Promoting first-generation students

In a laboratory at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, flickering monitors show a succession of satellite images, soil data, and chemical analyses from the university’s nearby experimental field. Anna Lena Salfer is part of a research team investigating the potential of enhanced rock weathering as a method of binding carbon in land used for agricultural purposes. Alongside geoscientific modeling, the team’s analyses primarily draw on data from international emissions trading registries, which help to improve their understanding of the criteria used in standardizing and certifying carbon reduction technologies. Their research assists in supporting credible emissions trading schemes in south-east Asia, representing a key step towards establishing sustainable climate protection strategies in the region.

Michael Decker is the new Director General

Decker said of his new role: "What sets the Deutsches Museum apart is that it doesn't just exhibit new scientific discoveries and new technologies, but also provides a forum for discussing their potential consequences for society – both positive and negative. Museums have been shown to enjoy high trust among the public – and I would like to take advantage of this. And the more visitors, the more children come, the better." He sees it as a great honor and responsibility to lead the museum. The Deutsches Museum is considered the world's largest museum of science and technology. Decker was appointed professor to the Oskar von Miller Chair of Science Communication at TUM in the spring, a position previously held by Heckl. Before that, Decker was a professor of technology assessment at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The 59-year-old studied physics in Heidelberg and also earned his doctorate there. He completed his habilitation at the University of Freiburg. Most recently, he was head of the Department of Computer Science, Economics, and Society at KIT.

Green hydrogen from Africa much more costly than previously assumed

Green hydrogen is considered an important component for climate-friendly industrial production, for example in the steel industry. Hydrogen is regarded as ‘green’ when the electrolysis used to produce it is powered by renewable energy sources. Because Europe is unlikely to be capable of meeting its own needs, the focus has increasingly shifted to Africa in recent years. Governments and the private sector have high hopes that production sites for export could be developed in African coastal countries with favorable conditions for solar and wind power. The first projects are currently being planned, although most plants are still in the concept development stages. When analyzing these projects, researchers at TUM, the University of Oxford and ETH Zurich observed that the cost estimates were highly imprecise in many cases. “Most of the conventional models for green hydrogen plants typically use uniform financing costs. However, the investment environment is different in every country and is subject to especially high risks in many African countries,” says Florian Egli, who holds the Professorship for Public Policy for the Green Transition at TUM. Consequently, the research team developed a new method for calculating the financing costs of green hydrogen production facilities, in other words the costs to the plant operators for raising capital for their investments. This takes into account the specific conditions for hydrogen production in 31 African countries such as transportation and storage options and the degree of legal certainty and political stability. The model assumes that the production plants will be operational by 2030 and that the hydrogen will be converted into ammonia and shipped to Rotterdam.

10,000 kilometers to promote educational equity

Emmanuel Adjei is an enthusiastic cyclist and has already completed several ambitious tours. But what he plans with “Bike2MyRoots” is a whole new dimension even for him: he will cover around 10,000 kilometers, crossing mountains, seas, and deserts. “It’s a bit crazy – but that’s the point: I want to show the children in Ghana that you can achieve anything – even if it seems a bit crazy at first!”

Two new Collaborative Research Centers at TUM

The DFG's Collaborative Research Centers are among the most important research funding programs in Germany. They enable ambitious, interdisciplinary and long-term research projects. Collaborative Research Centers whose partners cooperate on a supra-regional level are called Transregios. TUM was successful twice in the current selection round: SFB/Transregio “Data-driven agile planning for responsible mobility” How can the forecasting and management of traffic flows be improved? And how can the various interests of traffic participants be taken into account in a more balanced way than before? The AgiMo Collaborative Research Center aims to develop new methods for agile mobility planning using a comprehensive approach based on data and computer models. New criteria for responsible mobility based on the so-called 4F principles - Function, Form, Fairness and Forever - are to be defined and applied. On this basis, the researchers want to develop a digital twin in order to make data and models available open source. They also want to investigate how all relevant stakeholders can participate in the design of evidence-based future scenarios. To this end, the technical and social sciences are working closely together at AgiMo. Applicant universities: TU Dresden and TUM Responsible at TUM: co-spokesperson Prof. Dr. Klaus Bogenberger, Chair of Traffic Engineering and Control, and Prof. Dr. Allister Loder, Professorship of Mobility Policy Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Regine Gerike (TU Dresden) Partner institutions: TU Berlin, TU Braunschweig and German Aerospace Centert (DLR) SFB/Transregio “Simulation-based learning in higher education: Advancing research on process diagnostics and personalized interventions (SHARP)” In many professions, such as medicine and school teaching, increasingly complex analytical and communication skills are expected. Students could be better prepared for these requirements with simulations training them in practical situations with virtual patients or simulated pupils. The SHARP Collaborative Research Center will investigate how such simulations can be designed and applied. The researchers want to use artificial intelligence to adapt simulations to the respective level of competence and different needs. They also want to investigate what skills university lecturers need to be able to implement personalized, simulation-based learning effectively in degree courses. SHARP is the first Collaborative Research Center in educational research and brings together the disciplines of psychology, educational science, computer science, mathematics, medicine, biology, chemistry and physics. Applicant universities: LMU and TUM Responsible at TUM: co-spokesperson Prof. Dr. Tina Seidel, Friedl Schöller Endowed Chair for Educational Psychology Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Frank Fischer (LMU) Partner institutions: University of Augsburg, Leibniz Supercomputing Centre The German Research Foundation has established a total of 13 new Collaborative Research Centers. From October 2025, they will initially be funded for three years and nine months with a total of around 177 million euros.

