Ten ERC Starting Grants awarded to TUM researchers
A total of ten projects led by TUM researchers have been awarded the prestigious ERC Starting Grants in the latest funding round. Since 2007, researchers at TUM have secured 280 ERC Grants. These grants are awarded annually in various categories. Through its Starting Grants, the ERC supports outstanding researchers at the early stages of their independent careers. Each grant is worth up to €1.5 million.
Prof. Andreas Meyer to become Scientific Director of FRM II
The Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is welcoming a new Scientific Director. Physicist and TUM alumnus Prof. Andreas Meyer will take over from Prof. Christian Pfleiderer on 1 October 2026. Since 2021, Andreas Meyer has served as the German Associate Director of the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble. Prof. Andreas Meyer will serve as Scientific Director of FRM II for a five-year term. The research neutron source in Garching near Munich, as Germany’s most powerful research reactor, has provided an essential service for national and international scientists for decades. It is important that this potential and the high level of expertise at FRM II continue to be made available to the entire scientific community in the future. TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann emphasized: “I am convinced that Prof. Andreas Meyer will successfully manage the diverse responsibilities at FRM II thanks to his scientific and technical expertise, international experience, and the necessary management skills. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Prof. Christian Pfleiderer for taking on the role of Scientific Director at short notice on 1 January 2024 and for having since contributed, with the utmost dedication, to steering FRM II through challenging times.” About Prof. Andreas Meyer: Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer has served as the German Associate Director of the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble since 1 October 2021 and is also Head of the Technology and Projects Division. An expert in the application of neutron scattering in materials science, he focuses on the dynamics and structure of metallic melts at very high temperatures and near the glass transition. Following his PhD, which was based on research conducted at the Nuclear Resonant Scattering Beamline at the ESRF, Andreas Meyer joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the USA, where he worked on the commissioning of a new neutron backscattering spectrometer. He subsequently obtained his habilitation at the Department of Physics at the Technical University of Munich. In 2006, he became Director of the Institute for Materials Physics in Space at the German Aerospace Center in Cologne, in a joint appointment with Ruhr University Bochum. Since 2021, he has been the German Associate Director of the ILL. Throughout his career, neutron-based science has been a key component of Andreas Meyer’s scientific work. He has also represented the German neutron scattering community in various capacities, most recently as an elected member of the German Committee for Research with Neutrons.
TUM study reveals substantial misdirection in EU automotive regulation
Purely battery-electric vehicles reduce CO₂ emissions by only 41 percent on average compared to combustion vehicles. Yet the European Commission counts them as 100 percent climate-neutral. The reason: EU regulation measures CO₂ emissions only through tailpipe exhaust. Fossil carbon released during a vehicle’s production and through the electricity used to operate it, or not recovered during recycling, is not captured by EU Regulation 2019/631. This scientifically indefensible stance by the EU will cause the passenger car sector’s 2030 target of reducing CO₂ emissions by 188 million tons to be missed by more than 100 million tons. Combustion vehicles are expected to still make up 78 percent of the vehicle fleet in 2030. The researchers therefore propose a life-cycle-based standard for defossilization. Drawing on 19 studies with 47 modeled scenarios, the White Paper documents a substantial misdirection of EU climate policy in the automotive sector, both economically and environmentally. Given the political decisions on the future of Europe’s automotive industry expected this fall, TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann commissioned the study at the beginning of the year. Under the leadership of the three professors Johannes Fottner, Magnus Fröhling, and Tim Büthe, the study became the most comprehensive analysis to date of vehicles’ climate footprint across their entire life cycle, from production through use to disposal. The study demonstrates the central flaw in the EU’s CO₂ regulation, which measures a car’s climate footprint at a single point: the tailpipe. Instead, the TUM researchers propose a life-cycle-based standard that credits every verifiable contribution to reducing fossil emissions. TUM’s analyses show that battery-electric vehicles reduce life-cycle emissions by an average of 41 percent (in about 92 percent of cases). The range of deviation from combustion vehicles’ CO₂ emissions extends from a reduction of 89 percent to an increase of as much as 21 percent. The tailpipe-only metric masks these differences, along with any climate contribution beyond the powertrain. If a manufacturer invests in near-CO₂-free steel, a supplier decarbonizes battery production, or a recycling company keeps critical raw materials in the loop, none of that improves the regulation’s metric under the EU’s current rules by a single gram. Regulation that does not capture relevant contributions to decarbonization cannot reward them either. And what it does not reward, industry will not finance at scale. “The greatest economic and environmental misdirection lies in the fact that the European Commission’s regulation is based exclusively on CO₂ emissions from tailpipe exhaust,” says Prof. Johannes Fottner. “Under this logic, purely battery-electric vehicles are considered climate-neutral. The industry’s diverse efforts to reach climate targets – through green steel or circular economy practices, for instance – go unrewarded as a result.” Europe, he adds, can no longer afford to overlook this emissions reality.
