Sustainability

The latest developments at TUM for a more sustainable future: Research findings, technical innovations, degree programs – as well as our commitment at home and in our global network.

3/5/2024
Reading time: 3 Min.

EU Action Week at the TUM Campus Straubing

A big celebration for the bioeconomy

Sustainability and climate protection are among the most significant challenges of the 21st century. A sustainable Europe worth living in requires innovation and efficient use of biological resources. The European Commission wants to engage young people, particularly as drivers of this sustainable change. To this end, a bio-economy festival is being held next week. The Straubing Campus for Biotechnology and Sustainability at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of four regions in Germany to have successfully applied to take part in this so-called Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival as one of four regions in Germany.

Sustainability Campus news
Das Titelbild dieser Ausgabe ist eine KI-generierte, abstrakte Darstellung der Kreislaufwirtschaft. Es zeigt fiktive Komponenten aus industriellen Prozessen, die fotorealistisch umgesetzt wurden
3/1/2024

Cover story: Circular economy

New issue of the "Faszination Forschung" magazine

Circular strategies are intended to create sustainable material and product cycles. Multidisciplinary research groups are developing solutions for the automotive industry. Also in this issue: How close is the point of no return? Climatic changes often build up continuously for years, leading to a tipping point that may be irreversible. And: AI systems in medicine must be particularly trustworthy - find out how data can be reliably protected.

Artificial Intelligence Quantum Technologies Sustainability Campus news Research
2/26/2024
Reading time: 2 Min.

Scientific study on river habitats at the TUM

Modern hydropower plants also cause massive damage to ecology

Even modern and supposedly gentler hydropower plants cause considerable damage to river ecosystems. This is shown by a study by Prof. Jürgen Geist from the Chair of Aquatic Systems Biology at the TUM School of Life Sciences published in the "Journal of Applied Ecology". Geist and his team investigated the changes in the complex biocoenoses in rivers at five locations in Bavaria before and after the installation of hydropower plants. They looked not only at fish but also at microorganisms, aquatic plants, and algae growth.

Sustainability Research
The HopfON team sits around the table and discusses
1/12/2024
Reading time: 5 Min.

HopfON founding team

Hops as a circular building material

The construction industry consumes enormous resources and is responsible for a large proportion of global CO2 emissions. The team of HopfON wants to address this situation. Their vision: to produce recyclable, climate-friendly building materials using agricultural waste and resources.

Sustainability Entrepreneurship
1/8/2024
Reading time: 1 Min.

Sustainability competition for young researchers

Application for EuroTech Future Award launched

Young researchers from all six EuroTech partner universities can apply again for the "EuroTech Future Award" sustainability prize. The call for applications is aimed at scientists who completed their doctorate at most five years ago. Their research must address one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sustainability
Portrait von Michael Zavrel.
12/6/2023
Reading time: 3 Min.

NewIn: Michael Zavrel

Hands-on expertise for the bioeconomy

Michael Zavrel has worked on the development of industrial bioprocesses that turn waste into high-quality products. Now the Professor of Bioprocess Engineering is passing on his knowledge from industry in the lab and the lecture hall at the TUM Campus Straubing.

Community Sustainability
Agriculture trainee at the Weihenstephan campus with wheat seeder
12/4/2023
Reading time: 3 Min.

Analysis of subsidies in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy

Decoupled direct payments make agriculture more productive

Better alignment with the market is one of the goals pursued by the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in recent decades. One of the measures used to achieve this was to decouple direct payments from production. Agricultural economists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now found that this form of direct payments makes farms more productive. Despite higher productivity, the environmental impact remains at a comparable level.

Sustainability Research
The winners of the TUM IDEAward with representatives of TUM, UnternehmerTUM and Zeidler-Forschungs-Stiftung.
12/1/2023
Reading time: 1 Min.

TUM IDEAward presented to three founder teams

Start-up ideas with a sustainable impact

The TUM IDEAward was presented to three start-up concepts centered around sustainable technologies. The student teams are developing a sensor system for high-precision agriculture, microalgae for fish farming, and magnetic, energy-saving shock absorbers.

Community Sustainability Entrepreneurship Studies
A modular electric tractor standing in a field
11/13/2023
Reading time: 3 Min.

Research on the electrification of agricultural machinery

New modular development kit for e-tractors

The special requirements placed on trucks and agricultural machinery often make it difficult for engineers to bring them into the electric age. At the Agritechnica agricultural machinery fair researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are now showing what a modular development kit for electric tractors can look like. Their platform features modules for various uses and a power bank which can be used as a replacement battery when necessary.

Mobility Sustainability Research
10/30/2023
Reading time: 1 Min.

Research on energy and climate change economy honored

First Sustainability Awards supported by the Nobel Sustainability Trust presented

For the first time, the Nobel Sustainability Trust (NST) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are presenting the "Sustainability Award supported by NST" for outstanding research and development work in the fields of sustainable energy and climate change economics. The first two honorees are Prof. Elena Bou of EIT InnoEnergy for her contributions to promoting energy start-ups, and Lord Nicholas Stern, Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, for his achievements relating to the economic aspects of climate change.

Sustainability President
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