Fachhochschule Dortmund builds research bridge to Pakistan

Fachhochschule Dortmund is expanding its internationalization activities. With the SusProLab - short for "Sustainable Project Management Lab" - an international research group on sustainable project management is being initiated with the participation of COMSATS University in Islamabad (Pakistan) and Fachhochschule Dortmund.

The aim of SusProLab is to lead development projects in Pakistan to sustainable success. So far, many projects in the country have fallen short of expectations. "A higher success rate and improved sustainability and long-term impact of the projects is essential for the development of the country," emphasizes Prof. Dr. Carsten Wolff, Professor of Computer Science at the Institute for the Digital Transformation of Application and Living Domains (IDiAL) at Fachhochschule Dortmund. This is not only about ecological sustainability, but also about economic and social sustainability. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is supporting the project with almost 80,000 euros for two years.

Professor Carsten Wolff is confident that the collaboration will work quickly and smoothly despite the 5,529-kilometer airline distance, as the project partners already know each other. Prof. Dr. Rao Aamir Ali Khan, Assistant Professor of Management Studies at COMSATS in Islamabad, completed his European Master in Project Management (EuroMPM) at Fachhochschule Dortmund. He then completed his doctorate at the University of Kassel together with Prof. Dr. Jan Christoph Albrecht, who was appointed Professor of Project Management at Fachhochschule Dortmund in 2021. And a student who Prof. Khan successfully guided to a master's degree in Pakistan is now doing her doctorate at Fachhochschule Dortmund in cooperation with the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao. "Research and teaching cooperation between COMSATS and Fachhochschule Dortmund already exists," says Carsten Wolff. "We want to expand this significantly."

Specifically, the research group wants to look at projects for the installation of so-called Mini Hydro Power Plants (MHPP). These mini hydro power plants are suitable for decentralized power supply in rural areas. However, many of the MHPPs funded by international donors are not completed or are no longer functional after a short time. This is where the work of SusProLab comes in. The researchers want to develop solutions that ensure the continuation of the projects. Where are the legal hurdles? How can the local community be involved in the long term? Researchers and students from Pakistan and Germany will work together on this. Carsten Wolff assumes that the project will also result in several master's and doctoral theses between students from Pakistan, Fachhochschule Dortmund and the EuroPIM universities, thus laying the foundation for a long-term teaching and research commitment.