Universities in Rhineland-Palatinate receive the right to confer doctorates for research-intensive disciplines

Impression from the Research Day at HAW. (Copyright: HSKL)

The universities in Rhineland-Palatinate have reached a significant milestone: With the decision and announcement by the Ministry of Science and Health (MWG), particularly research-intensive disciplines at universities of applied sciences (HAW) in Rhineland-Palatinate will in the future be granted the right to award doctorates within three university-wide doctoral clusters. The University of Kaiserslautern (HSKL) coordinates the Medical & Environmental Life Sciences doctoral cluster, which currently involves the universities of Kaiserslautern, Bingen, Koblenz, and Trier.

With the right to award doctorates, qualified early-career researchers will be able to complete their doctorates directly at the HAWs in the future. The HSKL brings extensive experience in supervising cooperative doctorates: Currently, it supervises around 45 doctoral candidates, including 16 in the thematic focus areas of the new doctoral cluster. To ensure high quality, comprehensive support and qualification structures have been established.

The research-oriented profile of the university is particularly evident in its four established research priorities. At the Zweibrücken campus, the focus is on "Integrated Miniaturized Systems" (IMS). Here, innovative bio- and sensor systems are developed, which can be used, for example, in medical diagnostics, drug research, or health monitoring. Modern research infrastructures such as cleanrooms and biomedical, chemical, and analytical laboratories enable interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers from physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and engineering.

At the Pirmasens and Kaiserslautern locations, the research focus "Sustainable Materials, Products and Processes" (STAMP) consolidates activities in biotechnology and applied pharmacy. The goal is to develop sustainable materials, products, and processes.

Another example of the close integration of research and practice is the Neustadt Wine Campus, which was established together with partner universities and regional institutions. Here, research is conducted on sustainable fermentation technologies, modern diagnostics, and digital solutions for wine production—with the aim of improving quality, safety, and economic efficiency.

The performance of the HSKL is underscored by numerous successfully acquired third-party funded projects, which are supported by federal ministries, the German Research Foundation, the European Union, and foundations. Current projects include, for example, novel biosensors, immunotherapies, rapid virus detection, and the use of artificial intelligence in life sciences. Future topics such as dementia research or sustainable microsensor technology are also in focus.

In addition to the "Medical & Environmental Life Sciences" doctoral cluster, two other university-wide doctoral clusters with the right to award doctorates are starting in Rhineland-Palatinate: "Applied Computer Science" (coordinated by the University of Trier) and "Sustainable Technology and Natural Sciences" (coordinated by the University of Koblenz), in which the University of Kaiserslautern is also actively involved with professors. The evaluation of the doctoral clusters was carried out by an independent expert commission chaired by Prof. Dr. Christian Facchi (Science Council). The evaluation considered, among other things, the research profile, organizational structures, scientific performance, and supervision experience in doctoral training. The decision was announced by the MWG in a press release on January 12, 2026.

With the right to award doctorates and active participation in multiple doctoral clusters, the University of Kaiserslautern strengthens its role as a high-performance research location and makes an important contribution to solving societal challenges in medicine, environmental and life sciences, as well as sustainable technology development—thus advancing the science and innovation landscape of Rhineland-Palatinate.