Institute of Psychology & Behavioral Science (IPBS)

29 April 2026: Cross-border conference on migration and resilience in Tachov

On April 29, 2026, the first cross-border conference “Integration of Migrants in the Bavarian-Czech Context” took place in Tachov, Czech Republic, bringing together institutions and professionals from the fields of migration, education, integration, and mental health across the Bavarian-Czech border region.

The conference was organized within the framework of the Interreg project “Resilience & Cooperation”, which aims to strengthen cross-border collaboration and promote psychosocial wellbeing, resilience, and social inclusion among migrants and local communities.

Representatives from project partner institutions, including REVIS Tachov and vhs Weiden-Neustadt gGmbH, participated in the event together with researchers and practitioners from both countries. During the conference, Nicole Schmidt  presented the role of OTH Amberg-Weiden and the Institute of Psychology & Behavioral Science (IPBS), highlighting research perspectives on resilience, mental health, and social support within migration processes.

The INTERREG Bayern - Tschechien project was jointly developed by Tanja Fichtner from vhs Weiden-Neustadt gGmbH, Alexandra Hrušková from REVIS Tachov, Prof. Dr. Gabriele M. Murry, and Md Jawadur Rahman from OTH Amberg Weiden. Nicole Schmidt will lead the project coordination on behalf of the OTH Amberg-Weiden consortium.

Over the coming years, the project partners will work together on developing practical and evidence-based approaches to resilience and integration, fostering institutional cooperation, and creating sustainable support structures within the Bavarian-Czech border region. The conference concluded with productive discussions, networking opportunities, and a shared commitment to strengthening future collaboration within the Interreg framework.

As part of the Interreg program, OTH Amberg-Weiden secured funding of €189,485.25 from the project’s total budget of €551,613.57.

28 April, 2026: Kick-off for the project “EthikKom” in České Budějovice 

The project “EthikKom – Ethical Compass” officially kicked off on April 28, 2026, with a kick-off meeting at the Institute of Technology and Business (VŠTE) in České Budějovice. 

Partners from the Czech Republic and Germany came together to launch the three-year initiative, which will run until December 2028. The meeting began with mutual institutional introductions, followed by a joint session with students focusing on topics such as general ethics, specific ethical challenges, and university codes of conduct. 

The project was jointly developed by Dr. Gabriele M. Murry and Md Jawadur Rahman in collaboration with Libuše Turinská, while Michaela Procházková will lead the project on behalf of VŠTE. 

The afternoon was dedicated to intensive strategic planning for the first project year. Key aspects included defining communication structures, forming student teams, planning data collection through questionnaires, and organizing upcoming workshops. In addition, discussions were held on the content, design, and management of the shared web platform. The day concluded with a warm farewell and words of appreciation for the productive exchange. 

As part of the Interreg BY-CZ program, OTH Amberg-Weiden will receive funding of €352,825.49 from a total project budget of €583,855.03. Md Jawadur Rahman will serve as project manager and research associate on behalf of OTH.

07 Feb 2026: MindShift Team Visits Siemens Amberg

A delegation from the MindShift project at the Institute of Psychology & Behavioral Science (IPBS), OTH Amberg-Weiden, had the opportunity to spend a day at Siemens in Amberg for an on-site exchange on current practices and challenges in digital transformation and organizational change within the industrial technology environment.

During the visit, the MindShift team introduced an early prototype of their mixed-reality (MR) simulation/serious game. The prototype is designed to provide students with a hands-on learning experience that highlights the human side of transformation, how individuals make decisions, collaborate, and respond to shifting conditions in complex work settings.

The visit also included a guided tour through Siemens’ manufacturing facilities in Amberg, offering valuable insights into the production environment and its digital integration in practice. The exchange provided important practical perspectives that will help refine the simulation scenarios and strengthen the connection between academic learning and real-world transformation challenges.

This work is part of the MindShift project from the Institute of Psychology & Behavioral Science (IPBS) at Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden, funded by Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre.

The MindShift team thanks the Siemens Amberg team for the insightful discussions, hands-on perspectives, and constructive feedback on the prototype.

04 Feb 2026:  MindShift Team Visits Gerresheimer

A delegation team of MindShift from the Institute of Psychology & Behavioral Science (IPBS) visited Gerresheimer for an on-site exchange on current challenges and best practices in digital transformation and change management in pharma/biotech/healthcare sector.

The visiting group included Md Jawadur Rahman, Zaima Zarnaz Tuktuk and Akram Hossain (MindShift), together with Mathias Reif (PMA). During the visit, the team presented a prototype of the MindScape business simulation and discussed how simulation-based learning can support decision-making and collaboration under changing conditions.

MindShift is developing an immersive mixed reality (MR) based simulation/serious game to help students experience and reflect on the psychological challenges of transformation in VUCA environments. As a part of the developmental process MindShift team executes dialogue with external partners from Industry 4.0/production and healthcare to strengthen practical relevance and build realistic scenarios.​

Gerresheimer contributed valuable practice perspectives to this exchange, including insights connected to its work with the pharma/biotech/healthcare sector and its broader role in medical and health-related solutions. The discussion supported MindShift’s goal of translating real organizational challenges into authentic learning situations that enable students to understand both the technological and human dimensions of transformation.​​

The MindShift team thanks Gerresheimer for the opportunity to visit, for the open discussion, and for the constructive feedback on the prototype of the simulation.

27 Oct 2025:  School Group from Alexandria, Egypt Explores Immersive Technologies at IPBS Lab

The Institute of Psychology & Behavioral Science (IPBS) at OTH Amberg-Weiden recently had the pleasure of welcoming a school group from Alexandria, Egypt. During their visit, the students had the opportunity to experience a range of immersive technologies first-hand, including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR).

The interactive session introduced them to how these tools are applied in psychological and behavioral research, from simulating environments to studying human perception and decision-making. The students showed great curiosity and enthusiasm, engaging actively and asking insightful questions throughout the visit.

3. Mai 2025: Erfolgreicher Start des MindCanvas-Workshops an der OTH Amberg-Weiden

Am Campus Weiden der OTH Amberg-Weiden fand der erste von drei geplanten Workshops der Reihe MindCanvas statt. Ziel der Workshop-Reihe ist die Entwicklung innovativer, virtueller und augmentierter Simulationen (VR/AR) für den Einsatz in der Hochschullehre. Das Projekt Mindshift, unter dessen Rahmen die Workshop-Reihe stattfindet, wird durch das Programm Freiraum der Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre gefördert. Im Rahmen dieses Projekts haben Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Stephanie Schmitt-Rüth und Prof. Dr. Gabriele M. Murry eine Fördersumme von 337.000 € erhalten.

Im Rahmen des Projekts Mindshift, gefördert durch das Programm Freiraum der Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre, arbeiteten 48 internationale Studierende des Studiengangs International Business in sechs Gruppen an der Entwicklung erster Prototypen für Business-Simulationen mit dem Schwerpunkt Human Resource Management.

Die Studierenden entwickelten haptische Brettspiele sowie Rollenspiel- und Board-basierte Simulationen, die sich durch hohe Nutzerfreundlichkeit, Interaktivität und praxisnahes Lernen auszeichnen. Der Workshop wurde von Md Jawadur Rahman, Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter und Projektleitung Mindshift, geleitet, unterstützt von Ruhul Amin Noel und Prof. Dr. Gabriele M. Murry.

Die Workshop-Reihe markiert den Startpunkt eines ambitionierten Projekts, das die Hochschullehre mit innovativen, digitalen Lernformaten bereichern wird.