Research for better care

Care and Technology Lab at Furtwangen University celebrates tenth anniversary

The Care and Technology Lab (IMTT) is one of 14 research institutes at Furtwangen University (HFU). Its experts conduct research primarily in the fields of nursing science and health technologies. As part of the celebrations marking the institute’s tenth anniversary, the numerous guests were given a comprehensive insight into the subject.

“The IMTT combines theoretical research and professional practice in a unique way. This is our particular strength as a university of applied sciences,” said HFU President Dr Alexandra Bormann in her opening speech. “I am particularly pleased that the institute is forging new paths and connections for our key focus area of Health and Technologies,” said Bormann. The President extended special thanks to Prof. Dr Peter König, whose retirement marked part of the event.

“We have been working at the interface between people, technology and society for the last ten years. Our focus on care and participation is only possible thanks to close collaboration with our partners in the field, who work alongside us to develop solutions for improving care,” said the Institute Director, Prof. Dr. Christophe Kunze. The history and development of nursing science were the focus of the keynote lecture by Prof. Dr. Cornelia Mahler from the University of Tübingen who emphasised the importance of being able to make care decisions based on scientific evidence.

Prof. Dr. Christophe Kunze guided the audience through ten years of the IMTT using numerous images and reports – from the challenging early days, including the construction of the Future Care Lab, to the present day – highlighting the institute’s development through selected projects. “The participatory approach – that is, the involvement of those affected – has been an important part of our research from the very beginning; it is, so to speak, our toolkit. Today, this approach has itself become a subject of research, and we are developing new ideas to design our research in a participatory manner, for example with people living with dementia,” reported Kunze. “I am proud of our approximately 45 projects and over 175 publications.”

Prof. Ulrike Lindwedel then introduced herself to the guests in her inaugural lecture. She has held a temporary professorship in nursing science at the HFU since the start of the current summer term. “I haven’t left the house without a book since I was a child, which is why I’d like to describe my approach to nursing science through books as well,” explained Lindwedel. Using quotes and anecdotes from the books *What Can Be Seen From Here*, *And Everyone So Still*, *Babel* and *Erdsee*, Lindwedel underlined her approach, “It is important that we remain curious. Observing attentively, listening genuinely, bridging the gap between academia and practice, and imagining a better future are, for me, crucial building blocks for successfully linking theory and practice.”

Lindwedel succeeds Prof. Dr. Peter König in the professorship. As one of the founders of IMTT, König played a key role in both establishing the institute and overseeing its physical development. Through forward-looking research projects, some of which were international, he set new standards in nursing research. “After 14 years at the HFU, a very special chapter of my life is now coming to an end,” said König during the moving farewell ceremony organised by his colleagues. “At the IMTT, the discipline of nursing science is being further developed to the highest standards. That said, the institute is merely the formal framework. What is important and special are the people within it.”