Competence Center Higher Education and Research Management

The starting point for our competence center was the launch of the Master's program in Higher Education and Research Management (HWM) nearly 20 years ago. This was a pioneering effort in a newly emerging, specialized field of management. Since then, there has been a process of professionalizing research management: methodical knowledge bases have been developed and published in academic journals. Applied research projects underpin management practice through their outcomes. Their implementation into practical recommendations fosters the transfer between academic research and practical management. Networks are formed, fostering a shared understanding of the profession. Systematic further education is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for careers in research management. This process is supported and shaped by University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück. From the Higher Education and Research Management program (MBA) has emerged a diversity of applied research and especially transfer-related activities, which are increasingly international, including knowledge transfer and collaboration with countries in the global south. In order to bring together the numerous projects and activities under one roof, the Competence Center for Higher Education and Reserach Management was founded in 2023.

The competence center deals with all issues of higher education and reserach management. This means that the subject matter cuts across all functional areas of business administration, but with a common focus on the sector-specific perspective of the higher education and research systems. The guiding principle is the 'cultural customization' of management methods for the highly specific context of a university or research institution. With a clear focus on management, there are interdisciplinary intersections with sociology, legal and administrative sciences. There are also connections to classical university research in Germany, which is strongly sociologically oriented and only moderately application-oriented. In line with the philosophy of University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück, we are oriented toward practical application and combine a decidedly business-oriented approach with an practical application and transfer focus.