The Year 2019
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The year 2019 1 Photo: Britta Hüning Photo: People Research profile 25,170 Students (of which 7,955 female) 6 Profile Areas: 4,221 first-semester undergraduate students Cybersecurity 2,827 first-semester Master’s students Internet and Digitisation From Material to Product 248 male professors (of which 18 assistant professors) Innovation Thermo-Fluids & 64 female professors (of which 11 assistant professors) Interfaces 2,617 academic employees (of which 687 female) Future Energy Systems A summary 1,914 non-academic employees (of which 1,156 female) Matter and Radiation Science 148 trainees (of which 48 female) 21 ERC-Grants since 2012 Transition and affirmation 105 graduate assistants (of which 38 female) 12 DFG Collaborative Research Change and continuity – these two words provide a 2,858 student assistants (of which 902 female) Centres/Transfer Units good description of how the Technical University of Darmstadt has developed in 2019. 6 DFG Research Training Groups Binner Katrin Photo: 11 LOEWE Clusters of Excellence TU Darmstadt remained on course for success, thus demonstrating its continuity. Especially prestigious were several awards from the European Research Campus Council for computer science and new funding pro- 5 locations: City Centre, Lichtwiese, Botanical jects from the German Research Foundation (DFG), Gardens, University Stadium, August-Euler Airfield including a collaborative research centre and a (with wind tunnel) graduate school – both of which are anchored in the material sciences. Existing research groups funded 250 hectares of property by the DFG were given extensions, new projects as part of the Hessian LOEWE programme for the fund- buildings (incl. 13 rented) 165 ing of excellent research were given the green light 309,000 square metres of usable space (incl. and 14 research projects were launched with the aid of EU funding. 16,900 rented) At the same time, the year also brought about Change at the top: President Hans Jürgen Prömel and his successor Tanja Brühl changes with respect to personnel. TU Darmstadt Budget welcomed the new Minister of State for Higher Affairs), alongside the new Vice Presidents Professor Education, Research and the Arts Angela Dorn and Barbara Albert (Research and Early Careers), Professor EUR 254.9 million basic funds from the State of Hesse (excl. LOEWE) her State Secretary Ayse Asar for their inaugural Heribert Warzecha (Academic Affairs and Diversity), EUR 24.3 million from Bund-Länder-Hochschulpakt (Phase II) visit in March 2019. In September 2019, the former Professor Jens Schneider (Transfer and International President of TU Darmstadt Professor Hans Jürgen Affairs) and Professor Herbert De Gersem (Scientific EUR million other funds 8.8 Prömel was given a ceremonial farewell after twelve Infrastructure and Digitization). EUR 165.2 million third-party funds (incl. LOEWE) years in office. Under his leadership, TU Darmstadt has actively shaped and defined its autonomy and “European University” self-responsibility and has strengthened its reputa- One success that was officially announced in the Upgrowth of third-party funds Sources of third-party funds tion both at home and abroad. summer of 2019 holds great significance for the (in mio EUR) in % future of TU Darmstadt and will have a far-reaching Professor Tanja Brühl took office as the new Presi- impact: The university was successful with its entry 2019 Federal Government2019 dent of TU Darmstadt on 1 October, following her in the EU funding competition “European University”, election by the University Assembly in March 2019. together with six other European technical universi- 165.2 The German Federation of Industrial Research At the end of the year, the former Vice Presidents Associations – AiF 2.9 32.1 ties. This prestigious honour comes with total funding other funds 7.2 Professor Mira Mezini, Professor Andrea Rapp, Pro- of five million euros. The competition is the result of fessor Ralph Bruder and Professor Matthias Rehahn an initiative by French President Macron. The aim 4.1 LOEWE stepped down from the Executive Board at the end of the UNITE! (University Network for Innovation, of their terms of office – all of them can take credit Technology and Engineering) alliance coordinated by 27.4 German for pushing forward strategically important projects TU Darmstadt is to create a trans-European virtual 19.2 Research Industry Foundation with the highest degree of professionalism. campus. DFG 7.1 The university’s new management team took up The alliance will establish cross-university study EU their duties at the turn of the year: The President courses and transnational knowledge transfer as TU Darmstadt TU Darmstadt The Year 2019 Overview Overview will continue to rely on the support of Vice President its natural standards. The partner universities will Figures rounded Dr. Manfred Efinger (Administration and Financial establish links with start-up networks and companies 2 3 Rhine-Main Universities Outstanding education and research thrive off networking and cooperation. On a regional level, Photo: Patrick Bal Patrick Photo: TU Darmstadt, the Goethe University Frankfurt