TU Braunschweig (, unofficially ''University of Braunschweig – Institute of Technology'') is the oldest ' (comparable to an

institute of technology An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

in the American system) in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It was founded in 1745 as Collegium Carolinum and is a member of TU9, an incorporated society of the most renowned and largest German institutes of technology. It is commonly ranked among the top universities for engineering in Germany. TU Braunschweig's research profile is very interdisciplinary, but with a focus on aeronautics, vehicle engineering including autonomous driving and electric mobility, manufacturing, life sciences, and metrology. Research is conducted in close collaboration with external organizations such as the

German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center (, abbreviated DLR, literally ''German Center for Air- and Space-flight'') is the national center for aerospace, energy and transportation research of Germany, founded in 1969. It is headquartered in Cologne with 3 ...

(DLR), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, several Fraunhofer Institutes, and Germany's national metrology institute ( PTB), among many others. As one of very few research institutions of its type in the world, the university has its own research airport.

Name

Its complete name is . Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university. While the adjective ''technische'' (English: technical) in its name implies a focus on science and engineering, it is still a

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

in the sense that it represents a wide range of subjects. It is subdivided into six faculties with different degree programmes and specialisations.

Research

The TU Braunschweig focuses its research in four main areas: Future City, Metrology, Mobility and Engineering for Health. The university's researchers cooperate closely with other research institutions in Braunschweig.

Future City

The scientists at the TU Braunschweig are developing concepts for the intelligent future cities. The aim is to find solutions for efficient, eco-friendly, healthy, social and green Smart Cities.

Metrology

Nanoscale materials and components measuring only millionths of a millimetre have become indispensable in many procedures. Their measurement requires new approaches in nanometrology. The Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology and Analytics (LENA) is investigating the limits of the measurable together with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt.

Mobility

The researchers are working towards a seamless multimodal mobility system. This focus bundles research in the automotive sector, aerospace technology and rail technology. Important topics are intelligent and interconnected mobility, low-emission vehicles using non-fossil energies and sustainable production. In addition, traffic management, logistics and social impacts are considered. Together with scientists from around the world, TU Braunschweig aims at reducing the number of traffic accidents. The researchers are developing novel materials and surfaces that help reduce fuel consumption and noise, and are developing next-generation energy sources. Interdisciplinary research is tied together in the NFL - Aeronautics Research Centre Niedersachsen (English:

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

) and the NFF – Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen.

Engineering for Health

The Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS) combines natural sciences, engineering and information technology to

systems biology Systems biology is the computational modeling, computational and mathematical analysis and modeling of complex biological systems. It is a biology-based interdisciplinary field of study that focuses on complex interactions within biological system ...

. Together with the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and the Leibniz Institute DSMZ (German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures), strategies against infectious microorganisms are developed. This also includes natural substances consisting of microorganisms. The manufacturing and processing of these agents is the subject of the Center of Pharmaceutical Engineering (PVZ).

Research centres

In addition to the main areas of research, the research profile of the TU Braunschweig is shaped by several interdisciplinary and interdepartmental research associations, which are structured in research centres.

Battery Lab Factory (BLB)

BLB is a research centre of the TU Braunschweig. The centre is an interdisciplinary research platform for the development of production processes as well as diagnosis and simulation for current lithium-ion batteries and future battery technologies such as solid state and lithium-sulphur batteries. BLB unites 13 professorships from three universities (TU Braunschweig, TU Clausthal, Leibniz University Hannover) as well as battery experts from the PTB and integrates the necessary competences along the value chain for excellent R&D in the field of batteries in Lower Saxony.

Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS)

The BRICS is an interdisciplinary centre in cooperation with the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. Three departments of the Helmholtz Centre as well as institutes from three faculties of the TU Braunschweig work together. At BRICS, microorganisms in the fields of biotechnology and infection research are investigated using systems biology methods. Mathematical models will be used to develop new anti-infectives and new biotechnological production processes.

Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology and Analytics (LENA)

In the Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology, institutes of the TU Braunschweig conduct research together with departments of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. Research topics are nanonormals, method developments as well as ubiquitous sensors and standards. The focus is on the metrology of 3-dimensional Nano systems.

Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF)

At the Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen, scientists working on the Metropolitan Car are collaborating to find answers to the social and ecological challenges associated with increased urbanization. In addition to the TU Braunschweig, which plays a leading role, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Leibniz University Hannover are also involved.

Aeronautics Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFL)

The TU Braunschweig, the DLR and the Leibniz University Hannover are pooling their wide-ranging expertise in the Aeronautics Research Centre Niedersachsen to promote basic, coordinated research programmes in the field of aeronautics and space technology.

