Information on individual educational components (ECTS-Course descriptions) per semester

Participating students are required to have an academic interest and the ability to work independently and ask questions. Selection is therefore based on a letter of application and an associated selection interview.

Application deadline: September to 31.10.2025. 

Send the written expression of interest (content: Who am I? Why am I interested in research in this area?) to benedikt.reick@fhv.at.

Students will be selected for the research project on the basis of a personal interview. 

Acceptance or rejection must be made by 15.11.2025 at the latest.

If you are accepted, the research project will be listed together with the other courses on your A5 portal under "Grades" from December. With 12 ECTS, the entire Contextual Studies are thus defined and booked.

In the event of rejection, other courses for the summer semester 2026 with 3 or 6 ECTS in the compulsory elective area are available for selection on the A5 portal until 25 November 2025. 

Scheduling takes place with those responsible for the research project. 

Course costs: For any intended visits to scientific conferences, the travelling expenses or participation fees incurred will be borne by the students. 

Which of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals is particularly promoted depends on the choice of task. 

FHV Future Skills: Appropriate Application, Foster Critical Thinking, Create Environmental & Sustainable Awareness

The prerequisite for attending this course is the willingness to carry out the project started in the summer semester over two semesters with 6 ECTS credits each and to continue it in the following winter semester. If the student is unsuccessful, the Contextual Studies will be continued in the winter semester outside the course.

The continuation of the research project as part of a Master's thesis is strived. The aim is to publish the research results in the form of a publication, a research report, a conference paper, a video or similar.

Due to the required prerequisites, students are not entitled to admission to the course.

In the Smart Engineering Technologies research group, questions from the fields of automation and drivetrain, production and materials, as well as electrical engineering and electronics are explored in an interdisciplinary manner. Both conceptual and practical aspects are emphasized – from simulation and prototyping to real-world application.

Research Areas:

Production and Materials

• Smart production
• New materials, e.g., in the field of 3D metal printing
• Additive manufacturing

Automation and Drivetrain

• Intelligent drive technologies for energy-efficient systems
• Concept development, simulation, and modeling from components to full systems
• Automation solutions, e.g., in the field of robotics

Electrical Engineering and Electronics

• Power electronics, e.g., modern DC/DC converter concepts
• Embedded systems, particularly energy-efficient architectures
• Concept development, simulation, and modeling from components to full systems
• Analog sensor technology in the context of environmental measurement

Qualitative and quantitative research methods, project management, and product design skills related to electronic systems complete the program.

General learning outcomes of research projects:

• Students produce a scientific paper by developing, independently working on and answering a research question.
• Students know the cornerstones and milestones of a research project (research question and objectives, theses, falsification, experiments, quality criteria, etc.).
• Depending on the research centre or group, students learn about different research methods - from qualitative/quantitative methods, understanding and operating programmes and production facilities to the use of specific IT tools, etc.
• Students can integrate relevant aspects of research ethics and data protection into research projects.
• Students can present research content in the context of team meetings, events or publications.
• Students know their expertise and passion for research and are aware of their next steps in deepening their research expertise, including PhD options.
• Students know elements of interdisciplinary collaboration.
  
  

Specific learning outcomes of research projects:

Students familiarise themselves with aspects of current research projects in the Smart Engineering Technologies Research Group.

The detailed, scientific learning outcomes are agreed and documented individually with the students before the start of the course as part of the formulation of their research questions.

Mobilisation: Students are given leeways to pick up own questions and approaches.

Actionability: Joint planning of an appropriate approach, outline of methods and readings needed. Specification of standards and requirements concerning the work result.

Performance: Specification of general requirements of the collaboration and the mode of behaviour which are necessary for an effective performance.

Supervision by researchers at the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences is provided by coaching, instruction, participation in discussions and seminars, as well as by accompanying self-study.

Achievement of objectives specified at the beginning of the project in relationship to the students previous knowledge. Documentation of learning outcomes and project results.

Publication of the research results in the form of a presentation in the winter semester, a publication, a research report, a conference paper, a video or similar.

The course "Research Project: Smart Engineering Technologies" will be continued under the same name in the coming winter semester. 

Special literature depending on the research project from the topics mentioned in consultation with the supervisors.

Literature for an overview in the field of mechatronics:

K. Janschek, Handbuch Mechatronik: Grundlagen und Anwendungen technischer Syteme, 2nd ed. Berlin, Germany: Springer Vieweg, 2017.

D. G. Alciatore and M. B. Histand, Introduction to Mechatronics and Measurement Systems, 5th ed. New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill Education, 2017.

• Self-organised learning and independent work in accordance with the standards in the respective research unit
• Collaboration and presence in the team as well as participation in working groups
• Coaching and guidance
• Experiments, field research, laboratory work, etc.
• Moderation and presentation techniques
• Project completion in the form of a publication, research report, poster, video, etc.