Starting out in research is a particular challenge for many professors who are new to the University of Applied Sciences - especially when there is a lack of funding for initial projects. To close this gap, the Carl Zeiss Foundation has launched the "CZS Forschungsstart" funding program. Since 2022, the program has been supporting two-year research projects at Universities of Applied Sciences with up to 200,000 euros.
Prof. Dr. Christina Schwarz and Prof. Dr. Anne Stumper from Aalen University of Applied Sciences are now also benefiting from this support. Thanks to the foundation, both can expand their research on health topics in a targeted manner. "We are extremely pleased about the support of our professors by the Carl Zeiss Foundation," emphasizes University Rector Prof. Dr. Harald Riegel. "The Foundation has a broad portfolio of funding opportunities, which is of great value for the development and profiling of research at the University of Applied Sciences."
Prof. Dr. Christina Schwarz studied physics at Heidelberg University and completed her doctorate at the Universidad de Murcia in Spain. After research stays in the USA and working as a research group leader at the University of Tübingen, she was appointed Professor of Optometry at Aalen University of Applied Sciences last year. Her project, which is funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, focuses on the development of a special optical system with which visual aids such as glasses or lenses can be tested with computer support and realistically - for example when seeing in motion or at the edge of the field of vision. "The aim is to design future visual aids during the manufacturing process in such a way that they take greater account of the individual's subjective visual perception and thus contribute to better vision," says the scientist.
Prof. Dr. Anne Stumper has been Professor of Medical Technology Product Management and Regulatory Affairs at Aalen University of Applied Sciences since March 2025. After holding positions at the University of Ulm and Dublin City University, she most recently worked for a manufacturer of medical devices. In her project, which is funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, the PhD chemist wants to develop a new type of diagnostic system for systemic cancers such as leukemia. After successful initial treatment of the tumor, the test system should reliably indicate at home with a few drops of blood or urine whether the cancer has returned. The aim is to minimize recurring visits to the doctor for follow-up examinations. "The focus here is on the development of special metal complexes that function like little sniffer noses - they recognize individual characteristics of the cancer and sound the alarm as soon as a relapse is imminent," explains Stumper. She receives active support from working groups at the University of Applied Sciences, who provide their expertise and equipment, as well as from her cooperation partners at the Ostalb-Klinikum Aalen and the University of Ulm.
"The fact that the funding from the Carl Zeiss Foundation has now given us the opportunity to quickly initiate our research at the University of Applied Sciences Aalen is simply fantastic. And we are very grateful for this," say the two scientists.
About the Carl Zeiss Foundation
The Carl Zeiss Foundation promotes science and teaching in the STEM disciplines of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. As a partner of excellent science, it provides scope for basic and application-oriented research. The foundation was established by Ernst Abbe in Jena in 1889 and is now one of the oldest and largest private science-promoting foundations in Germany. It is the sole owner of Carl Zeiss AG and SCHOTT AG. Its funding activities are financed from the dividend distributions of the two foundation companies.
