Currently supported by:
profile
The Bad Kötzting Health Campus is a campus of Deggendorf Institute of Technology. As part of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and with a focus on the key areas of ‘prevention’ and ‘health promotion’, the Health Campus plays a unique role.
The Health Campus was opened on 22 October 2012 and has been developing continuously ever since. Thanks in part to its interdisciplinary team, it now possesses a broad range of expertise in health-related fields. One of the Health Campus’s objectives is to bring this expertise to the Bad Kötzting health region and the district of Cham, whilst collaborating with local stakeholders. To this end, applications are submitted for and national and international research projects, as well as collaborations with regional and supra-regional institutions or companies, are carried out.
Staff and Management:
Scientific Director: Prof. Dr Susanne Heininger
Operational Director: Kathrin Martin
9 (scientific) staff members
tasks
The Bad Kötzting Health Campus has expertise in the fields of health sciences, therapeutic sciences, nursing sciences and cultural studies.
Main responsibilities:
- Initiating and carrying out research projects in collaboration with other research institutions, companies, organisations and bodies at regional and national level
- Contract research and service provision for organisations and companies in the region
- Scientific publications and discourse
- Establishment of regional networks and collaborations
- Mutual transfer of knowledge and technology between the university and regional companies or institutions
- Establishment of cross-border relationships with foreign research institutions
From idea to project – your local partner for health promotion and prevention in the region:
Local stakeholders can also approach the Bad Kötzting Health Campus with a project idea. Together, this project idea is further developed and funding opportunities are sought. If this phase is successful, the project is further developed and ultimately implemented.
What are local stakeholders? Individuals, organisations or institutions operating at a local level, e.g. towns, local authorities, municipalities or companies
CURRENT PROJECTS
Project description:
To make the topic of ‘care and health technologies’ accessible to everyone, the Health Campus has launched the HealthLab. Under the motto ‘Experience – Understand – Practise’, selected technologies and aids can be tried out first-hand in the Care Experience Room, thereby helping to overcome reservations, promote digital and technical skills, and increase acceptance of new technologies in the care and health sector. From 2025, interested facilities, outpatient services, training centres and other institutions will also be able to borrow selected mobile technologies from the HealthLab free of charge, enabling them to be tested under real-world conditions in practice and vocational training.
Funding:
The HealthLab Care Experience Centre was planned through a parliamentary group initiative and implemented by the Bavarian State Ministry of Health, Care and Prevention as part of the “DeinHaus 4.0 – Lower Bavaria” funding project.
Duration:
Funding for the project ends on 31 December 2024. However, in the interests of sustainability, the aim is to continue operating the HealthLab and to keep developing it further.
Further information on the project can be found on the HealthLab website.
Project name:
Transforming care facilities for older people
Project description:
Society is ageing rapidly, and caring for older people is becoming a challenge. Digital solutions offer support to care staff, but the potential of digitalisation is not yet being fully exploited. The DigiCare4CE project promotes innovative solutions to improve the quality of care and develops a transnational strategy for the digital transformation of care facilities. The project partners are testing the use of new technologies in pilot schemes and drawing up action plans for their wider implementation.
Funding and duration:
Funded by Interreg Central Europe (Interreg B) for a period from 1 March 2023 to 28 February 2026
Further information can be found on the Interreg Central Europe website under ‘Project Description’.
Project name:
Innovative vocational training for the integration of foreign care workers and the development of international care teams
Background:
International care workers are a major pillar of the German healthcare system. For their integration to be successful, all those involved need to be properly prepared. The INsTeam project offers institutions a training programme for domestic and foreign care workers to support the integration process and jointly develop strategies for successful integration.
