Research and Development
The Institute for Sustainable Water Systems (inwa) at Hof University conducts research in sponge cities, photonics, and food production. With around 20 researchers, inwa develops practical solutions for commerce, industry, and municipalities to address climate challenges.
Research Focus Areas
The Institute for Sustainable Water Systems at Hof University (inwa) focuses on applied research and development in the key areas of sponge cities, photonics, food production, as well as knowledge transfer, sustainability, and digitalization. inwa works in four research groups with around 20 scientific staff. The focus is on application-oriented innovation development with partners from commerce and industry, nationally and internationally. For focus topics such as trace substance removal from wastewater, dedicated research networks exist. Since the topic of water is strongly municipality-driven, municipalities and cities are increasingly becoming partners in research activities.
Thematically and across various projects, all research groups actively unite in the sponge city/region research focus. Urban infrastructure and regional spaces are increasingly exposed to massive weather extremes due to climate change. More complex and dynamic challenges due to intense heavy rainfall and longer dry periods require multi-perspective approaches. These are largely covered by the proven expertise and high cooperation affinity in the four research groups.
The expansion of modern laboratories and testing facilities is steadily increasing. With the completion of the new ZWE (Centre for Water and Energy) building in 2025, the research groups 'Photonics and Water' and 'Resource-Efficient Food Production in Integrated Aquaculture' will move into the new laboratories. The research group 'Water Infrastructure and Digitalization', strongly oriented towards real water/wastewater operations, will also expand the existing number of testing facilities at various locations such as the Hof wastewater treatment plant. Working close to customers and subjects, the research group 'Sustainability and Project Management in Water Management' operates on-site, at the university and in social media, offering knowledge-based and methodological solution developments.
Research activities are strongly linked with teaching. This is reflected on one hand in the integration of research content into various lectures held by all research group leaders in both bachelor's and master's programs. On the other hand, numerous engineering students complete project and internship phases in the individual research groups or work there as student assistants. Additional individual topics from research activities are increasingly becoming the content of bachelor's and master's theses. In the area of scientific research work, the professors of the research groups additionally offer the possibility of doctoral studies, either in cooperation with partner companies or in the future within the framework of the doctoral center of Hof University.
In addition to knowledge transfer to future workers through teaching, inwa focuses on transferring research results into practice. Here, municipalities are primarily addressed, which are actively involved in research projects to transfer innovative solutions to practice through 'living examples'. The focus is not only on the implementation of technology, but especially on involving the employees on-site to achieve a high implementation transfer.
For knowledge and implementation transfer specifically in the area of sponge city/region, the new Competence and Transfer Centre for sustainable sponge city/region at inwa was founded in November 2023.
From left: David Höltgen, District Administrator Dr. Oliver Bär, LfU Vice-President Dr. Richard Fackler, Prof. Dr. Manuela Wimmer, Prof. Günter Müller-Czygan, Thomas Lang, Mayor Eva Döhla, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann
Research Groups
Research Groups and Focus Areas
Water Infrastructure and Digitalization (DiWa)
