Results and conclusions of the evaluation of successful co-operation projects among industry and universities

摘要

In 1995 the project group was founded at the Department of Machine Elements and Engineering Design, Darmstadt University of Technology [1]. The project group used methods of engineering design in co-operation projects with various industrial partners. Involved branches were, e.g., the automobile industry and enterprises concerned with hygiene technology and medical care. The average duration of the co-operation projects was three months. The project teams consisted of three to eight members from industry and the university. The co-operation projects usually focused on the conceptual design of innovative products. But in the last few years, co-operation projects were also accomplished in which the methods FMEA and QFD were intensively applied. The most important target of the project group was the verification of the benefits of the use of methods for the involved industry partners. In this contribution, the scientific approach to investigating the co-operation projects and the experience in the use of engineering design methods gained in ten analyzed cooperation projects are described [6].