Project overview:
Funded by ESF+
Project sponsor: Bavarian State Ministry for Family, Labour and Social Affairs
Project start: 22 September 2024
Project end: 21 September 2026
Target group: domestic and foreign care workers
Project objectives:
The overarching aim of the INsTeam project is to ensure that foreign care workers, through individual support, can experience and achieve the most successful holistic integration and inclusion possible at all associated levels (care situation, collegial cooperation, organisational conditions and role within the healthcare system). The involvement of all those participating in the integration process is particularly important. The aim is not to adapt foreign nursing staff to the existing system, but rather to equip all those involved to work effectively in international teams. To this end, a three-part, free training programme has been developed for professional qualification or as a refresher course.
Further information can be found on the INsTeam website.
Overview EAsyAnon
- Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
- Research project: "Research network anonymisation for secure data use".
- Framework Programme: IT Security "Digital. Secure. Sovereign.
- Project Management Organisation: VDI/VDE Innovation und Technik GmbH
- Duration: 3 years (start 01.01.2023)
Collaborative partner
- Lead: Deggendorf Institute of Technology (TC Grafenau, TC Vilshofen, GC Bad Kötzting).
- University of Augsburg
- Passion4IT GmbH
- Smart In Media AG
- IT Security Cluster e. V.
Brief summary
Public authorities, health institutions, research institutes and companies have numerous data sets that could potentially be published as Open Data. Often, however, these data sets remain withheld from the general public due to challenges related to data protection, security and personal rights, and no social added value can be achieved from them.
The EAsyAnon project aims to facilitate the anonymisation process associated with Open Data for data stewards. To this end, an overall system consisting of three components is being developed:
I) An intelligent recommendation system that suggests a suitable anonymisation concept based on the description of a data set.
II) An audit system that evaluates the de-anonymisability of the resulting dataset. This is done on the one hand by automated methods and on the other hand by a crowd-sourced peer review process.
III) A trust service that, by means of pseudonymisation measures, allows the publication of parts of a dataset that are worthy of protection and the evaluation of encrypted data for a specific purpose, in compliance with the GDPR.
EAsyAnon is framed by empirical research, in which first concrete application scenarios are evaluated and finally the influences of the system on the open data publication process are evaluated. The evaluation is primarily based on real case studies from the healthcare sector. In addition to the technical aspects, legal and ethical issues will be considered in detail in EAsyAnon. The overall objective of the sub-project at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology is the scientific project management (in particular the conception and implementation of technical and empirical investigations), the technical conception of the overall system including the selection and development of suitable algorithms, technical procedures as well as the creation of individual partial functional models.
Project name:
Applied exoskeleton research for use in rehabilitation
Project description:
The ExRe project develops collaborative research capabilities in the field of applied research and focuses on the development of a state-of-the-art prototype of a lower-limb exoskeleton for rehabilitation purposes, utilising innovations in design, construction technologies, 3D printing and brain-computer interfaces (conversion of brain signals into limb movements).
The project also strengthens joint research capacities for technology transfer in the fields of rehabilitation and prosthetics. It is being carried out by a multidisciplinary research team from Bavaria (THD with TC Cham, TC Hutthurm and GC Bad Kötzting) and the Czech Republic (ZČU in Pilsen with the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art, the Faculty of Applied Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering/RTI). The partners will collaborate on all activities, exchange research expertise and utilise joint research capacities in line with the priorities of RIS3 and the High-Tech Agenda. Five associated partners from industry are also involved in the project, which will run for 36 months.
Project funding:
The ExRe project is funded by Interegg A.
The innovative residential module for senior citizens
Project description:
Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences – Bad Kötzting Health Campus is leasing a residential module, the ‘New Care Mobil’, for the period from May 2025 up to and including November 2025. The residential module is to be equipped with analogue and digital care technology to relieve the burden on family carers, care staff and those requiring care themselves in both outpatient and inpatient settings. As part of a roadshow through south-east Bavaria, the so-called ‘real-world laboratory’ is to be presented at ten different locations. The aim is to use the residential module to raise awareness of the wide range of possibilities offered by analogue and digital care aids, as well as new living and care options for those in need of assistance and care, thereby increasing acceptance among the general public. The “New Care Mobil” serves to facilitate knowledge transfer for future fields in care, as well as to inform the interested public and decision-makers from the care sector, politics and municipal public services.