New technique enhances coastal water level monitoring
Anyone who has ever been to the beach, especially on the North Sea, has experienced how the water can spread out or recede in a very short time—a phenomenon caused by the tides. Accurate and reliable knowledge of these movements is essential for coastal protection, flood forecasting, and safe ship navigation. However, in many coastal regions the data are lacking: while local tide gauge stations provide data only at individual points, the satellite measurements typically used near the coast often has too low a resolution. Variability in water levels at 100-fold resolution The newly developed method by researchers at TUM and the University of Oxford also uses satellite data, but in a new way: Instead of measuring water depth along the coast, they use the beach itself as a “ruler”. They combine the visible waterline on satellite images with the known slope of the beach. They can thus monitor sea levels and calculate tidal variations from these observations. The method provides data accurate to within 100 meters. Previous satellite data could only provide this information at a resolution of about ten kilometers—a difference of a factor of 100. With this level of accuracy, they found, for example, tide differences of nearly one meter along a 90-kilometer stretch of coastline on a beach in New Zealand. Better predictions even without a tide gauge Thomas Monahan, one of the study’s authors and a research associate at the University of Oxford, says: “Our research shows that tides can vary significantly even over relatively short distances. This has major implications for the risk of coastal flooding. Small-scale differences in tides can determine whether two neighboring regions are spared or flooded during the same storm. Once these methods are further refined, they could enable significantly more precise local tide forecasts. People would then no longer just learn about tide patterns in their region, but specifically what to expect on their beach.” “Our method combines the precision of local tide gauge stations with the coverage of satellite imagery,” says Michael Hart-Davis of the German Geodetic Research Institute at TUM. “This also allows us to close the data gap in coastal regions without their own tide gauge stations.” These are currently areas in parts of Africa or Southeast Asia. This opens up new possibilities, particularly for navigation along the coastline. “ It also offers an opportunity to better assess flood risks involving a combination of factors—such as heavy rain, storm surges, and high tides—or to determine when saltwater threatens to seep into the groundwater.” In developing the method, the researchers relied on satellite imagery spanning more than forty years, provided by NASA’s Landsat program and the U.S. Geological Survey. They hope this will enable them to make more reliable forecasts in the future. Additional data from programs such as Copernicus Sentinel-2 could further increase spatial and temporal coverage in the future.
