Applied Research - HZ Studio

The Applied Research minor consists of two projects. You will also attend weekly workshops and coaching sessions in which you will work on your professional development and personal leadership.

Project 1: Research project for a research group or professorship

In this project, you will develop your research skills within a research group or professorship. You will work on a practice-oriented issue with societal impact.

Weeks 1 to 10

• You explore an issue within your research group
• You analyse the context and identify stakeholders
• You delve into relevant theories and research methods
• You work towards a well-founded research proposal

Weeks 11 to 20

• You carry out the research
• You collect and analyse data
• You draw conclusions and make practical recommendations
• You present your research during a poster presentation

Project 2: Regeneration and personal development

Alongside the research project, you will work on an individual regeneration project. You choose a topic that suits you and your interests. Regeneration means actively exploring how you can make a positive contribution to people, nature and society.

Weeks 1 to 10

• You explore what regeneration means
• You choose activities that suit your project
• You link your project to the Inner Development Goals (IDGs)
• You draw up a plan for your personal and professional development

Weeks 11 to 20

• You will carry out your project
• You will reflect on your development and experiences
• You will share your insights and results with others on the minor

Please note: Not every research project is available each semester. If you are interested in a specific topic, contact the respective contact person to check the project's availability and schedule a meeting with the researcher. If multiple students show interest in the same topic, the researcher may conduct interviews to select the most suitable candidates.

Energy Transition
Learn about the financial, social, technical, and creative aspects of the energy transition. Sustainable solutions are complex, and stakeholders often have conflicting interests. Working in a multidisciplinary team of 3 or 4 students, you will approach solutions from different areas of expertise and perspectives.

More information? Email Marjoleine Dootingh

Water Technology

Develop techniques to use water as efficiently as possible. Examples include desalinating seawater for hydrogen production, post-purifying wastewater for agriculture, purifying industrial water into process water, or treating various water streams using wetlands. The Water Technology research group also focuses on recovering valuable substances from water, assessing the environmental impact of different techniques through Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), and managing and monitoring water treatment plants.

More information? Email Bart Letterie

Biobased Building

At the Biobased Construction research group, students and lecturers from HZ and Avans work together on research for construction and civil engineering. They focus primarily on biobased materials—materials made from natural raw materials. The group investigates how existing biobased building products can be used more effectively and on a larger scale. They also develop and test new ideas and materials. These can help to make construction cheaper, faster, and more sustainable. As a student, you will participate in this research. You can devise new products, test them, or help to prepare innovations for practical use

More information? Email Marianna Coelho

Circular Economy

Contribute to the greening of the HZ campus. Design circular planting, create study and meeting spaces, or work on the food forest. Ensure that materials used are circular and consider how food and materials within HZ can be reused.

More information? Email Ingrid de Vries

Marine Biobased Chemistry

Research marine resources for food transition, protein replacement, and sustainable packaging. Conduct chemical analyses and learn complex research skills. The Marine Biobased Chemistry research group uses chemical knowledge to investigate marine resources, for example, to shape the food transition in Zeeland. You and your project group might explore seaweed applications, study protein transition, or develop food packaging. Chemistry projects such as analysing flavor and fragrance compounds are also available. You will learn how to conduct complex research, design experiments, analyse data, and present findings.

More information? Email Tanja Moerdijk

HZenzor

HZ has two autonomous sensor boats: HZenzor 1 and HZenzor 2. These two-meter-long boats are equipped with measuring instruments. During this project, you will improve navigation and functionality for water quality research, working on mechatronics, programming, and testing adjustments with your team.

More information? Email Willem Haak

Climate Adaptation

The Resilient Deltas research group brings together experts working on solutions for climate change and flood risks. This group brings together knowledge from various disciplines, such as water management, spatial planning, design, risk assessment, and governance. The researchers study how climate change affects cities and regions, now and in the future. For example, they look at how cities can adapt to heat and heavy rainfall, and how flood barriers can be designed to be safer and more attractive.

More information? Email Jasper van den Heuvel

Innovation in Education

The research group Excellence and Innovation in Education focuses on future-proof education. Due to increasing digitalization, aging populations, and globalization, education is continuously seeking innovative solutions. In an interdisciplinary group, you will work on a current issue in the field of education.

More information? Email Hilde Kooiker - den Boer

Food innovation

Dive into the world of food innovation and explore the future of sustainable and innovative food solutions in the Zeeland region. By choosing this research topic, you’ll have the opportunity to work on diverse projects, from discovering new uses for regional ingredients to tackling challenges in food production, processing, and sustainability.

More information? Email Judith van Poppel

Asset Management

The Asset Management research group conducts research into the effective and efficient long-term management of assets that are crucial to the liveability and sustainability of the Southwest Delta. Asset management concerns the management of assets, usually in public spaces or as part of the infrastructure. Examples include bridges, roads, locks, traffic control centres, sewerage systems and green spaces.

Want to know more? Email Sai Divi

You will have two coaches to support you throughout the minor:

Research coach

Your research coach will guide you through your project and help you get started by sharing their subject-specific knowledge. You will meet regularly (30 minutes weekly or 1 hour fortnightly) to discuss your progress, learning points and next steps.

HZ Studio coach

Your HZ Studio Coach helps you reflect on your skills, collaboration and overall performance during the minor. You will be coached in shaping your own project on regeneration.

Assessment

Your research coach assesses key project milestones, such as your research proposal and final report.

Your HZ Studio coach assesses your skills, collaboration and overall performance.

Lessons and workshops take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays and will appear in your timetable. These sessions are mainly held in the HZ Tower in Vlissingen.

In addition, the following guideline applies:

• You must be present with your research group or project for at least two days a week (for example, in an office, a laboratory or another workplace).
• You will schedule the remaining hours online or remotely in consultation with your team and/or coaches.

Depending on the project you are working on, this minor allows you to contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Improving well-being by focusing on the quality of life (or living conditions) in Zeeland in every innovation.
• SDG 11: Working on projects and innovations that make places in Zeeland more inclusive, sustainable or resilient.
• SDG 12: Embracing responsible consumption and production, for example by promoting sustainable mobility or reusing food waste for other purposes.

During this minor, you will have various work locations:

• HZ Middelburg
• JRCZ in Middelburg
• HZ Tower in Vlissingen (Impact Lab)

The HZ Impact Lab is located on the second floor of the HZ Tower in Vlissingen. You will share this vibrant office environment with, amongst others, students from the HZ Studio minor in Design Thinking and Doing. This gives you the opportunity to learn from other students with different interests and cultural backgrounds.

• You understand the principles of regeneration and use this knowledge to critically reflect on your personal development based on the Inner Development Goals.

• You learn to conduct systematic research, view a problem from different perspectives, and justify your choices. You research in a structured manner and critically engage with stakeholders, theories, models, and methodologies. Through feedback and reflection, you improve your research plan, making it clear, relevant, and useful.

• You learn to collect and process research data. You critically analyse the results, draw well-founded conclusions, and explain why you use certain methods. You also learn how to check and assess the reliability of your research results. Additionally, you reflect on your research and your way of working, allowing you to further improve yourself as a professional.

There is no mandatory literature for this minor. Various sources and books are available in the HZ Studio for your project. Additionally, information will be shared via Learn.

The examination of this minor entails a portfolio and a competency-based interview.