Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the BMW Group will further extend their cooperation. Dr. Herbert Diess, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for the purchasing and supplier network, and Dr. Peter Fritz, KIT Vice President for Research and Innovation, signed a memorandum of understanding in Karlsruhe.
“Innovation to implement technologies developed in real practice is a central element of the KIT strategy,” said Dr. Peter Fritz, KIT Vice President for Research and Innovation. “With BMW, we have found another partner interested in our new mobility concepts and strategies that extend far beyond the technology proper.”
“Cooperation with universities is of high importance to us. A leading research institution like KIT gives valuable impulses for the future development of the supply chain in particular,” emphasized Dr. Herbert Diess when signing the cooperation agreement.
The cooperation is intended to support extensive exchange on all levels. It comprises a wide scope of activities for both sides to benefit to a maximum extent. Both senior researchers and young scientists of KIT will closely cooperate with the development departments of the BMW Group. Vice versa, the BMW Group will convey to the students the topics and requirements relevant in industry and, thus, extend the students’ network for their later career.
Cooperation will concentrate on supply chain management, drive train technologies, mobility behavior and mobility concepts as well as on energy management. These are fields in which both cooperation partners have advanced to a considerable extent. It is planned to execute joint research projects and to organize joint education events, including graduation and PhD theses and traineeships.
The BMW Group is presently reorganizing its cooperation with universities worldwide. It plans to establish strategic partnerships with selected, international universities. Cooperation is planned to focus on eleven fields of research. In the technical sector, these fields of research cover new drive train technologies and materials. In the commercial sector, it is focused on topics like supply chain management and new mobility concepts.
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.