The mobile care setting “New Care Mobil” is also intended to create synergies with the existing research activities of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, the Digital Health Experience Centre and the HealthLab at Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences.
Project duration:
1 October 2024 – 1 October 2025
Project funding:
The “New Care Modul” project is funded by the Bavarian State Parliament.
Project description:
‘Best Ager Initiative – Approaches to retaining and motivating employees in their golden years through workplace health management’
The ‘Best Ager’ project is a commissioned research project. The parties involved in this project are Zollner Elektronik AG (client), AOK Bayern and the Bad Kötzting Health Campus. By analysing (health) data and conducting scientific data collection using a mixed-methods approach, the aim is to identify the needs and requirements of employees aged 50 and over and to document these in the form of recommendations for action. Based on these recommendations, it should be possible to derive target group-specific measures from the field of workplace health promotion, from which not only Zollner but also other small and medium-sized enterprises will benefit.
Project duration:
01/01/2025 – 31/12/2026
Project name:
A co-creative prevention project for children in Bad Kötzting
Project partners:
Town of Bad Kötzting
Bad Kötzting Health Campus
Associated partners: All schools in Bad Kötzting, TV 1863 Bad Kötzting e.V., Kneipp Association Bad Kötzting, IGM Lifestyle Programme Bad Kötzting, GesundheitsregionPlus Cham District
Project duration:
01/03/2025 – 28/02/2028 (3 years)
Project description:
The aim of the project is to establish a sustainable programme for health promotion and disease prevention for children in Bad Kötzting, with a particular focus on mental health. The prevention project will involve local structures, including schools, after-school care, existing services provided by local associations, and parents. The project is strongly system-oriented and aims to generate measures that can, above all, involve socially disadvantaged and otherwise hard-to-reach families. A co-creation approach is being pursued to establish, together with the target group of children and relevant stakeholders (parents, educators, local representatives, etc.), a sustainable and attractive programme to strengthen mental health. Co-creation means that the target groups actively participate in the project and its measures.
The project is scheduled to run for a period of three years. In the first year, specific strategies to promote children’s mental health in Bad Kötzting will be developed through a co-creation process involving the target group and relevant stakeholders. This will involve addressing known issues, linking existing structures and services, and exploiting synergies. Existing services will be evaluated. In the following two years, the concepts developed will be put into practice and implemented. This will be accompanied by a process evaluation to assess the acceptance and effectiveness of the measures and to make adjustments where necessary.
Project funding:
Funding is provided by statutory health insurance funds as part of the GKV Alliance for Health in Bavaria.
Project name:
Cross-border training programmes for healthcare professionals to promote sustainable healthcare provision between Bavaria and the Czech Republic
Project partners:
University of West Bohemia in Pilsen
Project duration:
1 May 2025 – 30 April 2028 (3 years)
Project description:
Working together for sustainable healthcare in the border region!
Through the Interegg A project ‘CrossHealth’, students from various healthcare disciplines at Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen will have the opportunity to network, learn and exchange ideas on topics relating to sustainable healthcare. The aim is to embed this topic in the future training of healthcare professionals and to create new perspectives in education through interdisciplinary and cross-border links in teaching.
Planned activities include structured student exchanges in the form of digital conferences and face-to-face events, as well as exchanges between university lecturers.
Further information about the project is available on the CrossHealth website.
Project funding:
Interegg A Bayern – Tschechien
completed projects
Project description:
Inno4Health offered further training and professional development programmes for specialists and managers in healthcare organisations (hospitals, care homes, outpatient care services, rehabilitation centres, sports facilities) within the Bad Kötzting prevention region / Cham district. In addition, a network was established comprising THD, healthcare organisations and educational institutions.
