The Technical University of Munich (TUM) has taken another strong step forward in its strategic structural reform. The new TUM School of Engineering and Design was officially opened during a festive ceremony on Monday at the TUM high-tech campus in Garching as the fourth of a total of seven Schools.
The TUM School of Engineering and Design consolidates expertise from the fields of mechanical engineering as well as civil, geo and environmental engineering, Aerospace and Geodesy and a part of electrical engineering and architecture. The School’s creation expands the exploratory enhancement of technical-functional competencies to include a design-oriented dimension. This transcends the close disciplinary constraints of some teaching and research programs and drives the emergence of future-oriented system expertise.
TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann said: "The founding of the TUM School of Engineering and Design is an important milestone in the implementation of the TUM AGENDA 2030 with the guiding vision of human-centered engineering, supported by the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments."
With 124 professorships, approximately 2300 staff members and around 12,000 students, the new School will develop a collaborative profile oriented towards branding. Its focus areas range from innovations for intelligent mobility both on and above the ground, transformation of the built environment, manufacturing and energy supply all the way to ecological and sustainable Circular Economies. Here the School links the digital world with the physical world using digital twins and integrates design intelligence in research, teaching and innovation.
Prof. Christoph Gehlen, founding dean of ED, stated at the opening ceremonies: "As dean I consider it my duty to create a unique, intellectually stimulating environment and to fortify our excellent research and teaching. I greatly look forward to linking the individual design and engineering disciplines, promoting integrative thinking and generating a keen enthusiasm among our colleagues for creative, future-oriented projects."