TU Braunschweig opens research presence in Singapore

02/11/2023 By

International research presence in Singapore is a platform for multidisciplinary research with partners in the region

The initial focus will be on smart and urban manufacturing, urban-industrial symbiosis, circular production and sustainable urban planning. With this foundation, TU Braunschweig is pursuing the goal of expanding its international cooperation in order to tackle pressing global challenges.

The establishment of the research presence in Singapore was supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The opening took place in the presence of Dr. Jens Brandenburg, Parliamentary State Secretary at the BMBF: “Singapore is one of the most innovative countries in the world. For us as the Federal Government, it is important to strengthen bilateral relations and promote research cooperation between our research institutions. The establishment of this research presence in Singapore is therefore an important milestone for the international visibility of German research. It shows how important international scientific cooperation is for solving important issues of our time. I am delighted to be personally present at the opening of the research presence. I wish the German-Singaporean partnership every success in their joint research.”

Dr. David Low, Prof. Christoph Herrmann, TU Braunschweig President Prof. Dr. Angela Ittel, State Secretary Dr. Jens Brandenburg, Prof. Vanessa Carlow, Vice President Prof. Arno Kwade and Prof. Andy Hor cut the red ribbon together to mark the opening of TU Braunschweig’s research presence in Singapore. In the background: Dr. Mark Mennenga, Ambassador Dr. Norbert Riedel, Eduard Klein and Olaf Mumm. The ribbon is held by Jan Felix Niemeyer and Philipp Grimmel.

Dr. David Low, Prof. Christoph Herrmann, TU Braunschweig President Prof. Dr. Angela Ittel, State Secretary Dr. Jens Brandenburg, Prof. Vanessa Carlow, Vice President Prof. Arno Kwade and Prof. Andy Hor cut the red ribbon together to mark the opening of TU Braunschweig’s research presence in Singapore. In the background: Dr. Mark Mennenga, Ambassador Dr. Norbert Riedel, Eduard Klein and Olaf Mumm. The ribbon is held by Jan Felix Niemeyer and Philipp Grimmel. Picture credits: A*STAR/SIMTech

Milestone in the history of the university

The President of TU Braunschweig, Prof. Dr. Angela Ittel, describes the establishment of the research presence as an important milestone in the university’s history: “Our link with Singapore’s dynamic research landscape is a logical step in expanding our global research initiatives and visibility. Together with our partners in Singapore, we will drive sustainable innovation and solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges.”

The collaboration with the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) goes back to a cooperation with the Chair of Sustainable Production & Life Cycle Engineering at the Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering (IWF) at TU Braunschweig, headed by Prof. Dr. Christoph Herrmann, which began in 2002. This was gradually intensified. The model factory @ SIMTech was jointly opened in 2018. With the Learning Factory at the IWF, TU Braunschweig already has an established learning and research environment for the factory of the future. Researchers from both locations are working together on new technologies in the field of Industry 5.0 and energy- and resource-efficient factories.

The establishment of the research presence was also funded by the BMBF with a total of 650,000 euros as part of the “Industrial Symbiosis and Urban Factories Hub” (ISUrF-Hub) project of the IWF and Institute for Sustainable Urbanism (ISU) under the direction of Prof. Dr. Vanessa Carlow, the project was funded from 2017-2024. In addition to establishing German research presences in the Asia-Pacific research region, the focus here is on research on urban-industrial symbiosis and sustainable urban development.

After the successful opening of the TU Braunschweig research presence in Singapore Image credit: A*STAR/SIMTech

Singapore as a real-world laboratory for urban production and sustainable urban development

With its research presence TU BS Singapore, TU Braunschweig is establishing a platform for multidisciplinary research, initially in the fields of intelligent and urban manufacturing, urban industrial symbiosis, circular production and sustainable urban planning. The Vice President for Technology Transfer and Innovation at TU Braunschweig, Professor Arno Kwade, is one of the driving forces behind this project: “TU Braunschweig is a leader in research into efficient, ecologically sustainable and economically viable urban production processes. Together with our local partners SIMTech and ARTC, we will connect science, industry and research.”

In the context of planetary boundaries, a transformation towards sustainable production and urban development is essential. Scientists from Braunschweig and Singapore are using Singapore as a real-world laboratory to develop technologies and methods for urban production. They are investigating the interactions and potentials in this context. By creating a joint research group, significant research work is being carried out in the areas of sustainable cities, energy efficiency in production and environmental and water technologies. Joint training concepts are being developed for the transfer of current knowledge and research, enabling students, representatives of industry and public administration to attend courses in Germany and Singapore.