Why apples react differently to climate change than wheat
lthough climate change is already having a negative impact on crops, declines in yields have so far been offset by technological advances in agriculture. For field crops that do not rely on pollinators, however, this trend appears to be reversing. Researchers at TUM analyzed crop yields in Lower Franconia and Upper Bavaria over a period of more than 35 years. They examined various crops, including wheat, apples, and cherries. While wind or self-pollination is sufficient for wheat, fruit trees and some field crops such as rapeseed depend on insects—and it is precisely this dependence on pollinators that is crucial for the development of crop yields. Wheat yields are falling—Apples are benefiting Wheat yields are already falling because temperatures are above their optimal levels. Due to dry soil and hotter conditions, the plants are producing smaller and fewer grains. On the contrary, fruit trees have not produced such yield losses yet. Researchers suspect that they have so far benefited from the rising temperatures, in part because there is less late-frost damage to their blossoms, allowing them to produce more fruit. Climate change also affects pollinators However, this trend will only last for a certain amount of time, notes Sara Leonhardt, professor of plant-insect interactions at TUM: “If the climate continues to warm, pollinator-dependent crops will face dual stress.” On the one hand, these crops will also exceed their optimal climatic conditions. The plants will then grow less vigorously and produce, for example, smaller flowers that are less attractive to pollinators. On the other hand, climate change also affects the pollinators themselves. Depending on their species and group, they exhibit different temperature tolerances. Thus, as the climate changes, the pollinator community in a region and its pollination performance will inevitably change. This is particularly true for species-poor communities, such as those found in many agricultural areas. Pollinators as part of climate strategy “Our findings confirm how important pollinators are for agriculture—and how closely biodiversity and climate adaptation are linked,” says Paula Prucker, a doctoral student at TUM and first author of the study. “Strategies for adapting to climate change should therefore not only take into account the climatic requirements of various crops but also specifically and sustainably support pollinators.” According to Johannes Kollmann, professor of restoration ecology at TUM and co-author of the study, this includes measures such as flowering areas and hedgerows as food and habitat sources, more diverse crop rotations, and reduced use of pesticides. Such measures could help ensure pollination even under changing climate conditions and stabilize crop yields in the long term.
TUM is the best university in Germany
The next-highest-ranked German universities are LMU Munich (49th) and Heidelberg University (59th). The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), better known as the Shanghai Ranking, is published annually and evaluates the research performance of universities around the world. The ranking was developed at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Key evaluation criteria include publications in leading journals such as Nature and Science, researchers' citation rates, and the number of Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners associated with an institution. The Fields Medal is one of the highest honors in mathematics.
Applications Open for the EuroTech Rising Stars Award 2026
The EuroTech Rising Stars Award 2026 honors early-career researchers whose ideas and research provide important momentum for the future. The focus is on researchers whose work has the potential to generate scientific, technological, societal, or economic impact.
TUM launches program for experienced leaders
In the coming years, many leaders in business, sports, and culture will step down from their operational roles. Yet their knowledge, judgment, and networks remain valuable – especially in times of technological upheaval and profound change. The new program of the TUM Institute for LifeLong Learning combines professional experience with current science and technology as well as hands-on project work.
TUM publishes its second Sustainable Futures Report
Through its Sustainable Futures Strategy 2030, TUM aims to become a fully sustainable and climate-neutral university. Developed in collaboration with students and staff, the strategy defines six action fields and around 100 measures designed to integrate sustainability into everyday university operations. Key objectives include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding sustainability-related research, and systematically embedding sustainability as a cross-cutting priority throughout the institution.
HappyRobot is the latest TUM unicorn
HappyRobot’s AI agents can automate time-consuming tasks: They conduct phone calls, draft emails and messages, process documents, and search websites. According to the company, the unicorn has now served more than 150 corporate customers. Founders Pablo Palafox (CEO) and Luis Paarup (CTO) met as students at TUM and received early support from TUM’s start-up advisory service. Pablo’s brother Javier Palafox (COO) is another co-founder. In 2022, the team received an EXIST start-up grant at TUM and was accepted into the TUM Incubator. They also received extensive support from the TUM Venture Labs and UnternehmerTUM. HappyRobot now supports the TUM student club TUM.ai in Munich. TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann said: “I congratulate HappyRobot and its founders on their outstanding success. Their path to success is exemplary and shows how visionary ideas, new knowledge, and the technical expertise of talented individuals can be translated into growth-oriented deep-tech companies in an environment that supports entrepreneurship. As Germany’s entrepreneurial flagship, we use our start-up activities to support the transformation of the German economy and thereby safeguard the state’s capacity to act, the education of future talent, the generation of knowledge and, ultimately, societal prosperity.”