Claudia Eckert becomes President of the National Academy of Science and Engineering

"Increasing innovative power to strengthen Germany's competitiveness is one of the key tasks for the future. As a link between scientific invention and economic innovation, acatech has a key role to play here. As acatech President, I would like to work to further strengthen this important role of acatech in the innovation system and to substantially support Germany's competitiveness by actively helping to shape technology-driven innovation," says Claudia Eckert. "We cannot solve the great challenges of our time with the same approach that we used when we created them," emphasises the acatech President-designate, freely paraphrasing Albert Einstein. "The wide-ranging scientific excellence of acatech's members and partners forms the indispensable foundation of our work. On this basis, we develop new approaches, impulses and concrete recommendations for policymakers based on facts and evidence. Building on this and in close dialogue with politics, business and society, we identify future-oriented options for action and provide guidance on how Germany can strengthen its future viability." "In Claudia Eckert, an excellent technology scientist and sought-after IT security researcher, is taking over the role of acatech President," says outgoing President Jan Wörner. "Claudia Eckert's research is of outstanding importance for the security, resilience and innovative capacity of our country. As acatech President, she will bring enormous benefits to the Academy and our innovation hub with her profound experience and networking," emphasises Co-President Thomas Weber. Claudia Eckert is Professor for IT Security at TUM and executive director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC. She researches new methods and technologies to increase the security and trustworthiness of digital, networked systems. Claudia Eckert is a long-standing member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities and has been an acatech member since 2010; she became a member of the acatech Executive Board in 2014. In 2023, TUM honoured her with the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Medal for her outstanding contributions in the field of IT security.

“A good education can change an entire life.”

Silent X chromosome awakens with age

Unlike men, who carry one X and one Y chromosome, women have two X chromosomes in each cell. However, one of the two X chromosomes is effectively silenced. It folds into a compact structure known as the Barr body and can no longer be read. Without this mechanism, the genes on the X chromosome would be read twice as often in women as in men. Scientists have known for some time that some genes can escape inactivation in the Barr body, resulting in higher gene activity in women. These genes are suspected to influence disease. “We have now shown for the first time that with increasing age, more and more genes escape the inactivation of the Barr body,” says Dr. Daniel Andergassen, group leader at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at TUM. The study was published in the journal Nature Aging.

Smart fertilization with biosensor strips

“Studying socio-technical shocks in real time”

