Reforms introduced by the Technical University of Munich

Ever since its foundation, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has been contributing to technological and social progress. It has initiated pioneering policy reforms for universities in Germany and, through the 1999 “Experimentation Clause”, it has helped to modernize higher education legislation in Bavaria. With its forward-looking concept “TUM. The Entrepreneurial University”, the university again provided compelling proof of its strong reform drive, also marking it out for success in the 2006 and 2012 rounds of “Excellence Initiative” funding.

Transforming into an Entrepreneurial University

1998

First Bachelor and Master’s programs in the year before the Bologna declaration
TUMTech GmbH: Technology transfer and consulting, fundraising, project acquisition in research and technology

1999

"Allianz für Wissen" (Alliance for Knowledge): The first professional fundraising campaign by a German university raises over EUR 191 million
Alumni & Career: International network of TUM alumni
New organizational structure: Operational bodies (university management and dean) are separated from governance bodies (Administrative Council, consisting of the Senate and external members)

2000

Establishment of the TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan.
Aptitude assessments: The university assesses applicants’ suitability for their chosen course.

2001

First appointed to the management board of a German university

2002

SAP R/3 business process software supports university’s financial system
UnternehmerTUM GmbH, supported by entrepreneur Susanne Klatten: Promotes entrepreneurial mindset among students and academics.
Wolfgang A. Herrmann becomes the first President of a German university to call for the introduction of tuition fees.
German Institute of Science and technology (GIST) in Singapore: First overseas campus set up by a German university.
MentorING program: Supports women studying natural sciences and engineering to increase the proportion of women in these disciplines.
The Department of Sport and Health Sciences is built up around the acclaimed University Sports Center
The TUM School of Management is founded.

2004

Carl von Linde Academy: Equips students and lecturers with interdisciplinary and teaching skills, supported by Linde AG
IntegraTUM, elecTUM und HIS@TUM: Programs for seamless information and communication infrastructure, e-learning and electronic exam management
Opening of FRM II: Heinz Maier-Leibnitz neutron source research reactor

2005

StudiTUM project: The university funds a student-led project to foster a top-quality study experience.
TUM Institute for Advanced Study (TUM-IAS): Selected scientists are given the freedom to work on innovative and higher-risk projects; interdisciplinary, high-caliber research groups work alongside international fellows from the worlds of science and industry.

Milestones since the 2006 Excellence Initiative

2006

TUM named University of Excellence in acknowledgement of

Institutional strategy "TUM.The Entrepreneurial University"
International Graduate School of Science and Engineering (IGSSE)
Clusters of Excellence: TUM is a leading partner in five Clusters of Excellence: Cognition for Technical Systems (COTESYS), Origin and Structure of the Universe, Munich-Centre for Advanced Photonics – MAP, Nanosystems Initiative Munich – NIM and Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich – CIPSM

2007

TUM Leonardo da Vinci-Zentrum for Bionics: Interdisciplinary research with a focus on technology, biosciences and medicine
Center for Carbon Composites: Integrated approach to research involving collaboration with other institutes (Fraunhofer Institute Augsburg)
TUM International GmbH. The University Company: TUM subsidiary; markets university-related knowledge and coordinates international R&D projects between science and industry
Introduction of a performance incentive system for all employees

2008

TUM ForTe – Office for Research and Innovation: Targeted support for research (e.g. German Research Foundation (DFG), ERC), advice for young scientists, technology transfer, intellectual property rights; managed research budget
TUM Catalysis Research Center: Catalysis research, international alliances, long-term partnerships with industry ("Munich Catalysis": Süd-Chemie/Clariant)
Hans Eisenmann Zentrum for Agricultural Sciences: Connecting agricultural science institutes at TUM and support for agriculture industry
Munich Dual Career Office: Comprehensive range of services for the partners of newly appointed professors
Mentoringprogramm-TUM²: Strategic advice for students from alumni
TUMlab: Cooperation between the Deutsches Museum in Munich and TUM in the areas of research, teaching and public outreach
TUMonline: Introduction of integrated campus management database: Electronic application, short-listing and enrolment processes – a first in German higher education

2009

TUM Graduate School: Umbrella organization for structured doctoral studies with obligatory crossdisciplinary content
TUM gender center and gender board: Oversees all gender and diversity measures, provides strategic advice to the Board of Management
TUM.Energy: Cross-faculty research initiative, central to the university "Clean Technologies" strategy; an initiative of the Munich School of Engineering (MSE).
TUM School of Education: First department at a German university to combine teacher training and education research

2010

Integrated TUM Campus Management for the student lifecycle
TUM University Foundation: Vehicle for endowment fundraising
Academic and Student Affairs: Umbrella organization for all interdisciplinary study and teaching processes; institutionalization of quality management
TUM: Junge Akademie: Support program for extremely talented and highly dedicated students
MUNICH AEROSPACE:Research, development and training center jointly run by TUM, Universität der Bundeswehr München, the German aeronautics and space research center (DLR) and Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V.
TUM Research Center for Industrial Biotechnology
Center for Sustainable Building in conjunction with the Oskar von Miller Forum of the Bavarian construction industry
Spin-off company AmSilk GmbH (27%TUM initial holding): Marketing "synthetic spider silk" from the university’s patent portfolio

