University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria

Research & development should be one of the highest mandates for any business and is the driving force behind innovation. The university’s research and development divisions conducts wide-ranging investigatory and project-based studies that closely mirror advances in the economy at large. The main focus is on research that will lead to sophisticated and practical applications for the benefit of commerce and society.

After restructuring the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria research and development had its own special place in the organization. In spring 2005 an R&D advisory board was constituted. Since then, it ensures a strategic alignment of all R&D activities at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in coordination with other R&D facilities.

The seven members of the advisory board come from different areas of economic and social life and are thereby well-positioned to decide practically on promising R&D activities. The highest principle of the advisory board is to make R&D activities socially and economically viable, and not let them become an end unto themselves.

This specialization aims to develop practice-oriented automation solutions for complex key technologies. Topics from the fields of automation of safety-critical or distributed real-time systems, as well as environmental and ecological tasks in power plants, buildings and production plants, but also other complex processes such as transport and logistics are handled. The modeling of mechatronic systems and the associated development of modern regulation and control strategies for industrial use are the central focus here. In addition to conventional programming, development is predominantly done using model-based (model-based design), it is verified in the simulation stage (virtual prototype) and implemented in the most diverse automation systems using automated, certified source code generators. Using discrete and continuous as well as multi-physical simulation techniques, mechatronic tasks are modeled, simulated and validated with measurements.

This R & D focus encompasses the combination of eco-energy and environmental technology topics in the research fields solar energy / hydrogen, building optimization / solar mobility as well as waste gas, waste air and wastewater treatment. All projects focus on the ethical handling of the world’s resources.

The projects range from basic research to the optimization of operations in application laboratories right through to company foundations. All stages of a production chain are covered e.g. from the optimization of the raw materials / biomass, fermentation conditions to the control of the end products. High-temperature (SOFC) fuel cells and the area of energy-efficient construction and building ecology are further research areas.

It is possible to rely on an excellent set of instruments with hydrogen, fuel cells, a thermal and photovoltaic laboratory, construction physics and climatic engineering laboratory, bio- and chemical laboratories, photocatalysis, biogas, sewage and environmental engineering and process engineering laboratory with complete analytics and equipment. The latest simulation tools and analytics can be used for R&D tasks (impedance, FTIR, UV / vis, GC, GC MS, ICP HPLC, IC, infrared camera, blower door equipment, hotbox, etc.) on a pilot plants scale in waste air purification, dedusting as well as exhaust air purification for R & D tasks.

This interdisciplinary research focus is an area in which more than 10 scientific staff members and professors of the courses of studies in bio- and environmental technology, process engineering production as well as plant construction work. An excellent infrastructure with analytics equipment, pilot plants, simulation tools and even an own experimental and training brewery is available in approx.15 laboratories.

In the field of bioenergy, one of the largest working groups in Austria is researching the production processes of "advanced biofuels" (bioethanol from straw), optimizing biogas processes and developing integrated biorefinery concepts. In the basic research area, biodiesel production is being investigated in the "Next Generation Biodiesel" project with the help of yeasts from residues such as maize spindles and glycerin. We are currently working on 5 national and international projects (Regio13 / EU), as well as on various industrial projects. An outstanding team of analysts as well as the team Downstream processing (membrane technology, etc.) complete the working groups.