TUM is one of Germany’s most successful technical universities, regularly achieving top ratings in national polls. Its long-term strategy is to evolve into an entrepreneurial institution – both in the way it acts and in the values it communicates. This concept is reflected in the university motto, “TUM. The entrepreneurial University.” and is funded by the German Government’s Initiative for Excellence programme to the tune of around 56 million euros over a period of five years.

Adopting an entrepreneurial approach, however, does not mean that the university is pursuing success in the conventional business sense. TUM aims to make academic research its “corporate” objective, and this is at the heart of its academic agenda, from teaching and research through building academic schools and departments to further and advanced training. 

TUM has always been particularly proud of the strategic partnership with Siemens, now managed under the CKI umbrella. The decision to extend the standard agreement governing the creation of a Center of Knowledge Interchange means that Siemens and TUM will continue to work together until 2013 – convincing proof of a truly successful partnership.

A total of 50 faculties have entered into partnerships with Siemens since July 2003. The majority of these projects have been undertaken by groups within the departments of electrical engineering and information technology (EI), computer sciences (IN) and mechanical engineering (MW). However, further projects have also been entered into by the faculties of business and economics (WI), civil, environmental and geodetic engineering (BV), physics (PH), mathematics (MA), medicine (ME) and chemistry (CH).