The need to design technologies responsibly is something that we’re hearing more about all the time. Why do we need a major research cluster dedicated to this topic? That’s true. It is good to see that this topic is much more prominent today than five years ago. But there is still a sense that we’re just getting started. We still lack good answers to many questions. The ethics boards set up by big tech companies frequently fail. Start-ups scale up more rapidly all the time. And we keep being taken by surprise by apparently unexpected dynamics such as the “ChatGPT moment”. With TransforM, we want to investigate these transformative innovation dynamics and learn to control them better. But we also want to flip the logic of innovation on its head to some extent. Less of the attitude: “Here’s an amazing new technology – what can be done with it and how do we make it profitable and more or less socially acceptable?” Instead we want to ask: “What kind of innovation do we actually need and want? What are the societal problems that we want to solve? And what role does technology play, for example with regard to mobility justice, health care, AI or regional competitiveness?” We want to join forces with all relevant disciplines to study how to shape processes of this kind. But haven’t these disciplines already been working together for quite some time? At TUM and some other universities, we have seen enormous progress over the past 10 years. But surprisingly, Germany as a whole still lags behind other countries in breaking down the walls between the social sciences and natural science and engineering disciplines in order to release new potential for exciting research. On the one hand, the transformative power of technology is far from being at the center of social science research, although there is probably no societal issue that is not deeply affected by technology. In Europe there is no comparable initiative in which the social sciences address the topic of technology in such a concentrated form as TransforM. I myself come from the field of science and technology studies, STS. My co-spokespersons Hanna Hottenrott and Holger Patzelt specialize in the economics of innovation and entrepreneurship research, respectively. In addition, we have participants from the fields of governance, sociology, management, economics, international relations, consumer science, anthropology, history, operations research and other areas – from TUM as well as LMU, Max Planck, ifo, ZEW and the Munich School of Politics and Public Policy. On the other hand, social scientists are often brought on board technology projects as a mere formality, where they are expected to make some sort of contribution under the heading of societal acceptance. That’s a bit like asking an AI professor to install a software update on my PC. The separation is not as sharp as it used to be. But it’s still there. So how should research be conducted? The world of social science shouldn’t just wait for years to see what comes of a new technological development. We have to face questions at an early stage and in real time, even if these questions are highly speculative. At present, for example, we have to look into quantum computing although nobody knows at this stage whether, how and for whom this technology will specifically function. Consequently, social scientists should be close to the laboratory right from the start of research projects. To achieve that, we want to develop a dialog competency in TransforM and also try out new forms of collaboration. For example, we want to create a new integration platform, called SCOPE, through which we will address socio-technological issues and research projects with partners from the world of technology. Which topics will these projects deal with? One example might be the question of how autonomous driving can work across national borders, which are still cultural and regulatory boundaries. With our platform, we can address this question not only from a social sciences perspective, in other words with researchers who study political culture, international standards, corporate responsibility or the principles of open data use. We can also explore these issues with those who develop autonomous systems and infrastructure concepts, for example my TUM colleagues Markus Lienkamp, Klaus Bogenberger, Johannes Betz and Alois Knoll. We intend to establish an overall pool of around 20 experienced experts covering various topics who will be available to advise us in real time. And we have already done pioneering work in that regard at TUM, for example in the area of embedded ethics and social science with my colleagues Ruth Müller and Alena Buyx. You have made several mentions of real time. What do you mean by that? We want to be in a position to respond to shocks in our socio-technological world from a social sciences perspective while they can still be felt. An example would be the covid pandemic. Every researcher in the world was affected by it and many responded spontaneously with their research agenda, although these were often very much ad-hoc and unstructured reactions. Where would we have been if we’d had a mechanism at the beginning of the pandemic, in which an interdisciplinary group of 10 social scientists had dropped everything and focused their combined expertise on the issue at hand? And if this group had also had an established link to natural sciences, engineering and health sciences experts in order to work on this topic for several months? That is something that we want to try out with an experimental unit called a real-time response team. And covid is just one example. Especially with the rapid development of digital platforms, certain path dependencies could have been avoided through real-time examination of the options. How does TransforM plan to involve the public? In many areas, technological developments are hardly imaginable without citizen involvement – from bridge construction to genetically modified foods. With TransforM, we want to go beyond the kind of one-off participation where – to put it bluntly – the public are quickly asked to give their ok, often much too late. With our Public Technology Lab, we want to work with the Deutsches Museum to set up a permanent, multi-modal infrastructure for participation with which citizens in the Munich region will be involved in various technological developments – and not only with those segments of the population who already attend university events. In that regard, too, TUM has done trailblazing work, for example in an initiative with my colleagues Jörg Niewöhner, Sabina Leonelli, Anne Rademacher and Silke Beck. We can also learn from other major projects such as the MCube future cluster, where, in so-called sandboxes we have tested many new forms of mobility and ways of embedding them in society. What opportunities do you see for a genuine change in thinking when it comes to the shaping of the technological and societal transformation? We are seeing encouraging examples. Advances in neurotechnologies such as brain-computer interfaces have been more cautious and inclusive than with genetic engineering – although such flagship initiatives as the Human Genome Project and Human Brain Project were similarly gigantic in scale. Many social science concerns were taken into account at an earlier stage and, up to a point, a regulatory toolbox and a discussion culture were developed. Of course there is plenty of room for improvement. But we also see that it is much harder today to inject issues of public acceptance, social justice, political legitimacy and sustainability into the current debates than just a few years ago because the discussions now revolve around military security and competition between economic powers. That is unfortunate, because the ability to combine economic and foreign policy strength with a model for a livable, inclusive and socially just society could be a competitive advantage for Europe. With that in mind, TransforM aims to contribute to better innovations and innovation strategies.

