Decisive steps towards new batteries and CO2-neutral flying, capturing carbon from air, development of novel perovskite solar cells: The year of 2022 at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) was a year of remarkable research results on the way towards a sustainable society. Researchers of KIT received numerous prizes and awards for their work. The total number of professorships increased. KIT’s Annual Report 2022 summarizes the successes and highlights in research, teaching, and innovation.
Among the research highlights presented by the report is a new test facility developed within the NECOC project, where KIT researchers produce fine-grained carbon (carbon black), an important raw material for industry, from the greenhouse gas CO2. Other highlights are novel solar cells based on perovskites, innovative materials with a special crystal structure. These solar cells have reached a world record efficiency of 25 percent. In combination with other silicon solar cells, they produce renewable electricity on a comparably small area. In 2022, KIT researchers launched two projects to produce kerosene, the fuel used in aircraft. Within the POLiS Cluster of Excellence, a high-tech research facility started operation for the automatic assembly of batteries and their components. Moreover, the facility can test in one day as many combinations of materials as humans manage to test during their entire working life. KIT’s Annual Report 2022 summarizes these and other research activities.
Recognized Cutting-edge Research: Renowned Prizes and Big Research Projects
KIT’s strength in research is reflected by a number of awards and prizes granted to outstanding KIT researchers in 2022, including one Alexander von Humboldt Professorship and two Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prizes. Both honors are among the most important and best-funded German research awards. In addition, a State Research Award was granted to a KIT researcher. Successful acquisition of funding for research projects is reflected by eleven grants of the European Research Council (ERC) and two new collaborative research centers of the German Research Foundation (DFG). In addition, a Heinz Maier Leibnitz Prize, the most important honor for early-stage researchers in Germany, went to a young researcher from KIT. 13 newly approved young investigators groups in 2022 furnish evidence of the high potentials of KIT’s early-stage researchers.
For KIT’s commitment to sustainability and the high number of sustainability-related training courses and activities, KIT was granted the National Award – Education for Sustainable Development by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and UNESCO.
Increasing Number of Professorships – Positive Trend of Female Professors Share
KIT’s 100 Professorships Program aims to make cutting-edge research at KIT even more powerful and agile within a period of ten years (2019 to 2029). To reach this goal, KIT appointed 35 professors in 2022 (22 W3, one W2, and twelve W1 professors). This made the total number of professors increase to more than 400, with increasing numbers of junior and tenure-track professors as well as of female professors. The proportion of female professors now amounts to 17.9 percent (compared to 14.7 percent in 2019). In addition, the first two new tandem professorships were established at KIT (KIT Real-world Lab Professorships) as part of the 100 Professorships Program. The first transdisciplinary tandem consists of a computer scientist and an architect for the “Digital Accessibility” real-world lab. In 2022, KIT adopted its diversity strategy and signed the Charter of Diversity to enhance its diversity and strength. Moreover, equal opportunities of women and men are a major goal.
Sustainable Development
KIT applies the principle of sustainability to its own actions. For this purpose, the KIT Executive Board established a new portfolio in 2022. Professor Kora Kristof, who came to KIT from the Federal Environment Agency, is the first Vice President responsible for digitalization and sustainability, which are inseparably linked at KIT.
2022 Annual Report of KIT Now Published
The Annual Report 2022 includes chapters on research, teaching, innovation, promoting young talents, international affairs, KIT as an employer, life at KIT, digitalization, and sustainability, all of which address major developments at KIT. Another chapter covers the prizes and honors for employees of KIT.
For the 2022 Annual Report of KIT, click: https://www.kit.edu/kit/jahresbericht.php
Video “Ein Jahr starker Forschungserfolge“: Höhepunkte aus Forschung, Lehre und Innovation (Jahresfeier 2023, Teil 1) (video of outstanding research successes, annual celebration 2023, part 1), in German only: https://youtu.be/kErXnZgZAjE
Video “Ein Ort der Spitzenforschung“: Höhepunkte aus Forschung, Lehre und Innovation (Jahresfeier 2023, Teil 2) (video of outstanding research successes, annual celebration 2023, part 2), in German only: https://youtu.be/yIu5xHKD8QU
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.