This year will be the ninth occasion that Human Solutions GmbH of Kaiserslautern has hosted the REA and the competition is open to international applicants for the first time. Students, scientific staff and graduate students studying for doctorates in ergonomics with their main focus on vehicle interiors or cockpit design (interior) can apply.Entry deadline is July 1, 2016.

For nearly a decade now, the Human Solutions GmbH has organized and hosted the REA for young professionals and scientists in universities and colleges who are working on ergonomic issues for the automotive industry. Competition projects have only been accepted from German-speaking countries so far, but that will change this year, because the competition is going international for the first time. “The RAMSIS Excellence Award brings theory and practice together. The winners take part in our annual RAMSIS User Conference, where they can make valuable contacts in the automotive industry. At the same time, RUC participants receive fresh impetus from the scientific world,” says Dr. Andreas Seidl, Managing Director of Human Solutions GmbH.

What kind of projects can be entered?
The focal themes of submitted projects and theses should pertain to vehicle design in the broadest sense of the word – but they may also address the cognitive assimilation and processing of information, the processing of anthropometrical topics and the analysis of comfort and driver models. The analysis projects should preferably be carried out using the RAMIS ergonomics tool (e.g. mirror configuration for a specific vehicle), but this is not compulsory.

What are the prizes that will be awarded?
The REA is presented for the best scientific work in each of two categories: €1,000 will be awarded for the best doctoral thesis. The best scientific project from young science students or graduates (master's degree, bachelor's degree or thesis) will receive €500.

Who chooses the winners?
An interdisciplinary jury with representatives from science and industry will judge the rankings of the submitted entries. In addition to addressing the scientific standard, the jury will particularly focus on the degree of technical applicability, the relevance to practice and the degree of innovation.
Deadline for applications and the award ceremony
The application deadline for the RAMSIS Excellence Award is July 1, 2016. The prize-giving ceremony for the winners will take place during the annual RAMSIS User Conference.
You will find more information and entry forms here.