Hire

The HIRE research project at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences aims to systematically strengthen the promotion, recruitment and long-term retention of young academics and professorial staff. As part of the federal-state programme ‘FH-Personal’ of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the project makes an important contribution to the sustainable further development of the university and it‘s scientific expertise.

 

An integral part of this sub-project is the Graduate Academy founded in 2023 with an interdisciplinary doctoral programme that brings together six doctoral students and one Post-Doc.
The development and implementation of technologies for designing sustainable, energy-efficient and resilient urban living spaces is at the centre of the first sub-project. The central research question is: How can digital tools help to design high-quality, ressource-efficient, liveable and resilient public living spaces? 

The research work covers a broad transdisciplinary spectrum of topics and ranges from visualisation of geodata in augmented and virtual reality, the development of digital city twins for citizen participation, neural-based 3D-to-3D scene alignment, hybrid participation formats to promote urban resilience, active ground surface cooling, machine learning for 3D vegetation extraction and acoustic perception in urban space.

Alongside academic work, the Graduate Academy pursues a clear qualification goal: HFT's own graduates should be sensitised to the career path of a professorship at universities of applied sciences (HAW) at an early stage and prepared for this through structured offers. In addition to academic qualification, the focus is on initial practical experience in teaching and didactics. The concepts and experience gained from this pilot project are to be gradually transferred to other doctoral programmes at the HFT.

The second sub-project is dedicated to the strategic positioning of HFT Stuttgart as an attractive and authentic employer, in particular for the recruitment of qualified professorial staff. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the current situation and employee surveys, targeted measures are being implemented to develop a strong employer brand. These include the definition of guiding values, the development of an employer value proposition and central messages as well as the implementation of a cross-media communication strategy. 
The relaunch of the careers website, the optimisation of job advertisements and the expansion of the company's presence on social media and recruiting platforms are key components of this approach. 

Information events and the establishment of a talent pool serve to present the HAW professorship's job profile in a transparent manner and to promote young talent in a targeted manner.

The HIRE project aims to significantly improve the quality and resilience of urban living spaces by developing new technologies and strategies. The continuous professional and personal development of doctoral students is supported by customised qualification programmes, international summer schools and workshops. 
The establishment of a graduate academy and a doctoral programme ensures excellent supervision and promotes scientific excellence. The HAWKarriere mentoring programme supports young academics on their path to a professorship. The transparent publication of research results helps to strengthen the scientific community and promotes cross-regional exchange. By sustainably establishing itself as an attractive employer, HFT Stuttgart is positioning itself for the future and strengthening its academic innovation and excellence.