Robot Jack on the streets of Munich

ZDF-Morgenmagazin reporter Moritz Neuß visits the Learning Systems and Robotics Lab of Prof. Angela Schoellig and accompanies him on the streets of Maxvorstadt in Munich. Research assistant Sepehr Samavi helped develop the vehicle. Link to the article: https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/zdf-morgenmagazin/moma-future-roboter-lernt-menschenlauf-100.html

“We are witnessing a revolution in nucleic acid research”

Professor Engelhardt, in recent years, RNA research has gained widespread attention, even outside the scientific community. With the record-breaking development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19, three Nobel Prizes have been awarded in the past four years. Why is that? Scientists have known about RNA for many decades. We have also long understood that various RNA molecules play key roles in the development of disease. But now, we've reached a point where we can therapeutically target these molecules. Combined with CRISPR technology, this opens up entirely new possibilities. Do we fully understand how RNA works? Definitely not. But we do know a great deal more today. In some areas, we've made significant progress, such as with messenger RNAs, or mRNAs, which carry the blueprint for proteins. In others, such as non-coding RNAs, many questions remain unanswered. But research groups around the world are working on these issues, and we aim to make a key contribution through the NUCLEATE Cluster of Excellence. What do the advances in RNA research mean for medicine? As a pharmacologist, I focus on drugs, and at the moment we’re witnessing a revolution in this field. I expect that within the next ten years, we will see the rise of a third major class of drugs – nucleic acid-based therapeutics. Can you explain that in more detail? The most important class so far has been small-molecule drugs that bind to proteins in the body – everything from aspirin to cancer therapies. Since the 1980s, we’ve also had so-called biologics, including artificially produced antibodies. These also bind to proteins. And nucleic acid-based drugs don’t? Exactly. While they ultimately affect proteins, they do so indirectly by specifically regulating the genes or RNA precursors of proteins. For example, by binding to RNA, they can prevent certain proteins from being made in the first place. Conversely, you can introduce the blueprint for a particular protein into the body, as is done with mRNA vaccines. What’s the advantage of this approach? There are currently fewer than 3,000 approved drugs, and they target only about 600 of the roughly 20,000 proteins in the human body. That means conventional drug classes can’t reach a large number of biological mechanisms. With the ability to inhibit RNAs, in principle, we can influence virtually any protein. What are the biggest challenges for RNA-based drugs right now?  The three biggest challenges are “delivery,” “delivery,” and “delivery.” That is: getting the drug safely and precisely to the part of the body where it’s needed is far from trivial – and this is the main hurdle preventing widespread adoption of nucleic acid therapeutics. But even here, we're seeing major progress. For example, we've developed a compound that is selectively taken up by specific immune cells, where it targets a microRNA and can effectively prevent tissue damage in lung inflammation. Being a pharmacologist, would you say that research on nucleic acids is a major part of this field? At the TUM Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, it certainly is. But as is often the case, colleagues from a wide variety of disciplines across TUM are making crucial contributions. Take virology, for example: my colleague Ulrike Protzer studies pathogens that are essentially replication machines for nucleic acids. Understanding these mechanisms can help us develop counterstrategies. Cancer researchers like Roland Rad are investigating how nucleic acids behave in tumors and have developed world-leading screening methods. And it goes beyond medicine. What other fields are involved? We also need fundamental research on the structure and function of nucleic acids. For instance, Carina Baer de Oliveira Mann at the TUM School of Natural Sciences uses innovative electron microscopy technologies to study this. Also, without bioinformatics, none of our research would be possible. We need highly specialized tools, which people like Fabian Theis develop. His AI-based tools, for example, can predict how a cell will change over time based on a “snapshot” of the molecules in it. You have been the co-lead of CNATM, an industry-academia consortium focused on nucleic acid therapeutics, for some time now. Many institutions from Munich and Bavaria are involved, and it is the only consortium on this topic in Germany. Is this a particular strength of the region? Absolutely. Many key players in this field are based here. Expertise comes from a wide range of areas, including immunology and the structural chemistry of nucleic acids, with colleagues like Veit Hornung and Thomas Carell at LMU. Another example is RNA research in bacteria, which Cynthia Sharma and Jörg Vogel at the University of Würzburg are working on. This is important because it could potentially lead to the development of new antibiotics based on nucleic acids. Beyond research institutions, the greater Munich area now has the highest concentration of small and medium-sized enterprises in nucleic acid research in Germany. There’s a lot happening in this field right now, and we’re a major part of it. I'm very much looking forward to working with my co-spokespeople Cynthia Sharma and Veit Hornung to bring together all this expertise.