Obesity drug significantly reduces the risk of serious cardiovascular events and infections
For their study, published in The BMJ, the researchers analyzed a large dataset from U.S. health insurance providers. They compared patients treated with tirzepatide versus patients treated with sitagliptin, a diabetes medication considered neutral with respect to cardiovascular outcomes. The results revealed clear advantages of the GLP-1 drug, which has also attracted widespread public attention in recent years as a weight-loss treatment. After one year, 4.4 percent of patients treated with the comparator drug had experienced a heart attack or stroke or had died. In the tirzepatide group, the rate was just 2.9 percent. This corresponds to a reduction in relative risk of about one-third.
The Class of 2026 Ready to Take Responsibility in the World
Perhaps the most heartwarming sight of the day was the joy on the parents' faces. Some of them had traveled a long way – from India, the Philippines, China, Indonesia, and other countries – to celebrate their children's graduation from the TUM Campus in Singapore. Many watched with tears of pride in their eyes.
Unprecedented biomass loss in Europe's forests since 2018
Unlike previous studies that focused solely on changes in tree cover, this study provides the first Europe-wide assessment of changes in forest biomass. To accomplish this, the research team combined satellite data on tree cover change with information on the amount of biomass stored in forests. Their analysis reveals a clear shift: since 2018, biomass losses have increased sharply, leading to substantially greater losses of carbon stored in forests. This increase in biomass loss coincided with a major rise in bark beetle outbreaks linked to worsening drought conditions. Since 2018, Europe has lost, on average, 46 percent more biomass per year per hectare of forest area than during the period from 1985 to 2017. While both timber harvesting and natural disturbances contribute to biomass losses, the researchers attribute the sharp increase since 2018 primarily to climate change-related events. “The changes since 2018 are difficult to explain without climate change. As droughts become more frequent and severe, trees are weakened and bark beetles benefit from increasingly favorable conditions. We expect such events to become more frequent in the future, so they need to be taken into greater account in forest management planning, especially if we intend to rely on Europe’s forests as carbon sinks,” says Katja Kowalski, a researcher at the Professorship of Earth Observation for Ecosystem Management at TUM and lead author of the study.
Elementary school children embrace the Olympic spirit
The event offered a wide range of hands-on sports activities and a joint fun run under the motto “Running in the Olympic Spirit.” Adding to the Olympic atmosphere were appearances by mono-ski athlete Anna Schaffelhuber, sprinter Alexandra Burghardt, and handball player Dominik Klein, all of whom have won major sports competitions and took part in the Olympic or Paralympic Games. The festival serves as the statewide kickoff of this year’s School Sports Week. This year’s program is dedicated to the Olympic and Paralympic Games and builds on the Olympic Declaration adopted by the German Conference of Ministers of Education on June 11, 2026. The initiative brings the Olympic and Paralympic Games – and the values they represent – to life for students.