2011

TUMentrepreneurship recognized in the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology’s national EXIST IV competition, "Start-up culture"
Center for Advanced Laser Applications (CALA): Research center jointly run by TUM and Ludwig Maximilian University in Garching
TUM: Agenda Lehre (agenda for teaching) recognized by the Joint Science Conference (GWK) as part of the "Quality Pact for Teaching"
First Senior Vice President for Diversity and Talent Management appointed

2012

Excellence Initiative: The university succeeds once again with its forward-looking concept "TUM.The entrepreneurial University":

Germany's first Tenure Track career system for junior scientists: Possibility of promotion from Assistant Professor (W2) to Full Professor (W3); 100 new professorships by 2020
Munich Center for Technology in Society (MCTS) investigating the human dimension in science and technology
Offices in São Paulo and Cairo established , and a joint Brussels office under the Eurotech Universities alliance.
International Graduate School of Science and Engineering (IGSSE)
Research Clusters: Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology – SyNergy, Origin and Structure of the Universe, Munich-Centre for Advanced Photonics – MAP, Nanosystems Initiative Munich – NIM and Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich – CIPSM

2013

Leonhard Obermeyer Center for 3D models of the built environment founded.
First Research Opportunities Week to attract international postdocs.
Schülerforschungszentrum Berchtesgadener Land:Regional collaborative model bridging school and university; extracurricular voluntary scientific research for school pupils with professional guidance
The International Beverage Research Center in Weihenstephan (iGZW) and the Hans Eisenmann-Zentrum – Institute for Agricultural Sciences are opened at the Center of Life and Food Sciences Weihenstephan.

2014

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses): Free online courses accessible from anywhere in the world; non-exclusive partnerships with renowned American platform providers Coursera and edX.
Technologist: Research magazine of EuroTech Universities –TUM, EPF Lausanne, DTU Copenhagen and TU Eindhoven
TUM becomes host university of the Bavarian School of Public Policy (HfP).
System accreditation:All degree programs that meet the quality assurance requirements at the university are duly accredited.
Part time courses: The university offers Master’s programs in computer science, electrical engineering and information technology on a part-time basis
Studium MINT and studium naturale: Orientation programs for prospective students who are undecided about the course they should take.

2015

Teach@TUM: This concept combines subject area knowledge with education and learning theory, effective pedagogical strategies and practice and insights into how education theory and practice are applied to schools. The aim is to improve teacher training in STEM subjects. It is supported by the German federal government and the states as one of 19 nationwide programs in a teacher-training quality campaign.
Opening of the TUM Entrepreneurship Center: The university and its affiliated institute UnternehmerTUM have bundled an end-to-end offering for technology-focused start-ups at this new building on the Garching campus. It networks research and practical application, with academic chairs from the TUM Entrepreneurship Research Institute also under the same roof.

2016

Science & Study Center, Raitenhaslach: After an extensive restoration, the university opens a new academic center in the former Cistercian abbey at Raitenhaslach as a hub of international scientific exchange.
TUM School of Governance: This School, aligned with the Bavarian School of Public Policy (HfP München), is to become the university's 14th department. It focuses its research and teaching on the interaction between politics, society, the economy and technology, and officially opens at the beginning of 2017.

2017

Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability: As an Integrative Research Center, Campus Straubing is fully integrated into TUM and classifies as the university’s fourth campus after Munich, Garching and Freising-Weihenstephan.

2018

TUM Campus Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg is the first campus of a German university to be located in a different federal state. The TUM School of Management offers a wide range of courses here for the managers of the future. The non-profit Dieter Schwarz Foundation is providing long-term support by funding 20 new business management professorships with complete facilities and infrastructure.
The Munich School of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MSRM) taps into and investigates the basics of robotics, perception and artificial intelligence for innovative and sustainable technological solutions to the major challenges of our time.
Establishment of the Department of Aerospace and Geodesy as the university’s 15^th department. Once completed, it will be the largest academic department of its kind in Europe.

Reform program TUM Agenda 2030

2019

Successful Excellence Strategy: TUM has secured the title „University of Excellence“ for the third time in succession.

TUM Agenda 2030: The institutional strategy TUM Agenda 2030 forms the heart of TUM's Excellence Strategy

2020

From department structure to a schools system: TUM embarks on an extensive structural reform. With the restructuring of the TUM School of Life Sciences, the university has established the first of seven schools as part of an innovation-friendly matrix structure.
The TUM Innovation Networks promote new and strategic connections between schools and departments („Emerging Field Policy“), building a foundation for research into tomorrow’s topics and creating a critical mass for future innovation hotspots.
Die TUM Venture Labs aim at fostering entrepreneurial spirit and entire families of start-ups in key technological fields and thereby at positioning the Munich metropolitan region as the European lead-er for new company foundations.
The Munich Data Science Institute Munich Data Science Institute (MDSI) is TUM's new a center of excellence for multidisciplinary,data-driven research . Forming one of TUM’s Integrative Research Centers, the MDSI makes the enormous potential resulting from data generation, data analysis and high-performance computing available to the entire university.

2021

With the opening of the TUM Institute for LifeLong Learning, TUM is entering upon a new dimension in addition to cutting-edge research and first-class curriculum for students: Lifelong continuing education for employees, professional experts and leadership staff.

International alliances since 2006

2007

European University Alliance in Science & Technology (EuroTech Universities): TUM, EPF Lausanne, DTU Kopenhagen, TU Eindhoven, École Polytechnique and Technion.
European Graduate School of Sustainable Energy: Doctoral studies in several European countries.

2008

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia with TUM as the exclusive German partner; 3 research projects, USD 21 million