Center of Pharmaceutical Engineering (PVZ)

The researchers at PVZ want to make it possible to produce drugs that are more cost-effective and, for example, exactly tailored to the patient's needs. This aim is to be achieved with new manufacturing technologies. Experts from pharmacy, process engineering and micro technology are working together on a long-term basis in a model that is unique in Germany to date.

Faculties and departments

The university has six faculties (German: ''Fakultäten''). Some faculties are divided further into departments (German: ''Departments''). All faculties are additionally divided into numerous institutes. * Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Faculty ** Department of Mathematics ** Department of Computer Science ** Department of Business Administration and Economics **Department of Social Sciences *Faculty of Life Sciences * Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences ** Department of Architecture ** Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science * Faculty of Mechanical Engineering * Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, Physics * Faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences

Rankings

According to the

QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...

for 2024, the university was placed within the 751-760 range globally, and ranked 39th nationally. In the 2024

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...

, it was positioned within the 501-600 global bracket, while holding a national rank between 42 and 45. The

Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...

from 2023 indicates a global ranking between 701-800, and a national standing ranging from 41 to 42.

Governmental testing and certification work

Commonly known in Germany, and particularly in the field of

passive fire protection Passive fire protection (PFP) is components or systems of a building or structure that slows or impedes the spread of the effects of fire or smoke without system activation, and usually without movement. Examples of passive systems include floor- ...

, as TU Braunschweig, its iBMB Institute has been accredited by the German Institute for Building Technology ('' Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik'') and has, for decades, performed public testing for the purpose of establishing

fire-resistance rating A fire-resistance rating typically means the duration for which a passive fire protection system can withstand a standard fire resistance test. This can be quantified simply as a measure of time, or it may entail other criteria, involving eviden ...

s of products and systems for manufacturers. iBMB also assists the DIBt in third-party vendor inspections (

product certification Product certification or product qualification is the process of certifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests, and meets qualification criteria stipulated in contracts, regulations, or specification ...

) and quality control testing, in an effort to maintain DIBt approvals. iBMB was also instrumental in leading the Eureka project, which has become a guideline for

building code A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for construction objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permis ...

s and regulations governing

fire protection Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially Conflagration, destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, Compartmentalization (fire protection), compartmentalisation, suppression and inve ...

measures for traffic tunnels. File:Ibmb test rig.jpg, Special torsion test rig at iBMB / TU Braunschweig, for use in full-scale fire testing of

system A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its open system (systems theory), environment, is described by its boundaries, str ...

s File:Ibmb floor furnace.jpg, Full-scale floor furnace at iBMB / TU Braunschweig, for use in fire testing of

Notable people

Current and former members of the TU Braunschweig include the mathematicians

Carl Friedrich Gauss Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (; ; ; 30 April 177723 February 1855) was a German mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, and physicist, who contributed to many fields in mathematics and science. He was director of the Göttingen Observatory and ...

and

Richard Dedekind Julius Wilhelm Richard Dedekind (; ; 6 October 1831 – 12 February 1916) was a German mathematician who made important contributions to number theory, abstract algebra (particularly ring theory), and the axiomatic foundations of arithmetic. H ...

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

laureates Klaus von Klitzing, Manfred Eigen, and Georg Wittig, aerospace engineer Adolf Busemann, the former CEOs of SAP, Metro Group, and Henkel ( Henning Kagermann, Erwin Conradi, and Konrad Henkel),

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

CEO Harald Krüger,

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

and

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

CEO Oliver Blume, Airbus Defence and Space CEO Dirk Hoke, Siemens Mobility CEO Michael Peter, former

Eurocopter Airbus Helicopters SAS (formerly Eurocopter S.A., trade name, trading as Eurocopter Group) is the helicopter manufacturer, helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopte ...

CEO Lutz Bertling, and truck engineer and entrepreneur Heinrich Büssing founder of

Büssing Büssing AG was a German bus and truck manufacturer, established in 1903 by Heinrich Büssing (1843–1929) in Braunschweig. It quickly evolved to one of the largest European producers, whose utility vehicles with the Brunswick Lion emblem were w ...

AG (merged with

MAN A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...

), engineer and founder of Claas KGaA mbH August Claas and world-renowned architect Meinhard von Gerkan.

References

External links

Official site

Brief portrait
{{Authority control

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

Technische Universitäten in Germany

University A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

Educational institutions established in 1745 1745 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Education in Braunschweig Universities and colleges established in the 18th century