TUM is expanding its strategic partnership with MIT
Through joint research projects, scientists from TUM MIRMI and MIT CSAIL are developing practical applications in AI-based robotics. To this end, researchers from TUM and MIT will spend three months each year at the partner institution, designing, testing and validating innovative technologies onsite. Two leading research centers in robotics and AI are joining forces MIT CSAIL Director Daniela Rus, who yesterday received the Bavarian Minister-President’s High-Tech Prize, is one of the world’s leading robotics researchers. She is regarded as a pioneer in the field of highly efficient neural networks (known as ‘liquid neural networks’) and robot collectives. She is a trailblazer in soft robotics, human-centered autonomous driving and AI modelled on the human brain. With just under 80 professors, TUM MIRMI is one of the world’s largest robotics and AI institutes. The Munich region is also regarded as one of the most important ecosystems for robotics and AI in Europe. Through its partnership with MIT, TUM is further strengthening its global expertise in robotics and AI. By bringing together renowned researchers from TUM and MIT, the partnership also enhances the region’s appeal to young talent. Research tandems: Understanding unfamiliar environments and making construction processes more efficient • In the first tandem, researchers led by Prof. Vincent Sitzmann of MIT, along with Prof. Achim Lilienthal and Dr Daniel Dücker from TUM, are working on the development of new AI models for robotic systems that learn from large amounts of unstructured sensor data. Among other approaches, generative AI based on large video models will be used for flexible path planning in complex and unfamiliar environments. The aim is to achieve better generalization to new tasks and previously unseen scenarios. • In the second tandem, the research team – led by Prof. Mina Konaković Luković of MIT and Prof. Kathrin Dörfler from TUM – is focusing on developing AI-supported methods for sustainable robotic manufacturing processes. The aim is to combine computational design, digital twins and robotic manufacturing. Dr. Daniel Dücker from TUM, the scientific coordinator of the strategic partnership, hopes the partnership will provide “a further boost to our research and an important impetus for closer collaboration”. Even before the partnership was established, the MIRMI researcher had already conducted research at MIT. Develop forward-looking solutions in AI-based robotics Markus Blume, Bavarian Minister of State for Science, said: “MIT and TUM – a perfect match! MIT CSAIL stands for scientific excellence and boldly shaping the future. This fits perfectly with TUM. Our shared vision: to improve people’s lives through high-tech innovation. Our high-tech award winner, robotics pioneer and CSAIL Director Daniela Rus is a champion of international collaboration. It’s wonderful that she embodies the connection between Boston and Bavaria, between MIT and TUM, through this partnership.” TUM President Prof. Hofmann said: “I am delighted that, through the strategic partnership between TUM MIRMI and MIT CSAIL, we have now secured one of the best and most experienced partners in the field of robotics and AI. In the first research tandems, we will now work together to develop forward-looking solutions in the field of AI-based robotics.” The Executive Director of MIRMI and TUM spokesperson for the strategic partnership, Prof. Lorenzo Masia, says: “In partnership with MIT and the associated research tandems, we have found a new form of collaboration that offers our early-career researchers, in particular, an ideal opportunity for exchange at the highest scientific level.” Daniela Rus, Director of MIT CSAIL and spokesperson for the strategic partnership on behalf of MIT, explains: “MIT and TUM share a commitment to advancing science that matters: science that is both visionary and deeply connected to real-world impact. Through this collaboration, we have an opportunity to combine MIT’s and TUM’s synergistic and complementary strengths: long-term scientific ambition, world-class research talent, close engagement with industry, and living labs where new ideas can be tested, refined, and brought to life. I have long admired the work of TUM MIRMI, and I am very much looking forward to working with Prof. Lorenzo Masia and his team to grow this partnership and help shape the future of AI, robotics, and human-centered technology.”
MCube MOSAIQ begins street redesign projects in the Schwabing-West and Moosach neighborhoods
Ideas are turning into concrete changes in public spaces: Following an extensive public participation and planning process, the MCube project MOSAIQ ("Mobility and Urban Climate in the Neighborhood of the Future") is beginning to implement a series of temporary interventions in the Munich neighborhoods of Schwabing-West and Moosach. In Schwabing-West, installation will begin at the end of July 2026. In Moosach, installation is expected to begin in mid-August 2026. The redesigns will be implemented in stages and are expected to be largely completed by mid-September 2026. They will then be tested in everyday use and scientifically evaluated for about a year. The project is scheduled to run until approximately mid-September 2027. Over the winter, the installations will be adapted and prepared for winter conditions. Starting in spring 2027, further additions may follow based on on-site experience. MCube MOSAIQ addresses three key challenges facing existing urban neighborhoods: adaptation to climate change, safe and attractive mobility, and a higher quality of life in limited public spaces. This temporary implementation makes it possible to test new solutions in real-life settings, measure their effects, and further develop them in collaboration with local residents.
