Innovative cooperation and regional strengthening

The cooperation strengthens the Black Forest region as a center for research and technology. Stefan Bogenrieder, Managing Director of Campus Schwarzwald, emphasizes: "The partnership between KIT and Campus Schwarzwald is an important step towards strengthening the region as a location for innovation. By pooling our expertise, we can jointly drive forward pioneering projects and strengthen the regional economy in the long term."

The Campus Schwarzwald benefits considerably from this collaboration through access to cutting-edge research and highly qualified specialists, which strengthens local research and development activities. This leads to increased visibility and easier technology transfer. A particular highlight will be joint research projects, in the course of which doctoral students will also work closely with industry at the Campus Schwarzwald.

Advantages for the KIT

KIT will become even more involved in the Black Forest region as part of the cooperation. The collaboration with the network of industrial partners will strengthen practice-oriented research and the transfer of technology and knowledge. In addition, KIT will benefit from the application-oriented research at the Campus Schwarzwald and the joint use of resources and infrastructure. "Our clear goal is to jointly provide important impulses for industry and science in research and development and to strengthen the region economically and technologically with specific projects," says Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice President Transfer and International Affairs at KIT.

Both institutions attach great importance to sustainable development and technologies, particularly through corresponding projects. International research projects increase global visibility and the exchange of knowledge. Prof. Mike Barth from KIT's IRS emphasizes the innovative strength of the cooperation: "In our joint research projects, cutting-edge research and entrepreneurial ingenuity meet at eye level, creating a continuous innovation chain." He and his colleague Prof. Hohmann will soon be starting the first project: "Our joint research projects are about the digitalization of forests with autonomous robot swarms for optimized agriculture and the development of self-learning models for an assistance system for setting up complex machines," says Barth.

Benefits for companies and the region

Dr. Kurt Schmalz, Managing Director of J. Schmalz GmbH, explains: "Companies in the region benefit considerably from this cooperation. Access to cutting-edge research and highly qualified specialists strengthens their competitiveness and helps them to accelerate their innovative strength and product development." By participating in joint research and development projects, companies can accelerate their innovative strength and product development and benefit from an expanded network.

Claudia Gläser, President of the IHK Nordschwarzwald and Managing Director of Gläser GmbH, adds: "The collaboration between KIT and the Campus Schwarzwald offers a wide range of opportunities for joint research projects, knowledge exchange and innovation. Through this partnership, researchers and the companies involved can learn from each other and network optimally."

"The signing of the cooperation agreement between KIT and the Campus Schwarzwald is another milestone for the town of Freudenstadt. The campus, our regional technology companies and the business location will benefit from this. We need this close project-related cooperation between business practice and development on the one hand and research and teaching on the other now more than ever. The campus with its network and infrastructure offers ideal conditions for this," says Lord Mayor Adrian Sonder.

The signing ceremony on August 7 marks the beginning of a promising collaboration that promises significant progress for science, industry and society. Stefan Bogenrieder adds: "The cooperation with KIT and the University of Stuttgart impressively demonstrates the importance of combining the strengths of industry and excellent scientific institutions such as KIT. Through this cooperation, we can use synergies to expand our research and education offerings and establish the Black Forest region as a center for cutting-edge research and innovation."

Achieving more together

KIT's involvement in the Black Forest region sounds promising. In order to sound out possible points of contact in technology transfer, a team from Innovation and Relations Management visited the new cooperation partners in Freudenstadt on October 11. In addition to the central services that the transfer team at KIT offers employees and companies, the KIT Business Club was introduced. The industrial network at KIT has many parallels to the network of the Campus Schwarzwald. With a common understanding of technology transfer and clear goals, both sides can hope for successful cooperation.