External perspectives on knowledge transfer and regional innovation: The third meeting of the Transfer Advisory Board focused on communicating results, visibility and the further development of cross-university transfer structures.

The InNoWest Transfer Advisory Board met on 23 April 2026 for the third time since the project began. This year’s meeting was hosted by the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE). The focus was on communicating the results of InNoWest activities, the visibility of regionally effective transfer projects, and the question of what role the Advisory Board could play beyond the planned end of the project at the end of 2027.

The meeting was opened by Prof. Dr Eva-Maria Saliu, Vice-President for Research and Transfer at HNEE. She emphasised the importance of external perspectives for effective knowledge transfer between universities and industry. Universities benefit from ‘taking off their blinkers’ when looking at transfer processes and incorporating external feedback into the further development of their activities.

The three partner universities then presented current developments in knowledge transfer. Among other things, the discussion covered the establishment and various structures of transfer professorships at the participating universities. These are intended to help link research, teaching and practice even more closely and to strategically develop transfer activities further.

In small groups, the twelve advisory board members present exchanged views with the InNoWest teams from the areas of transfer hubs, digitalisation, restructuring and participation. The focus was on issues of visibility, scaling and the communication of results from selected InNoWest projects. The project teams took away numerous suggestions on how results and findings can be communicated even more effectively in future – for example, with regard to suitable channels, relevant target groups and specific fields of application.

Another key focus of the meeting was the potential role of the Transfer Advisory Board after the current project period ends. The participating universities expressed an interest in continuing the Advisory Board beyond 2027, so as to be able to continue drawing on external expertise for further cross-university transfer activities and joint applications. The advisory board members were open to this proposal and suggested extending the cooperation in the field of transfer to all four Brandenburg universities of applied sciences in the future and including the Technical University of Applied Sciences in Wildau.

In the closing session, the advisory board members provided positive feedback on both the specific InNoWest projects and the university consortium as a whole. The transfer activities were described as tangible and beneficial for the region. At the same time, the advisory board recommended that, in future, transfer activities should be aligned even more consistently with the resolution of specific problems and with demonstrable added value for industry partners and the region.

About InNoWest
InNoWest is a joint transfer project of the Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences (THB), the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences (FHP) and the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE). The focus is on innovations for sustainable development in Brandenburg – including in the areas of user-centred digitalisation, climate-just transition and participation. Further information on InNoWest.