Dr. Karl Wamsler Innovation Award honors Frances H. Arnold and Tao Zhang
Frances H. Arnold is Professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She received the award in recognition of her groundbreaking contributions to biocatalysis and the directed evolution of enzymes. Tao Zhang is Director of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a Hans Fischer Senior Fellow at the TUM Institute for Advanced Study. He was honored in particular for his pioneering work in pioneering and establishing the concept of single-atom catalysis.
Turning solar power into protein
Viktoria Lehmann, a doctoral researcher at the TUM Chair of Chemistry of Biogenic Resources, describes one potential application for biotechnologically produced amino acids: “A dairy cow needs far more than the grass growing in its pasture. High milk yields require supplemental protein, which is typically supplied through animal feed. These feeds are enriched with amino acids, the chemical building blocks of proteins. Across livestock production systems worldwide, millions of tons of amino acids are used as feed additives. However, their production consumes large amounts of land, water, and other resources. We wanted to find a more resource-efficient way to meet this protein demand.” In a recently published study, the team demonstrated its approach. The concept behind it: solar energy is converted into electricity using photovoltaic systems. This electricity is used to generate hydrogen, which, together with carbon dioxide, is converted into methanol—an alcohol widely used in industry as a chemical precursor. Specialized enzymes then convert the methanol step by step into amino acids. Which amino acid is produced depends on the specific enzymes used. “Plants use sunlight to build biomass, but they are relatively inefficient at doing so. We are investigating an alternative pathway in which renewable energy is first converted into chemical energy carriers and then into valuable protein building blocks,” says Volker Sieber, Professor of Chemistry of Biogenic Resources and Rector of the TUM Campus Straubing. “In the long term, this approach could help make more productive use of available land and enable a more sustainable production of amino acids.”
Making the case for Munich's Olympic bid
At the TUM Campus in the Olympic Park, past and future, elite sport and world-class research come together. Fifty years after the 1972 Summer Olympics, TUM’s Department of Sport and Health Sciences moved into an award-winning new facility featuring state-of-the-art sports and diagnostic infrastructure in May 2022. Now, the Free State of Bavaria, the City of Munich, and TUM aim to use this location to help lay the groundwork for a sporting event that could leave a lasting legacy for the city: the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040, or 2044. After the Munich Olympic concept was presented to representatives of German sports federations on June 18, the focus on July 21 was on the details of how scientific innovation, athletic practice, and performance development can work together under the umbrella of the Munich Performance & Innovation Hub in close cooperation with the Bavarian Olympic Training Center. During a tour of the campus, participants gained insights into topics including prevention, training and fundamental research, sports technology, brain health, and personal development in elite sport.
Why low-skilled workers are less likely to participate in continuing education
The research team from TUM Campus Heilbronn and the ifo Institute surveyed approximately 3,700 employees aged 25 to 55 in 2024. The sample is representative of the German working population in this age group in terms of gender and age. In the twelve months prior to the survey, 67 % of higher-skilled employees had participated in further training, but only 45 percent of lower-skilled employees had done so. This finding confirms the current state of research, which indicates that less-skilled workers and older employees are less likely to take advantage of continuing education opportunities. However, little research has been conducted to date on the expectations underlying this behavior. The research team therefore asked participants, in two hypothetical scenarios, how they assess their professional situation six years from now. The questions focused on their expectations regarding income, professional success, career opportunities and job quality. In the first scenario, the participants engaged in regular further training; in the second, they did not. On average, employees expect their earnings after six years to be about nine percent higher with continuing education than without it. “This means that employees have a very realistic picture,” says study author Hanna Brosch from the Professorship of Economics at TUM Campus Heilbronn. “Research estimates the actual effects to be of a similar extent.” There is little difference between highly and less highly qualified individuals in their expectations regarding percentage income gains.
