University of Applied Sciences Jena - UAS Jena (German: Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena - EAH Jena) was founded on 1 October 1991 as one of the first institutions of higher education of its kind in the newly founded federal states of Germany. Short periods of studying and a practical orientation complement the education at traditional universities and technical universities. Currently, the nine departments of the UAS Jena offer a lot of Bachelor and Master programs. Since the beginning of the summer semester 2012, it bears the name of the entrepreneur Ernst Abbe.

History
During the trial operation in the winter semester 1991, 272 students joined, and nowadays about 4,500 students are enrolled at the UAS Jena. After extensive renovation and redesign, at the end of 2001, all departments, the university administration as well as the central library with the patent and research site moved to the campus in the Carl-Zeiss-Promenade.

In the summer semester 2012, the Fachhochschule Jena was renamed to Ernst-Abbe-Fachhochschule Jena. Due to changes in the Higher Education Act in October 2014, an additional change of name followed. The new name Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena intended to clarify the competences of the university in the areas of teaching and research. The use of the name Ernst Abbe, a researcher, entrepreneur and social reformer, represents the UAS Jena fields of specialization in a perfect way.

Research and development
The research and development of UAS Jena includes three research priorities:

Precision Systems
Technologies and Materials
Health and Sustainability
As part of the mandatory practical phase and through the production of the thesis with external partners takes students on the broad base of research and development tasks. Under the leadership of professors, mostly in cooperation with companies and institutions, a lot of research projects are carried out.