The research group "Water Infrastructure and Digitalization (DiWa)" was founded in 2020 and consists of nine researchers with interdisciplinary backgrounds. Their work focuses on sponge city/region, dynamic sewer network management, substance retention at overflow points, solutions for the 4th treatment stage, use of renewable energies, efficiency improvement through digitalization, meta-studies on digitalization, digitalization of operational knowledge, and generative AI in knowledge transfer. DiWa develops methods and solutions in three areas of work:
Wasserinfrastruktur- Digitalisierung
- Wissenstransfer
© Lanux
Wasserinfrastruktur
- Lösungsentwicklung für eine gesamtheitlichen Bewirtschaftung von Kanal und Kläranlage Energetisch optimierte Abwasserwiederverwendung als Teil einer zukunftsfähigen Wasserressourcensicherung Gesamtheitliche und wassersensible Schwammlösungen unter Einbezug neuartiger Entwässerungs- und Sanitärsysteme für Städte und Regionen
Digitalisierung
- Lösungsentwicklung für eine anwendungsorientierte, intelligente (Mess-) Datenerfassung, -aufbereitung und -auswertung Anwendungserprobung mittels flexibler, mobiler IoT-Teststationen Entwicklung digitaler Zwillinge zur Prozesseffizienzsteigerung in wasserwirtschaftlichen Systemen Entwicklung von anwendungsorientierten, generativen KI-Lösungen (mit validierten Eigendaten)
Wissenstransfer
- Methodenentwicklung für einen wirksamen Wissens- und Praxistransfer von F&E-Ergebnissen Methodenentwicklung für eine gesamtheitliche Erfassung und Bewertung komplexer wasserwirtschaftlicher Fragestellungen Digitalbasierte Erfassung von Betriebs- und Fachwissen für eine nachhaltige und effektive Wissenssicherung Entwicklung und Durchführung von Zertifikatslehrgängen und Weiterbildungen zu den Schwerpunkthemen Wasserinfrastruktur und Digitalisierung
Prof. Günter Müller-Czygan
Forschungsgruppenleiter
Andreas Aicher
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Dr. Viktoriya Tarasyuk
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin
Michael Schmidt
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Pavel Timofeev
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Paola Acosta Carrascal
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin
Harikrishnan Thanipparambu Narayanan Kutty
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Imam Burhani
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Minu Joseph
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin
Robert-Peter Kuhn
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Natalia Zhukova
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin
Gopika Venugopal
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin
Anagha Pradeep Samanthan Kanakathidathil
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin
Projects
More Research Projects
Serious research happens here.
BIK3I
Completed
Bedarfsorientierte Wartung von Kleinkläranlagen auf Basis von IoT und KI
To the Project
RiFFER-EU
Completed
Risikobasierte Hochwasservorhersage für den Katastrophenschutz in Europa
To the Project
Transferwerkstatt Wasser hoferLand.digital
Completed
Die Transferwerkstatt Wasser verbindet angewandte Forschung, digitale Innovation und kommunales Handeln zu einem Laborraum
To the Project
FRAU-PAZ
Completed
Strategien ökologischer Friedensförderung auf Grundlage des Konzepts des „Weiblichen“ – am Beispiel der Arbeit der Organización Femenina Popular (OFP) in der Region Magdalena Medio
To the Project
AdBauWaSt
Completed
Adaptierte Bauleitplanung für eine wassersensible Stadtquartiersentwicklung in der Stadt Hof
To the Project
TIMEA
Completed
Transferbeschleunigung von Innovationen durch webbasierte Mehrebenenanalyse (MEA)
To the Project
SCHWAMMBALKON
Completed
Schwamm-Balkon – Konzeptentwicklung für eine innovative Verdunstungsproduktion zur Kühlung von PV-Anlagen an Hitzetagen bei kombinierter Regenwasserspeicherung
To the Project
Drehbogen 4.0
Completed
Dynamische Kanalnetzbewirtschaftung mit hindernisfreiem Regelorgan – TP 1: Machbarkeits-/Anforderungsanalyse und Reengineering
To the Project
DiGrus
Completed
Digitale Grundschule Schauenstein – Digitale Kompetenzentwicklung von Grundschülern anhand eines realen smarten Regenwassermanagements
To the Project
IntelliFluQs
Completed
Intelligente Mengen-(Flux) und Qualitätsregelung für die vierte Reinigungsstufe
To the Project
ITTQ-Wasser
Completed
Ingenieur-Technische Transfer-Qualifizierung für die bayerische Wasserwirtschaft (Vorbereitung für den Quereinstieg in die Wasserwirtschaft)
To the Project
ReUSeE
Completed