TUM to receive funding for seven Clusters of Excellence

Four existing clusters were able to prove themselves in the international review process. They will be funded for a further seven years with a future-oriented focus on energy conversion, quantum technologies, neurological diseases, and the origin of the universe. In addition, there are three new Clusters of Excellence that were able to convince the international review panels with leading research approaches in the fields of nucleic acid research, biosystem design and societal transformation through technologies. "Our excellent scientists and their strong partners once again underline the leading position of Munich science. This has created the conditions for us to be able to compete for the title of University of Excellence for the fourth time in a row since 2006," says TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann. "Once again, our team spirit and the trustful cooperation between the two Munich universities with the Max Planck Institutes and the Helmholtz Zentrum München, which is based on trust and tailored to their respective strengths, has proven to be the right strategic approach to excellence research," emphasizes Hofmann. Bavaria's Science Minister Markus Blume says: "Gigantic excellence success for our Munich universities:  With seven applications each, including six joint ones, TUM and LMU are successful in the race for the Clusters of Excellence. One thing is clear: Munich is the Mecca of excellence in Germany and sets standards for innovation in Europe. TUM and LMU are the best universities in Germany, as they are proving once again here. Munich is particularly radiant today - and the whole of Bavaria is a big winner: all Bavarian cluster applications were successful. We have doubled the number of clusters to twelve. No other state has gained more. Perseverance pays off! With the High-Tech Agenda Bavaria, we have consistently invested in science and research and thus substantially strengthened Bavaria as a science location - the HTA is a real excellence booster."

TUM Venture Labs and Hensoldt enter into a strategic partnership

As innovation incubators, the TUM Venture Labs promote technology-oriented spin-offs and support founders in transforming scientific findings and ideas into marketable products. The twelve Venture Labs - a joint initiative of the 91��ɫ (TUM) and UnternehmerTUM - offer an ecosystem tailored to cutting-edge technologies. As one of the core partners of the TUM Venture Lab Aerospace, which also coordinates defense-related topics across the board, Hensoldt will support start-ups focusing on the accelerated development of security and defense technologies in the future. TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann emphasizes: "The global security situation has changed fundamentally. New threats, hybrid forms of conflict, and a changed understanding of security policy roles in familiar partnerships require Germany and Europe to take decisive action and strengthen the sovereignty of their own defense capabilities. To protect our population, democracy, and preserve peace, we want to use our technologies to accelerate the modernization of our defense capabilities. The catalysts for this are our TUM Venture Labs, which together with industry partnerships form a unique innovation ecosystem for start-up talent in Europe." As an industry partner, Hensoldt contributes many years of expertise to the TUM Venture Labs and provides founders with practical insights into industrial requirements and processes. Oliver Dörre, CEO of Hensoldt, explains: "Innovation can only succeed together. By working closely with excellent research institutions such as TUM and through direct exchange with founders, we are creating a strong network for technological sovereignty. Together, we want to provide new impetus, promote cooperation, and make targeted investments in future technologies." Hensoldt, headquartered in Taufkirchen near Munich, develops sensor solutions for security and defense-related applications and is one of the leading companies in European defense electronics. Dr. Philipp Gerbert, CEO of TUM Venture Labs, adds: "As the leading European DeepTech Entrepreneurship Hub, TUM Venture Labs and our partners in Munich are central to defense-related innovations in the fields of space travel, autonomous systems of all kinds, software and artificial intelligence, cyber security, but also new communication and sensor technologies, quantum technologies, innovative materials and on-demand manufacturing." Dr. Florian Dötzer, Head of the TUM Venture Lab Aerospace, emphasizes: "With Hensoldt, we have an invaluable partner at our side. In view of current geopolitical developments, we must increasingly sensitize our start-ups to what it means to develop products for security and defense-relevant markets."

