At the new Siemens Technology Center (STC) on the TUM Campus Garching, 150 TUM staff and researchers will work with more than 450 Siemens specialists on new solutions related to digital twins, the industrial internet of things, robotics and automation. Bavarian Minister President Dr. Markus Söder, TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann, the CTO of Siemens Peter Körte and State Minister for Science and Arts Markus Blume were on hand to open the new research facility.
The STC is part of the TUM Industry on Campus strategy, which aims to forge closer ties between academic research and industrial practice. The strategy rests on three pillars:
- promoting collaboration between researchers at TUM and companies through joint research projects and cooperative relationships.
- boosting practice-oriented education of students; fostering and developing talent through industrial partners such as Siemens.
- technology transfers between the university and industry with the goal of converting innovative ideas and research results into marketable products and services.
Minister President Dr Markus Söder praises “unbeatable high-tech trio”
“It’s a match,” says Bavarian Minister President Dr. Markus Söder, “Siemens, the Technical University of Munich, and the Free State of Bavaria are an unbeatable high-tech trio. Siemens is investing over 100 million euros in our future without state subsidies. With its high-tech agenda, the Free State of Bavaria is creating the scientific environment and conditions for such investments. This mega-commitment to high-tech will massively advance our science and business location.”
For TUM President Thomas Hofmann, the collaboration with Siemens demonstrates “how a leading industrial partnership can build bridges between academic excellence and industrial innovation to jointly work on the challenges of our time and develop disruptive solutions. With our participation in the STC, we are bringing our researchers closer to industry – a further important step towards converting excellent research into intelligent and forward-looking products.”
Siemens Technology and TUM have been collaborating in many areas for years. Peter Körte, Chief Technology and Chief Strategy Officer of Siemens AG says: “Nobody can overcome the current challenges alone. We need to collaborate with our customers and partners in the early stages of development. With the Siemens Technology Center, we are placing ourselves in an excellent environment along with other international research institutions and companies and are boosting global leading-edge research ‘Made in Germany’.”
Bavarian State Minister of Science and Research Markus Blume: “Two international champions, both home-grown in Bavaria, are joining forces. This is a sure-fire recipe for success. At the Siemens Technology Center Garching, talented academic and private-sector researchers will work together under one roof to lay the groundwork for innovation and technological excellence. The Industry on Campus concept is a smart strategy for addressing the challenges of our time: Through knowledge transfers and talent development, the top-ranked university TUM and the global company Siemens will create outstanding opportunities. In Bavaria, for Bavaria – and far beyond.”
The new head of the STC, Executive Vice President Norbert Gaus, is confident: “By physically moving closer together, we will be in an even better position than before to convert basic science into innovations. In this way, we can help our customers push ahead with the digital transformation by offering sustainable and practical solutions.”
“Siemens and TUM researchers will jointly use robots and infrastructure”
“Siemens and TUM researchers will work side by side, sharing the use of robots and infrastructure,” explains TUM robotics professor Alin Albu-Schäffer, who will move into the STC with his team and conduct research in the new 700 m² “Technikum” lab.
Along with the TUM and Siemens labs, 13,000 m² of variable spaces for research and development will be available in the building. A conference zone, training and meeting rooms and modern workplaces are accessible from the foyer, where current research projects are presented to the public.
“STC Garching offers first-class infrastructure and innovative workspaces,” says TUM President Hofmann. “With its modern, collaborative work areas and labs it creates an inspiring space for communication and the creation of new ideas.”
Focus on the development of robotic and autonomous systems
The onsite research will focus on the development of robotic and autonomous systems. On the TUM side, this will include intuitive robot interfaces, development of neuromorphic chips, the spatial human-robot interaction, optimization of perception using intelligent sensor systems and projects addressing localization, mapping and navigation.
Key research areas for Siemens will include simulations and the creation of digital twins, the future of automation and additive production processes and materials. “I am confident that the close proximity of academic and private-sector researchers will generate new synergies,” says Prof. Albu-Schäffer.