Entwicklung einer innovativen Prozesssteuerung zur Steigerung des Einsatzes von erneuerbaren Energien auf kleinen Abwasserbehandlungsanlagen
To the Project
S3Rem
Completed
Sufficient and Sustainable Remove of Anthropogenic Substances – Technologien, Lösungen und Services zur nachhaltigen und hochwirksamen Entfernung anthropogener Stoffe in urbanen Wasserkreisläufen
To the Project
pharmIn2
Completed
Effiziente Behandlung von Abwässern der pharmazeutischen Industrie in Indien unter Nutzung der a3op® Technologie
To the Project
MoDi
Completed
Durchführung eines Leistungsmonitorings im Auftrag der Gemeinde Diemelsee im Rahmen des Vorhabens „Abwasserflexibilisierung Diemelsee 4.0“, gefördert durch das Umweltinnovationsprogramm (UIP) des Bund
To the Project
InSchuKa4.0
Completed
Kombinierter Infrastruktur- und Umwelt-Schutz durch KI-basierte Kanalnetzbewirtschaftung
To the Project
BodenRadar
Completed
Sensor- und KI-gestütztes Entscheidungsunterstützungssystem zur Optimierung des Nährstoff- und Wassermanagements für Feldkulturen
To the Project
DMeStHyA
Completed
Entwicklung eines digitalen Mess- und Steuerungssystems für hydrometeorologische Anwendungen, anwendungsbezogenes Upscaling mit Praxistest im Feld
To the Project
Schwammstadt
Completed
Zertifikatslehrgang „Der Weg zur Schwammstadt – Stadtentwicklung in Zeiten des Klimawandels“
To the Project
FlexTreat
Completed
Flexible und zuverlässige Konzepte für eine nachhaltige Wasserwiederverwendung in der Landwirtschaft
To the Project
ERNie
Completed
Untersuchung des Einsatzes von Regentonnen zum Niederschlagsrückhalt in einem Wohngebiet zur Entlastung des Kanals bei Starkregen
To the Project
DigitalDialog4.0
Completed
Zertifikat zum Digitalisierungsexperten in der Wasserwirtschaft
To the Project
Contact
Professors / Research Group Leaders
Prof. Günter Müller-Czygan
Forschungsgruppenleiter
Dr. Harvey Harbach
Forschungsgruppenleiter
Prof. Dr. Manuela Wimmer
Forschungsgruppenleiterin
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tobias Schnabel
Forschungsgruppenleiter
Research Stations
ResearchLabs
inwa maintains several research stations available for experiments planned in research projects, but also as demonstration objects for municipalities or companies. Furthermore, the ResearchLabs can be used in teaching for laboratory experiments.
KanaBEnt
Wastewater sewer networks are often designed as combined systems that collect wastewater from households, businesses, and industry together with stormwater and direct it to the treatment plant. During heavy rainfall, additional storage basins can become overloaded, leading to discharge of untreated mixed water into surface waters. To minimize pollution, screen systems are installed to retain coarse impurities.
The KanaBEnt container investigates whether intelligent control of the screen system can use the filter cake for better purification of the mixed water, especially for small particle sizes.
A replicated sewer section with a screen system and intelligent control enables testing of water quality and flow. This allows the sewer network volume to be better used for storage and the discharge of mixed water to be reduced.
Schwammsta(d)tion
To plan or better understand a sponge city, broad knowledge of the complex relationships of the water cycle is needed. We want to illustrate these relationships in our Schwammsta(d)tion and make them tangible through experiments. The basis is a system representing the complete water cycle, which we will expand with various sponge city elements. Interested parties of all backgrounds can understand the effects by adjusting various parameters and making changes to the cycle. We want to convey the understanding and necessity of sponge city elements to our students, continuing education participants, and other groups in the region.
Currently, the basic system is ready for use, allowing us to map the complete water cycle and simulate changes. The next step will integrate additional elements to align the station with sponge city possibilities. Small scenarios will also be developed for group use. This equipment was selected with the help of ADIRO, which continues to provide technical and methodological support. More information about ADIRO at www.adiro.com.
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