Sunlight in - power out, long after sunset

Researchers at the 91��ɫ (TUM), the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, and the University of Stuttgart, with support from the Cluster of Excellence e-conversion, have developed a highly porous, two-dimensional covalent organic framework (COF) based on naphthalenediimide. This framework not only absorbs sunlight but also stabilizes the resulting photo-induced charges, enabling energy storage for more than 48 hours in aqueous environments. The stored charges are not merely retained but can be actively discharged to power an external load, enabling real energetic use. “This material has dual functionality and acts as both a solar absorber and a long-term charge reservoir,” said Dr. Bibhuti Bhusan Rath, lead author of the study and postdoc in the research team of Prof. Bettina Lotsch (director at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research). “Its performance exceeds that of many existing optoionic materials – and it does so without relying on metals or rare elements.” By combining advanced optical, electrochemical, and computational techniques, the researchers discovered that water plays a central role in stabilizing the stored charges. Rather than interacting strongly with external ions, water molecules respond to the charges in the COF backbone in a way that creates an energetic barrier, effectively preventing recombination of the light-generated trapped charges and preserving the energy for later release. The material exhibits a charge storage capacity of 38 mAh/g, outperforming similar frameworks and other light-responsive materials such as carbon nitrides and metal–organic frameworks.

Wearables: sensors for everyday life

AI chip developed for decentralized use without the cloud

The professor of AI processor design at TUM has already had the first prototypes produced by semiconductor manufacturer Global Foundries in Dresden. Unlike conventional chips, the computing and memory units of the AI Pro are located together. This is possible because the chip applies the principle of ‘hyperdimensional computing’: This means that it recognizes similarities and patterns, but does not require millions of data records to learn. Instead of being shown countless images of cars, as with the deep learning method used in conventional AI chips, this chip combines various pieces of information, such as the fact that a car has four wheels, usually drives on the road, and can have different shapes. Like the new chip, explains Prof. Amrouch, ‘humans also draw inferences and learn through similarities.’ An important advantage of brain-like thinking: it saves energy. For the training of a sample task, the new chip consumed 24 microjoules, while comparable chips required ten to a hundred times more energy - ‘a record value,’ notes Prof. Amrouch. ‘This mix of modern processor architecture, algorithm specialization and innovative data processing makes the AI chip something special.’ This also sets it apart from all-rounders like the chips from industry giant NVIDIA. ‘While NVIDIA has built a platform that relies on cloud data and promises to solve every problem, we have developed an AI chip that enables customized solutions. There is a huge market there.’ Neuromorphic chips: Modelled on the human brain The one square millimeter chip currently costs 30,000 euros. With around 10 million transistors it is not quite as densely packed or as powerful as NVIDIA chips with 200 billion transistors. But that is not Prof. Amrouch's primary concern. His team specializes in AI chips that perform the processing directly on site instead of having to send the data to the cloud to be processed along with millions of other data sets before being sent back again. This saves time and server computing capacity and reduces the carbon footprint of AI. The chips are also customized for specific applications. ‘That makes them very efficient,’ says chip expert Amrouch. For example, they focus on processing heartrate and other vital data collected via smartwatch or navigation data of a drone. Because this personal and sometimes sensitive data remains on board the device, issues with stable internet connections or cybersecurity do not even arise. The chip expert is convinced: ‘The future belongs to the people who own the hardware.’

Study reveals patterns in e-scooter incidents across Germany

The German Society for Trauma Surgery began documenting serious e-scooter accidents in its TraumaRegister in 2020. The Road Safety Research Group at TUM University Hospital has now analyzed this data. In the first three years of data collection, 538 people sustained serious injuries in e-scooter crashes. The vast majority of these involved injuries to the head and face. Over 80 percent of those affected required treatment in intensive care. Twenty-six individuals died from their injuries.

Hexagons for data protection

Many smartphone apps continuously track location – often without users being aware. Based on movement profiles, providers can infer workplace, habits, and personal preferences. The potential consequences of collecting such sensitive information were highlighted by a New York Times investigation from 2019. Based on commercial location data, a device belonging to a member of President Trump's entourage could be assigned within a few minutes – including their visits to sensitive locations such as Mar-a-Lago and the Pentagon.

