University of Technology

Situated at the heart of the Chemnitz region, Chemnitz University of Technology is home to more than 11,400 students from 91 countries – the number of students has risen by around 4000 within 25 years. The University of Technology employs around 2300 staff working in research, its technical services and administration, and is one of the largest employers in the region. In its research and teaching, it focuses on three core competencies: Materials and Intelligent Systems, Resource-Efficient Production and Lightweight Structures, and People and Technology. Within this framework, it addresses key future questions. A central topic of economic and social developments in this context is the creation of value, which is influenced in particular by mega trends such as globalisation, demographic development and the availability of resources. The development the University of Technology to date has created a constellation of competencies across its eight faculties that is unique in Germany: Chemnitz is developing into an internationally visible research centre for future value creation processes and for studies that will sustainably secure our future.

Within the core competency Materials and Intelligent Systems, Chemnitz scientists are involved in the Federal Excellence Cluster “Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden”. Further momentum is provided by COOL SILICON, a leading-edge cluster for energy-efficient innovations from Silicon Saxony. Several German Research Foundation (DFG) research groups work in this field. In addition, the Center for Materials, Architectures and Integration of Nanomembranes (MAIN), a unique institution in Europe, is currently being established at the university.

The core competency Resource-Efficient Production and Lightweight Structures is built on the firm foundations of the work in the Federal Excellence Cluster Technologies for Multifunctional Lightweight Construction Structures (MERGE). This excellence cluster, which has received 34 million euros of funding, is the only one in Germany working in the groundbreaking field of lightweight technology. It arose in part out of the Saxon cutting-edge technology cluster Energy-Efficient Product and Process Innovations in Production Technology (eniPROD), which was established jointly with the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU). These are joined by the DFG special research area High-Strength Aluminium-Based Lightweight Materials for Safety Components and two additional Collaborative Research Centres/Transregios in cooperation with other higher education institutions and research institutes.

The growing links with companies and research institutions from the Chemnitz scientific region point the way forward for the University of Technology. In collaboration with non-university research institutes and non-affiliated institutes at the university, the city administration and commercial partners, the university is creating an ideal framework that combines practice-oriented education and pure and applied research. The university start-up network SAXEED and the Chemnitz Technology Centre offer excellent conditions for those wanting to make the leap from the lecture theatre into self-employment; they have helped to generate around 200 spin-off companies providing more than 900 jobs since 2002. This is one of the reasons why Chemnitz University of Technology is considered one of the best universities in Germany for start-ups. The university also contributes significantly to the cultural and social development of the city and the region.

Networking is a big thing at Chemnitz University of Technology – in economic, scientific, cultural, sporting and social fields. An example of this is the Smart Systems Campus, which was established immediately adjacent to the university campus in 2009. It hosts the new building of the Institute of Physics, with a clean room for the Centre for Microtechnologies, the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems (ENAS), a start-up building and commercial space. On an international level, Chemnitz University of Technology cooperates with 130 partner institutions on every continent. This includes the Academic Consortium for the 21st Century (A2C1), an international university network.