognised the importance of research at universities of applied sciences. Nevertheless, numerous research projects that have been rated as excellent are not being funded in the EU Research Framework Programme due to the programme's insufficient budget. This urgently needs to change," Kurt Koleznik, Secretary General of the FHK, is convinced. "At the same time, a look at other countries (e.g. Germany, Switzerland, Ireland or Portugal) shows that national measures such as sustainable research funding and the possibility of setting up externally quality-assured doctoral programmes open up new development opportunities for universities of applied sciences and their regional environment. We at the FHK will therefore continue to advocate the implementation of these two measures in Austria," concluded Koleznik.

UAS4EUROPE is an association of European organisations and university of applied sciences representations that have set themselves the goal of positioning research at universities of applied sciences strongly in the context of the European Union. More about UAS4EUROPE on Twitter: UAS4EUROPE(@UAS4EUROPE) and www.uas4europe.eu