From Ilmenau to space

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How do universities such as the TU Ilmenau contribute to securing the supply of technology and skilled workers in Thuringia and Germany with their research and the transfer of research results to industry and society? This question was the focus of Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow’s visit to the Center for Micro and Nanotechnologies (ZMN) at Ilmenau University of Technology on 26 June.

The ZMN brings together 40 research groups that conduct interdisciplinary research into sustainable microand nanotechnologies and "green electronics". As a DFG-funded core facility "Micro-Nano-Integration", it also offers external partners the opportunity to collaborate on highly specialized equipment and devices.

Bodo Ramelow, Prime Minister of the State of Thuringia, was able to see this outstanding infrastructure and the special equipment in the clean room, one of the largest connected university clean rooms in Europe, for himself during a tour of the ZMN.

Microand nanotechnologies as key technologies for securing technological sovereignty

Together with Nam Gutzeit and Torsten Thelemann, representatives of the Ilmenau start-up eCeramix GmbH and the Thuringian company Micro-Hybrid Electronic GmbH, one of the global technology leaders in the development of electronic microsystems for medical technology, environmental technology and aviation, University President Prof. Kai-Uwe Sattler, Vice President Prof. Jens Müller and Centre Director Prof. Peter Schaaf discussed the potential of the ZMN’s research focus areas of microsystems technology, nanotechnology and micro-nano integration with the Prime Minister. As key technologies, they played a decisive role in securing technological sovereignty and creating high-quality jobs in the region.

As an example, Prof. Müller presented TU Ilmenau’s involvement in the Heinrich Hertz mission. The German communications satellite Heinrich-Hertz was launched into space a year ago and has been orbiting at an altitude of around 36,000 kilometers in a geostationary orbit to test new satellite communication technologies for their suitability for use in space under real operating conditions. Also on board: a telecommunications component from TU Ilmenau, which was developed at ZMN over several years and is intended to make communication satellites more flexible and ready for new usage scenarios such as disasters in the future.

During the discussion, both sides also emphasized the immense importance of international specialists and a positive welcoming culture for Thuringia as a location: "Securing young talent does not stop at a location boundary," said the Prime Minister: "The 100 nations that study and work at TU Ilmenau are part of the university’s research impact."