Press releases

• The new cooperation agreement strengthens research, innovation, and technology transfer in Aachen.
• The goal is to integrate skills, experience, and networks even more closely
• A key focus of the collaboration is to more effectively bring innovations from the university to the city, the business community, and the general public.

The City of Aachen and Aachen University of Applied Sciences are further expanding their collaboration. With a new cooperation agreement, the two partners are establishing, for the first time, a joint strategic framework to further develop Aachen as a sustainable hub for science, innovation, and quality of life.

The agreement builds on the existing close collaboration between the city and Aachen University of Applied Sciences. The goal is to further integrate expertise, experience, and networks, and to make science, research, and innovation more visible, accessible, and tangible for the business community and urban society.

Five Areas of Collaboration
The initial focus is on five areas: highlighting innovations; working together to shape a resilient future; developing skilled workers and retaining them in the region; advancing regional and local development; and strengthening the ties between academia and university life and the city’s community.

Mayor Dr. Michael Ziemons commented on the newly established cooperation agreement: “Aachen’s most important resource is knowledge. That is why knowledge forms the foundation of our economic strategy in Aachen. For that is precisely where the great strength of our city lies. If we want to harness this strength for the future, academia, the city, and the business community must work closely together. The cooperation agreement with Aachen University of Applied Sciences, in addition to the agreement already concluded with RWTH Aachen University, creates a binding strategic framework for this.”

Making Knowledge Visible and Translating
It into Impact A key focus of the collaboration is on bringing innovations from the university more effectively into the city, the business community, and the public sphere. Aachen possesses extensive expertise in future-oriented fields such as artificial intelligence, laser technology, and space exploration. The city and the University of Applied Sciences aim to help translate this knowledge even more effectively into practical applications, startups, value creation, and new jobs.

“Together, we can do better than we can alone. The city and the region are not abstract concepts—they are the places where our students live, where our companies operate, and where families spend their weekends. We want our work and living environments to continue to evolve and become (even) more livable. To achieve this, we must align our strategic goals and develop innovations together. The cooperation agreement helps us do this by defining a framework with fundamental structures between the city and Aachen University of Applied Sciences,” says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Ritz, Rector of Aachen University of Applied Sciences.

Science Should Be
Made Visible At the same time, science should become more visible and tangible for citizens. Science communication provides access to new developments and can convey some of the curiosity, enthusiasm for innovation, and confidence in our ability to shape the future that characterize research and academic study.

“It is crucial for Aachen that the knowledge and ideas generated here also translate into economic strength for our region. We want to bring innovations to market more quickly, support startups, and better connect companies with scientific expertise and skilled workers. At the same time, we want to highlight what is being created in Aachen—for the economy as well as for our citizens. It is precisely at these intersections that we are already successfully collaborating with Aachen University of Applied Sciences,” emphasizes Thomas Hissel, Aachen’s Deputy Mayor for Housing, Social Affairs, and Economic Development.

“Our goal is to strengthen Aachen as a hub for science, innovation, and quality of life in a sustainable way. To this end, the city and the university are pooling their expertise and working even more closely together in areas where joint solutions will advance the city’s development. The cooperation agreement strengthens this collaboration and opens up new opportunities for joint initiatives,” adds Volker Stempel, Chancellor of FH Aachen.

Collaboration
in Practice The fact that this collaboration is already being put into practice is evident in joint activities such as those within the AI Alliance Aachen, in skilled-worker programs, in startup support, and in science communication. Initiatives like the science show at the September Special bring research and innovation directly to the public.

The partnership is intentionally designed to be a dynamic framework. The city and the university of applied sciences intend to jointly develop their initiatives and review them on a regular basis. The agreement is initially set for five years and may be jointly amended or extended.