Many healthcare companies were unable to offer further training and professional development in 2020/2021 as they were occupied with combating the pandemic. This is where Inno4Health stepped in. Together with the cooperation partners, the needs for further and continuing education were identified, and a programme tailored to these needs was developed in collaboration with the Centre for Academic Continuing Education (ZAW) at THD. The seminars, training courses and workshops were delivered as blended learning, incorporating innovative approaches to digital teaching. Thanks to ESF funding, these programmes were free of charge for the cooperation partners.
The project also linked the THD, companies in the healthcare sector and educational institutions. This gave the partners access to innovations and technologies in health sciences, whilst the university received valuable feedback and input from the business world. The networking events were also designed to strengthen collaboration among the partners, enabling them to better address common challenges within the network.
The Inno4Health project, which is 100% funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), began on 1 July 2021 and ended on 31 December 2022.
DIT project partners:
Centre for Academic Continuing Education / Department for Digitalisation and Innovative Teaching
Cooperation partners:
UniqueBODY Fitness & Wellness Centre Prackenbach
Physioteam Franz Bad Kötzting, the Cham Practice, Physio Wühr Bad Kötzting, Trimmich Physiotherapy Chamerau, Althammer Occupational and Physiotherapy Practice Bad Kötzting
Visio Clinic Bad Kötzting, Uschi Martin Outpatient Rehabilitation Centre Bad Kötzting, Therapy Centre at the Regenbogen Health Park Cham
BRK Cham District Association, Residenz am Kurpark Bad Kötzting, St. Benedictus Retirement Home Bad Kötzting, Grassl Elderly Care and Nursing Service Miltach, St. Michael Retirement Home Cham
TCM Clinic Bad Kötzting, Bayerwald Clinic Cham, Heiligenfeld Clinic Waldmünchen, Sana Clinics Cham District
Project name:
TransForCare – Shaping change in the world of work
Project description:
This training project, funded by the European Union, was aimed at organisations and staff working in outpatient and inpatient care for the elderly.
A practical and varied training programme was created for participants, keeping pace with the rapid developments in the labour market – particularly in the areas of digitalisation and work organisation. We address the very issues that arise in day-to-day care work. From the extensive range of courses on offer, participants were able to put together their own ‘course package’, tailored to their individual needs.
The programme covered the following four thematic areas:
- Digital transformation
- Change in the world of work
- Personal development & self-care
- Care basics
Accreditation:
Our training project was accredited by both the Registration of Professional Carers (RbP) and the VdPB as a 24-hour continuing professional development course for practical trainers.
Project partners:
Health Academy of Eastern Bavaria (GAO), sponsored by the Cham District Adult Education Centre (vhs)
Target group:
The training programmes outlined here were aimed at various professional groups working in outpatient and inpatient elderly care facilities. These include management, senior staff, nursing staff, nursing assistants, care assistants, educators and therapists, as well as administrative staff. In addition, one module was specifically aimed at potential returnees to the workforce who had previously been employed, or part-time staff with the potential to increase their working hours in the care sector.
Project funding and duration:
Funded by the European Social Fund (ESF+), running from May 2023 to March 2024.
Project description:
Winter School “Health-Literate Community” with students from three countries:
Two Winter Schools have already taken place at the Bad Kötzting Health Campus in 2023 and 2024, in cooperation with the Danube-Moldau European Region. Around 17 students from the DIT, the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and the University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions Upper Austria spent a week working in groups to develop various ideas for improving health literacy in a local community setting. The ideas were presented to local decision-makers on the Friday of each week.
Three-day workshop in Regen:
A three-day workshop was held from 19–21 October 2022, attended by 15 researchers from the Czech Republic and Bavaria. On Wednesday, an introductory excursion took place to the Postkeller in Regen, after which the workshop began with a round of introductions. On Thursday, project ideas were developed in the form of a guided design thinking workshop. The ideas were then recorded during a writing session on Friday. The workshop took place at the Arberland Tagungshotel in Regen, Bavaria.
