As part of the “New Urban Air Mobility” (NUL) research project, Heilbronn University is exploring innovative forms of mobility to tap into the third dimension—the air—for both passenger and freight transport. The project aims to examine the latest findings on air taxis, as well as bike highways, drones, and cable cars, and to present these findings in teaching and at conferences.

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Prof. Dr. Jens Hujer

B.Sc. Arthur Piechotzek

Since 2012, the European Aviation Conference (EAC) has offered a unique meeting place for industry stakeholders, researchers and government officials from across Europe and around the world to discuss timely, policy-relevant issues in aviation with the goal of the seeking insights from best practices and practical solutions to challenges facing the aviation industry. The conference takes place in a different European city each year. Recent meetings have taken place in Berlin, St. Gallen, Amsterdam, Cranfield, Dublin and Athens. The 2019 European Aviation Conference was held on 7th/8th November in Vienna. In 2020, the conference was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the organizers have decided to organize the conference as online event again. In 2022, the conference will return to a face-to-face format at the University of Applied Sciences Heilbronn, Germany.

Each conference addresses a different aviation theme, such as the aviation value chain, airport infrastructure capacity, aviation liberalisation, business models and airport ownership/control. This year’s topic is ‘Getting real about climate change and aviation: Economics & Policy for this decade’.

Host of this years European Aviation Conference is the University of Heilbronn, the Heilbronn University Graduate School (HUGS) and Institut LOGWERT under the direction of Prof. Dr. Jens Hujer and Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Sterzenbach.

Prof. Dr. Jens Hujer

Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Sterzenbach

The educational campus requires a holistic mobility management approach that extends beyond the boundaries of individual educational institutions. A key component of this is the coordination and further development of existing measures into a comprehensive, sustainable mobility plan. To this end, the LOGWERT Institute—initially for a period of two years—has created the position of a mobility project manager in coordination with and funded by the Dieter Schwarz Foundation. The goal of the mobility manager’s work is to support students, employees, and visitors to the educational campus with mobility-related issues.

Dipl.-Betriebsw. Claudia Schenk

M.Eng. Sabrina Pletz

Leonie Müller

As part of the “eHighway Field Trial on the A1 Federal Highway (BAB) in Schleswig-Holstein (FESH),” the overhead line infrastructure and its interaction with electric trucks are being tested. In particular, economic feasibility and cost analyses of these vehicles are being conducted based on vehicle data collected on the test route, while taking into account current freight carrier rates and investment costs.

M.Sc. Matthias Bramme

The goal of the Bavarian Freight Transport Concept, to be developed for the Bavarian State Ministry, is to identify areas of action for the state’s freight transport and infrastructure policy, as well as starting points for related initiatives and measures in cooperation with the federal government and the EU. The multimodal “Bavarian Freight Transport Concept” sets out the framework for measures in the Free State of Bavaria that will contribute to improving the freight transport situation. The concept to be developed calls for a comprehensive analysis of freight flows, modes of transport, and logistics requirements. The synthesis and analysis of existing studies and data, along with a process of engagement with local stakeholders, will form an empirical and objective basis for recommendations on how the Free State of Bavaria can make the freight transport system as a whole more sustainable. In parallel with a critical analysis of logistical conditions and the fundamentals of transportation theory, this project specifically includes a comprehensive engagement strategy (workshops and expert forums) with stakeholders in the freight transport sector. The research activities to be carried out by Heilbronn University—LOGWERT Institute as part of the project design specifically call for the use of qualitative research methods, such as a substantive analysis of the freight transport market in Bavaria and its challenges; support in the substantive and methodological design of expert workshops; the formulation of objectives and the development of measures; and the derivation and categorization of recommendations for action. In addition, an impact analysis will examine the extent to which the allocation of government funds acts as a lever to achieve the desired effects in terms of meeting the objectives. The effects and consequences of the measures will be evaluated primarily on a qualitative basis, though in some cases they will also be roughly estimated quantitatively. The measures are then classified in a matrix, ranked from low to high in terms of effectiveness and resource use. Recommendations for prioritizing the measures during the implementation period are derived from this matrix.