Diamonds and quanta

Forest knowledge with Willi Weitzel

Prof. Ludwig researches architectural concepts in which plants, especially trees, play a central role. Building with trees helps to adapt to climate change, among other things. At the event, TV reporter Willi Weitzel will discuss with experts how forests act as habitats, places of recreation, suppliers of building materials and climate protectors, taking children, parents and anyone else who is interested on a fascinating journey of knowledge. In addition to Ferdinand Ludwig, Dr. Thassilo Franke (Bavarian State Natural History Collections), Prof. Dr. Michaela Hau (Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence) and Prof. Dr. Raoul Klingner (Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research WKI) are also involved as experts. The new platform "AHA - The Science Communication Hub" is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts and aims to support the dialog between science and society and highlight the strength of Bavaria as a research location. The Free State of Bavaria has also enshrined science communication as a central task of universities in the Bavarian University Innovation Act. In addition to "AHA Wirtshaus-Wissen", the initiative is also planning a series of events on energy issues. As part of the Science Year 2025 "Future Energy", explanatory videos are being produced that will be flanked by dialog events. The new website www.aha.bayern brings together all public events in the fields of science and research in the Munich area.

New endowed professorship for controlling and AI

How can controlling processes be optimized strategically and organizationally? How can artificial intelligence help? And how can the management of corporate divisions, benchmarking or compliance benefit from this? These are possible research questions for the new Péter Horváth Endowed Professorship of Controlling and AI. Controlling is also undergoing change as a result of the digital transformation. The professorship will therefore investigate and teach controlling and management processes in companies holistically and develop new concepts and methods, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence. The researchers will cooperate closely with practitioners, both in terms of AI development and with potential users. The TUM Campus Heilbronn offers the best conditions for this. Here, TUM combines management studies and computer science to do research and teach the digital transformation of the corporate world.

Extended partnership between TUM Venture Labs and Rohde & Schwarz

TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann emphasizes: "The global security situation has changed dramatically in just a few years. Democracy and the European value system are coming under increasing pressure. In the spirit of a peace-oriented defense policy, I therefore see TUM as being called upon to use our technical developments and innovations to protect our population, the free democratic basic order, and European security." Dr. Philipp Gerbert, CEO of TUM Venture Labs, explains. "As a leading European deep tech entrepreneurship hub, TUM Venture Labs and our Munich partners are crucial for defense-related innovations. The fact that Rohde & Schwarz, in addition to Hensoldt and IABG, is now also supporting the Aerospace & Defense division naturally makes us very happy and sends a strong, positive signal to the highly motivated start-up community in Munich and beyond."

Individual learning pathways for students

Rapid technological advances, societal shifts, and global challenges are reshaping what education must deliver. Which skills will matter tomorrow? And how can universities create academic offerings that remain relevant in the long term?  TUM LEAP provides a clear response. The initiative expands the university’s curriculum by introducing curated, flexible learning modules that go beyond traditional degree structures. This gives students even more opportunities to chart their academic paths - aligned with their personal interests, strengths, and career goals.

Goal achieved: the driverless truck on the road becomes reality

The consortium had set itself a clear goal in the project, which was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and had a total budget of 59.1 million euros: to bring a level 4 automated and thus autonomously driving truck for hub-to-hub transport onto the motorways. The basis for this was the law passed in 2021, which basically enables autonomous driving on defined routes under technical supervision and thus puts Germany in a pioneering role globally. “Together with our partners, we have set ourselves a high goal and realised an industrialisable basic concept for autonomous driving in hub-to-hub use. The development and integration of the redundant components required for safe use, such as steering, brakes and the vehicle electrical system, as well as the creation of a validation concept required interdisciplinary expertise and close teamwork. As a consortium, we have proven ourselves with this project: Autonomously driving trucks are feasible!” sums up Dr Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN Truck & Bus, adding, “Innovations such as autonomous driving require such collaborations in order to effectively advance future technology in Germany and Europe.”

World record for lithium-ion conductors

The team led by Prof. Thomas F. Fässler from the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry with a Focus on Novel Materials partially replaced lithium in a lithium antimonide compound with the metal scandium. This creates specific gaps, so-called vacancies, in the crystal lattice of the conductor material. These gaps help the lithium ions to move more easily and faster, resulting in a new world record for ion conductivity. Since the measured conductivity far exceeded that of existing materials, the team collaborated with the Chair of Technical Electrochemistry under Prof. Hubert Gasteiger at TUM to confirm the result. Co-author Tobias Kutsch who conducted the validation tests, commented: “Because the material also conducts electricity, it presented a special challenge, and we had to adapt our measurement methods accordingly.” Fässler sees great potential for the new material: "Our result currently represents a significant advance in basic research. By incorporating small amounts of scandium, we have uncovered a new principle that could prove to be a blueprint for other elemental combinations. While many tests are still needed before the material can be used in battery cells, we are optimistic. Materials that conduct both ions and electrons are particularly well suited as additives in electrodes. Because of the promising practical applications, we’ve already filed a patent for our development." In addition to its faster conductivity, the material also offers thermal stability and can be produced using well-established chemical methods. The researchers have even discovered an entirely new class of substances through their work, as first author Jingwen Jiang, scientist at TUMint.Energy Research, emphasizes: "Our combination consists of lithium-antimony, but the same concept can easily be applied to lithium-phosphorus systems. While the previous record holder relied on lithium-sulphur and required five additional elements for optimization, we only need only Scandium as an additional component. We believe that our discovery could have broader implications for enhancing conductivity in a wide range of other materials."