Participating colleges and universities:
- Deggendorf Institute of Technology (GC Bad Kötzting, TC Grafenau)
- Czech Technical University in Prague
- East Bavarian University of Applied Sciences Regensburg
- East Bavarian University of Applied Sciences Amberg-Weiden
- University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt
THD delegation visit to Prague:
In addition, a delegation of five researchers from Deggendorf visited the University of Prague (six people) from 9 to 11 November 2022. They built on the workshop held in Regen and further developed a project idea.
Further collaboration planned:
Firstly, the participants will remain in contact in the short term to continue working on the project ideas. As the participants were able to get to know one another better and exchange ideas, it is likely that their respective expertise will also be sought for other new ideas, leading to further collaboration.
Project funding:
The project was funded by the Bavarian-Czech University Agency (BTHA) and the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts (StMWK).
Project description:
The 2021/22 collaborative project between Suŝice and the Health Campus of Deggendorf Institute of Technology, in partnership with the town of Bad Kötzting, aims to encourage children aged 3 to 10 to be physically active. To this end, a children’s treasure hunt featuring several stations has been organised in the spa gardens in Bad Kötzting. A sort of ‘treasure map’ has been created, which the children can fill in after completing the stations and then hand in for a reward. The aim is to explore the body through movement in a practical way, by enabling children to learn movement sequences, exercise their bodies and experience nature. This is intended to help children gain insights into a healthy lifestyle. The project was developed and supervised in close collaboration with the teaching staff by a Bachelor’s student from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the DIT.
Project description:
The project was approved in mid-2016 by the Monitoring Committee of the European INTERREG V funding programme. The project was submitted by the Cham District Association of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) as the lead partner, in collaboration with the THD, the Pilsen Emergency Medical Service and the University of Pilsen. The areas involved in the project in Bavaria were the districts of Cham, Freyung-Grafenau, Hof, Neustadt an der Waldnaab, Regen, Schwandorf, Tirschenreuth and Wunsiedel in the Fichtelgebirge, as well as the independent cities of Hof and Weiden in the Upper Palatinate. In the Czech Republic, the area covers the districts of Pilsen, Karlovy Vary and South Bohemia. A Competence and Coordination Centre (CCC) for Cross-Border Emergency Services (Gü-RD) was established in Furth im Wald. The CCC brings together the expertise and interests of all BRK rescue services in the border region with the Czech Republic (8 districts/25 rescue stations), thereby ensuring a high-quality emergency rescue service for the population. The aim of the project was to foster practical cross-border cooperation, facilitate knowledge transfer, break down language barriers and develop a joint strategy for modern, community-based rescue service structures. The THD, together with the University, provided scientific support. As a result of these efforts, the Bavarian-Czech border region grew closer together and people on both sides of the border were able to benefit from this. The project played a key role in enabling ‘borderless assistance’ within the emergency services of both countries. Patients – whether local residents, commuters, holidaymakers or transit passengers – received cross-border care in line with current medical standards and were transported by the fastest means to the most appropriate hospital for their needs, even if this was located across the border.
Project description:
The project, carried out by Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences, established a centre of excellence in Bad Kötzting for the training and further education of nursing staff and healthcare professionals in the Bavarian-Czech border region, with the aim of strengthening the border region around Bad Kötzting. To this end, a centre of excellence was set up in Bad Kötzting. The project was funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs from 2016 until the end of 2020. The courses offered at the competence centre were accordingly aimed at healthcare staff from Germany and abroad who had completed one or more years of training. The focus was on promoting specialist expertise and German language skills in the context of the recognition of foreign nursing qualifications, providing support in completing the three-year nursing training programme in Germany, and imparting skills for engaging with different cultural groups within the healthcare sector.
Detailed information can be found in the Competence Centre project report.
directions
 |
Deggendorf Institute of Technology Landshuter Str. 1e |
|
|
Our offices are located in the building of the former distric vocational school on the ground floor. |