Into the future with Gold Partner FH Salzburg

INDUSTRY, EDUCATION, RESEARCH

COPA-DATA and the Information Technology & Systems Management (ITS) degree program at Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (FH Salzburg) have been working together intensively for almost two decades. Now, FH Salzburg has become a certified Gold Partner – an accolade that highlights the strength of this partnership and heralds even greater strategic cooperation in the future.

Gold Partner: Reinhard Mayr, Head of Research Operations at COPA-DATA, and Simon Kranzer, Senior Lecturer in Information Technology & Systems Management at FH Salzburg.

COPA-DATA has awarded Salzburg University of Applied Sciences its highest possible partner status. It is the first educational institution in the world to become a Gold Partner in the COPA-DATA Partner Community. FH Salzburg, and particularly the Information Technology & Systems Management degree program led by Prof Gerhard Jöchtl, has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with COPA-DATA, both in terms of research and teaching.

BOOST FOR SALZBURG AS A TECHNOLOGY HUB

By working together, the two partners are striving to provide a real boost to Salzburg’s status as a technology hub. “Long-term partnerships are essential for the stable exchange of ideas and experience between education and industry. The partnership with COPA-DATA is an outstanding example of successful knowledge transfer. COPA-DATA benefits from access to future IT talent. The degree program benefits from exciting ideas and valuable input from business and industry contacts who bring their practical experience to the university. Over the years, our partnership has turned into friendship,” explained Simon Kranzer, Senior Lecturer in Information Technology & Systems Management.

The clear strengths of universities of applied sciences are the practical relevance and the proximity to industry and the working world. FH Salzburg and COPA-DATA have been linked for over 18 years now. “A good third of our Salzburg team have attended the lecture halls, seminar rooms and labs at FH Salzburg. Some of them even teach at the university now,” said Reinhard Mayr, who, as Head of Research Operations and Security, is responsible for research collaboration at COPA-DATA. What’s more, he is a visiting lecturer and alumnus of FH Salzburg.

PARTNERS SINCE 2013

Since 2002, dozens of projects have stood as testament to the success of the cooperative relationship between COPA-DATA and FH Salzburg. As a result, joining the COPA-DATA Partner Community in 2013 was a logical step for the university. It helped to make the partnership more visible. Simon Kranzer, Senior Lecturer in the Information Technology & Systems Management degree program, sees the Partner Community as an exceptionally valuable platform for encouraging interaction between companies and universities. He remarked, ‘The multitude of Partner Community networking opportunities enables us to give students valuable insights into the latest technical developments and bring them closer to application domains and research questions from the world of automation in a practical manner.’

From the outset, COPA-DATA and the degree program have focused on joint initiatives to enable young technicians to pursue a career in IT and to subsequently support them in their studies. As a result, students acquire access to the very latest, state-of-the-art products. At the same time, the company is able to benefit from the university’s research work. COPA-DATA really values the collaborative research that has driven many of its innovations. The two partners have started and established numerous projects and initiatives together – including those supporting young talent. What’s more, zenon isn’t just used to teaching students – it also controls the entire university building!

ENDURING COLLABORATION IN DYNAMIC TIMES

Especially during times of transformational change, it is increasingly important for educational institutions and industry to share their technology and knowledge. Strong partnerships are key when it comes to facing the challenges of the years ahead. “Joint projects lead to innovations. This creates a competitive edge and advances Salzburg as an IT hub. The exchange of ideas with colleagues from the University of Applied Sciences is inspiring for both sides. With the Gold partnership, we will be continuing on this successful path,” enthused Reinhard Mayr.

Close contact with technology companies is extremely important to FH Salzburg. Dr Doris Walter and Raimund Ribitsch from the university’s leadership team believe that working with the business is a key success factor for education: “We are therefore thrilled to be the first university in the world to be awarded Gold partnership status by COPA-DATA.”