Germany’s Top Technological University Seeks International Collaboration

October 3, 2014

Excelling in the fields of engineering, technology, and science, TUM offers highly ranked programs in management and education. The various departments often collaborate in groundbreaking research projects such as TUM Energy, an energy efficiency project that brings together 100 professors from eight departments Ulrich Marsch explained the social relevance of TUM Energy, “The main concern for everyone is energy consumption; where do we get our energy from? How to produce it, use it and store it more efficiently? It is the biggest research project in our University.”

Joining in thousands of cooperation agreements with companies such as Siemens, General Electric, BMW, Daimler, and Audi, TUM’s foundations of technological research are applied to real-world needs. Current projects include the development of thought-controlled aerial flight, electric cars capable of functioning in subtropical metropolises, and brain-controlled exoskeletons designed to enable mobility after paralysis. The latter project, an international collaboration known as the Walk Again Project, is led by Brazilian neuroscience professor Miguel Nicolelis and was showcased at the 2014 FIFA World Cup with the first kick made by a recipient of the project’s mobility efforts.

In addition to maintaining an active recruitment office in São Paulo, TUM partners with several Brazilian universities and has hosted nearly 200 Brazilian students in both Munich and Singapore through the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program. São Paulo is an international hotspot for German investment, and Brazilian TUM students will have the distinct employment advantage of a top-tier German education.

Dr. Marsch, explained why Munich has become the technological and engineering hub of Europe: “In a recent EU Commission study on the IT industry, access to finance, well-educated people, and market size, Munich came first in all of Europe. It is one of Europe's most attractive areas to study, to work and research. It's a very friendly, safe, livable environment and very open-minded.”