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Honors for HAW Kiel: Pawlik and Lehmann-Matthaei in the spotlight!
In October 2025, HAW Kiel honored Prof. Pawlik and Björn Lehmann-Matthaei for their many years of service to research.
Honors for HAW Kiel: Pawlik and Lehmann-Matthaei in the spotlight!
In October there were two reasons to be happy at the Kiel University of Applied Sciences (HAW). Two outstanding personalities were honored for their achievements: Prof. Dr. Thomas Pawlik received honorary citizenship of the university, while Björn Lehmann-Matthaei was awarded the university medal. Both awards represent an impressive record of commitment and achievement.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Pawlik, who taught business administration with an international focus in the Department of Economics from 1996 to 2010, was particularly celebrated for his many years of commitment. After eight years as chairman of the university council, he has now given up his position. During his time at HAW Kiel, he developed a major in maritime transport economics and thus made a decisive contribution to the university's profile. After his time in Kiel, he moved to the University of Bremen, where he took up a professorship in maritime management. The HAW President, Prof. Dr. Bjorn Christensen, praised Pawlik as a thoughtful advisor and committed companion to the university.
30 years of innovative strength in the R&D center
Another highlight in the history of the university of applied sciences was the celebration of the 30th anniversary Research and Development Center (R&D Center), which took place on September 17, 2025. This special event attracted guests from science, business, politics and society. The R&D center, founded as the first university of applied sciences GmbH in Germany, has developed into a central player for applied research in Schleswig-Holstein and currently employs around 150 people.
Under the leadership of Björn Lehmann-Matthaei, who was managing director of the R&D center for over 25 years, lead projects such as the offshore research platform FINO3 and the CAPTN test vehicle “MS Wavelab” were realized. Under his leadership, around 150 orders were successfully implemented each year for regional and national commercial companies as well as public organizations.
A look into the future
At the anniversary celebration, the focus was on the innovative strength of the North and new research priorities. The Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günther, gave a keynote speech and suggested a future talk in which important framework conditions for cooperation and the necessary steps to promote innovation were discussed. Tim Kraemer, who symbolically took over the baton from Lehmann-Matthaei, emphasized that the R&D center has a timeless business model that reacts flexibly to change.
The celebrations were complemented by a musical reception and a project exhibition, which promoted exchanges between those present. The spirit of cooperation and knowledge exchange that so characterizes the R&D center lives on, and the course for future success has already been set.