New spaces for science
On an area of around 800,000 square meters, nothing less than one of the largest technology-oriented research landscapes in Europe is being created, with 16 research clusters and 10,000 direct and indirect jobs. With this campus project, Aachen can confidently set itself apart from the now inflationary self-proclamation of German municipalities as a city of science. The basic idea: RWTH Aachen University is making its expertise and unique research infrastructure available. For their part, national and international companies commit their own research and development resources to the campus. This not only gives industry partners highly sought-after access to qualified young talent, but also helpful access to special training and further education programs.
Six clusters have already been realized on the first of the two development areas, Campus Melaten: Biomedical Technology, Sustainable Energy, Photonics, Production Technology, Heavy-Duty Drives and Smart Logistics. Around 360 companies are already involved in these clusters. From Audi, BMW and Daimler to Bosch, Siemens, Hilti, Gira, Gerry Weber, Philips, Lufthansa and E.ON. The federal and state governments are funding the biomedical technology sector alone with around 40 million euros. The "Digital Photonic Production" research campus will cost the Federal Ministry of Education and Research up to 30 million euros over the next 15 years. Here, processes for generating, shaping and using light, in particular as a tool for industrial production, will be researched and developed. The list of impressive names and figures could go on and on, as the campus is also internationally relevant in the field of architectural design.
Whether you are a medium-sized company or a large corporation, both can help shape current research topics of the future on the RWTH Aachen Campus through cooperation with university institutes. Research topics that nowadays necessarily require a holistic, interdisciplinary approach. Close cooperation not only facilitates coordination processes, it also increases the speed and quality of research results. Last but not least, it also reduces research and development costs, from basic research through collaborative research to the development of a marketable product.
The Melaten and West extension areas are comparable in size to Aachen's city center. Together with Campus Mitte, a coherent area is being created that is integrated into public life. Because the RWTH Aachen Campus is also a place for living. In addition to companies, research facilities and university institutes, retail, gastronomy and service facilities are settling here. Since December 2014, the bilingual daycare center in the park on Campus Boulevard has been looking after up to 80 children. There is also a health insurance company and the Bistro Restaurant Forckenbeck.