and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz joined together Binner Katrin Photo: to create the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) strategic alliance in 2015 to exploit their combined strengths – the independent profiles of each university comple- ment each other very well. TU Darmstadt has been able to enhance the attractiveness of its teaching and research through targeted synergies – such as in the areas of biomedical engineering and peace and conflict research. The alliance now combines 103,000 students, has links to 22 non-university research institutes and acts as the coordinator for 21 collabora- tive research centres funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). In 2019, three new joint projects at the RMU were ap- proved both by the German Research Foundation and as part of the Hessian LOEWE programme for scientific excellence: a DFG collaborative research centre for the regulation of DNA repair and genome stability, as well in their local regions and strengthen and coordi- as LOEWE projects on biochemical drug development nate their joint research on pressing social themes and on the significance of architecture for social, cul- such as the energy transition, artificial intelligence tural and scientific concepts of order. and Industry 4.0. This will benefit the graduates from the UNITE! universities above all: They will Alongside TU Darmstadt, UNITE! includes The dynamic development of the RMU was demon- acquire interdisciplinary and intercultural exper- the Aalto University (Finland), KTH strated in September 2019 at the 1st RMU Day: More tise, which graduates need now more than ever Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), than 250 members of the three universities reported Grenoble Institute of Technology so that they are optimally prepared to meet the (France), Politecnico Di Torino (Italy), on their achievements to date and discussed the next future requirements of the job market and global Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya steps for networking and cooperating in the areas of challenges. (Spain) and Universidade de Lisboa research, studies, teaching and administration. The (Portugal). Together, the seven partners world of politics also expressed its support for this have 167,000 students and 36,700 special alliance because it spans two different Ger- Basic research for the future graduates annually. They already cooperate closely in more than 80 EU man states: The Hessian Minister of State for Higher projects and have exchanged more than Education, Research and the Arts Angela Dorn and 2,000 students in the last five years. They her counterpart from Rhineland-Palatinate Professor „We are taking the European idea have all been members of the CLUSTER Konrad Wolf held discussions on the podium with the ing awarded to the Department of Computer Science, Network (Consortium Linking Universities heads of the universities. which focuses, in particular, on important issues relat- a step further. Students and teach- of Science and Technology for Education and Research) which encompasses twelve ed to protection and security: Professor Stefan Roth ing staff are sharing knowledge leading European technical universities Research strength received an ERC Consolidator Grant of two million and information across borders since 1990. TU Darmstadt is one of the leading research universi- euros, Professor Thomas Schneider received an ERC ties, both compared to other German universities and Starting Grant of 1.5 million euros and Professor Mira and developing a European Edu- also from an international perspective. The university Mezini, who had previously received an ERC Advanced received a total of three new grants from the European Grant, was honoured in 2019 with a Proof-of-Concept Overview cation Area together.“ Research Council (ERC) in 2019 – with all of them be- Grant. Professor Dr. Tanja Brühl, TU President and UNITE! President 4 5 TU Darmstadt is contributing its internationally A programme at TU Darmstadt that specifically focuses Executive Board recognised expertise in IT security to the National on female guest professors has also been well received: Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity, which Three women with career and research experience in started work in 2019 under the name Athene. This industry have taken the opportunity to research and research centre has been significantly shaped by TU teach for a fixed term at TU Darmstadt without having Darmstadt and is also supported by two Fraunhofer to give up their positions at their companies. institutes and the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. The Federal Minister of Education and Remain curious Research Anja Karliczek and the Hessian Minister of One thing is clear when we look back on 2019: TU State for Higher Education, Research and the Arts Darmstadt possesses an enormous amount of potential. Angela Dorn participated in the official opening It is well worth systematically examining its profile ceremony. The federal and state governments plan in more depth – and continuing to closely follow the to increase the funding for Athene from 12.5 mil- development of the university.