About us

A centre for applied research (referred to using the German abbreviation “ZAFH”) is an inter-university research network consisting of universities of applied science, universities and non-university research institutes. The members of a centre for applied research deal with important topics involving key technologies under the leadership of a university of applied science.

The ZAFH for Urban Energy Systems and Resource Efficiency (ENsource) sees HFT Stuttgart work alongside seven other universities of applied science (Aalen, Biberach, Heilbronn, Mannheim, Pforzheim, Reutlingen and Rottenburg), two universities (Stuttgart and Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg) and the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW).

The current EU funding period runs from 2014 to 2020, and will see the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and Art support a number of new centres of applied research using a total of 15 million euros in funding (7.5 million euros from the state of Baden-Württemberg, 7.5 million euros from the ERDF). Three new centres have already been established at the Ulm University of Applied Sciences (MikroSens, www.mikrosens.de), Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences (Digitaler Produktlebenszyklus (DiP), www.dip.reutlingen-university.de) and HFT Stuttgart (ENsource, www.ensource.de).