M.Sc. Leonie Lesemann

M.Sc. Jonas Heinzelmann

M.Sc. Leonie Lesemann

As part of the DigiT4TAF collaborative project, Heilbronn University and its partners are developing a digital twin for selected traffic areas in Heilbronn and Karlsruhe within the Baden-Württemberg Autonomous Driving Test Field (TAF BW). The digital twin will serve as a testing platform for various technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI). The goal is to develop new mobility concepts and unlock innovation potential, while ensuring their reliability through intelligent systems. This initiative aims to test intelligent transportation infrastructure and protect against hacker attacks.

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Prof. Dr. -Ing. Raoul Zöllner

M.Eng. Sabrina Pletz

As part of the “Public Transportation Transparency Registry” research project, Heilbronn University and Worms University of Applied Sciences are compiling information on public transportation costs—accessible to the general public—at the level of the funding authorities (state/county/city). The goal is to provide citizens, policymakers, transportation companies, and funding authorities with insight into actual market trends.

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M.Eng. Sabrina Pletz

The goal of the “H2 Hafen Heilbronn (H2HN)” study is to use a participatory approach involving local stakeholders (potential suppliers, consumers, and logistics service providers in the hydrogen sector) to develop concrete, exemplary implementation pathways toward a hydrogen economy, thereby contributing to climate protection. This effort takes place against the backdrop of changing cargo flows at the Port of Heilbronn, driven in part by the phase-out of coal. Building on suitable starting points for both the supply and demand of hydrogen, the study aims to design a regional hydrogen ecosystem that will become economically attractive to the participating stakeholders as quickly as possible. The goal is to gather and link as many ideas as possible and to apply them to the state of Baden-Württemberg. Specifically, the H2HN study focuses on a port as a potential import and distribution hub for hydrogen. The emphasis is on dialogue between market participants within an integrated system. A participatory research approach was chosen for the study, which—through collaboration with stakeholders already established in the region—enables the joint development of concrete implementation pathways. Furthermore, the involvement of diverse stakeholders from industry and academia allows for the incorporation of different perspectives from both science and practice throughout the research project. The development of pathways with the experts is based on the real-time Delphi method. As part of the study, a regional hydrogen ecosystem will be designed as an example—one that is economically attractive to the participating stakeholders as quickly as possible and can be transferred to other port locations in the state of Baden-Württemberg with regard to the handling of hydrogen directly in and around a port.

M.Sc. Matthias Bramme

B.A. Verena Hess

Alexandra Wolf

As part of the study conducted for the state of Baden-Württemberg, the aim is to examine whether and under what circumstances rural regions can drive the implementation of hydrogen applications in the logistics sector. Based on three study areas in rural regions (Main-Tauber District, Linzgau and Lake Constance Hinterland, Hohenlohe), the study will work with local stakeholders to identify potential opportunities, suitable approaches to hydrogen use and supply, and possible future scenarios for a hydrogen economy. The core outcome will be the development of a decentralized hydrogen supply concept and the specification of key implementation measures based on a roadmap for scaling up. The study aims to identify sustainable and solution-oriented approaches to how rural regions can serve as an environment for innovative hydrogen economy initiatives with a focus on logistics. As part of the research project, the potential and obstacles associated with hydrogen as an energy source for rural areas will be examined, and based on these findings, an ecosystem incorporating hydrogen as a new energy source will be developed. In addition, future opportunities for logistics in rural areas utilizing hydrogen as an energy source will be identified. A participatory research approach was chosen for the study, which, through collaboration with established stakeholders, enables the joint development of a hydrogen roadmap and key implementation measures. In addition, various qualitative research methods are used, such as expert interviews, qualitative content analysis, and workshops.

M.Sc. Leonie Lesemann

M.Eng. Sabrina Pletz

The objective of the study to be conducted is to develop a roadmap extending through the year 2050 for increasing the level of integration among the various modes of transportation in the freight market. Against the backdrop of the current climate debate—which, among other things, calls for increased use of rail and inland waterways—this study will use the market model and various quantitative and qualitative methods to identify policy options and recommendations to support the shift of freight from road to rail and waterways.

Prof. Dr. Jens Hujer

Alexandra Wolf

Prof. Dr. Jens Hujer

M.Eng. Sabrina Pletz