Health Minister Gerlach visits TUM Venture Lab Healthcare

The twelve TUM Venture Labs each specialize in one important field of technology. They offer the start-up teams a direct link to cutting-edge research, specific technical infrastructure, tailored training programs, expertise for the respective market and global networking with the industry and investors. Research transfer and the establishment of companies in the healthcare sector are particularly challenging and time-consuming due to the ethical and regulatory framework conditions. This makes the intensive and long-term support, the in-depth industry expertise and the optimal laboratory equipment that the TUM Venture Lab Healthcare offers start-up teams all the more important. The TUM Venture Lab Healthcare, which is located at the TUM University Hospital, can now been raised to a new level. The funding is part of the SMART HEALTH program, with which the Bavarian State Ministry of Health, Care and Prevention promotes the linking of science, practice and entrepreneurship, also in the subject areas of the TUM Venture Labs ChemSpace and Food / Agro / Biotech.

Very good ratings for studies at TUM

For its rankings, the Center for Higher Education Development (CHE) compares various subject areas at universities in the German-speaking countries, this time including architecture, civil engineering, electrical engineering and information technology, mechanical engineering and environmental engineering. The focus is on the opinion of around 120,000 students surveyed. The universities are rated in numerous categories on a scale from one star to five stars. For the general study situation, the most important category, the students give TUM 4 or 4.5 stars in all subjects. TUM received the same ratings for the range of courses offered, the support provided by lecturers and the organization of studies. Students are also very satisfied with the IT infrastructure and library facilities, among others. In previous editions of the CHE University Rankings, TUM also received excellent marks in the natural sciences, medicine, computer science, mathematics, social sciences and sports sciences, as well as in management studies and information systems.

Why people reject new rules – but only until they take effect

Policy measures that ban or restrict an activity frequently meet with resistance. In psychology, the resistance to restrictions on personal freedom is known as reactance. The resulting emotional debates can make politicians hesitant to make decisions that they actually consider necessary for achieving important goals such as climate targets or public health objectives. In many cases, however, reactance appeared to decline significantly after measures are implemented. This phenomenon has not yet been adequately studied. Armin Granulo (91��ɫ), and Christoph Fuchs and Robert Böhm (both at the University of Vienna) have now conducted seven individual studies to investigate whether this observation is true and also to identify the underlying psychological mechanism. The researchers began by conducting representative surveys on the introduction of workplace smoking bans in several European countries, seatbelt laws in the USA and stricter speed limits in the Netherlands. They then conducted several experiments to test reactance to regulatory policies. Respondents in the UK and Germany were asked about their attitudes to a vaccine mandate, a speed limit, new taxes on alcohol and meat and other measures. Half of the participants were asked for their view on measures about to be implemented, while the other half were told that the new regulations had already been in place for a year.

Identifying pathogens within minutes instead of days

Traditionally, bacterial diseases are diagnosed by the tedious isolation of pathogens and the creation of bacterial cultures. Waiting times of several days are the rule here. Only then can the targeted treatment of the disease begin. The team led by Nicole Strittmatter, Professor of Analytical Chemistry at TUM, and Dr. James S. McKenzie (Imperial) uses mass spectrometry for its innovative approach. This enabled the researchers to identify specific metabolic products of bacteria directly in tissue and stool samples. At the heart of the process is a database in which 232 medically important bacterial species and their metabolic products have been recorded to date. Biomarkers are derived from this database, which can then be used to directly detect specific bacteria. Among the bacteria that can be identified using the new method are clinically extremely important pathogens that can, for example, trigger stomach cancer, are responsible for certain pneumonias and meningitis, are associated with premature births, and can cause gonorrhea or blood poisoning.