What it's about:
Opened in April 2016, the Augsburg Innovation Park has already seen a line-up of cornerstone ceremonies. Situated in the south of the economic region in the immediate vicinity of the university campus, the 70 hectare site is growing into one of the largest innovation parks in Europe.
The Augsburg Innovation Park is a centre for resource efficiency of European standing in Bavaria: this is where the traditional production location of Augsburg is being further developed, where innovative and promising solutions for a competitive economy are being created, particularly in the high-tech fields of production technology, lightweight construction, IT and aerospace. Together with renowned research partners, an ecosystem for open innovation processes of technology-orientated companies and cutting-edge researchers is currently emerging at the Augsburg Innovation Park.
Open innovation - new fields of technology for industrial partners
Companies and research institutions in the business location Augsburg have unique technological expertise. At the Augsburg Innovation Park, they combine their practical and market experience with knowledge and innovative skills from the innovation network in order to rapidly develop new products and services.
The DLR Centre for Lightweight Production Technology, to name just one example, is researching the automated production of components made from carbon fibre-reinforced plastics for the aerospace industry at the Augsburg Innovation Park with its robot cell, which is unique in Europe. Companies can collaborate on the systems and utilise DLR's expertise in joint projects. Other top research institutes with test beds, test laboratories and experimental rooms are located in the immediate vicinity.
How the Augsburg Innovation Park makes the future better:
A melting pot for innovation - the Augsburg Innovation Park brings together technology-orientated companies and top research institutes to develop new, future-oriented products and services.
Perfect working environment for innovators
Accelerating innovation: For more and more innovative technology companies, this is the main reason for settling in the Augsburg Innovation Park. The location to the east of the B17 is conveniently connected and also offers a lot of added value: the Augsburg Technology Centre (TZA) located in the heart of the park offers its users offices, conference rooms, laboratories and workshops as well as a 3,000 square metre and 15 metre high technical centre.
The new Weitblick 1.7 building project also offers a prestigious working environment with a total of over 17,000 square metres of office and research space in the Augsburg Innovation Park. Research departments of the automotive supplier Webasto Group and the Danish medical technology company Ambu Innovation GmbH are currently based here. It is also possible to set up in a new building on the site. The most recent example is the IT company Baramundi, which is currently investing in a new company headquarters for 220 employees.
Added value from the community
One of Augsburg's great strengths as a research centre is the interdisciplinary collaboration between the University of Augsburg, the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg, research institutions and companies. In order to utilise this potential even better, the Free State of Bavaria has invested over 43 million euros in the new Material Resource Management Institute (MRM) building. On four floors and over 10,000 square metres, research will be carried out here in the future on materials and resources as well as production informatics in order to develop raw material and energy-saving materials and topic-related technologies of the future.
The neighbouring Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composites and Processing Technology (IGCV) erected a second building on the innovation park in 2020, the Green Factory Augsburg. The new building is a demonstration, teaching and research platform for energy-efficient production. Two institutes of the German Aerospace Centre (Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt - DLR) are also located at the Innovation Park: In addition to the DLR Centre for Lightweight Production Technology, the DLR Institute for Test and Simulation of Gas Turbines has now also moved into its own new building.
Special feature of the project:
The Augsburg Innovation Park is a centre for resource efficiency of European standing. An ecosystem for open innovation processes between technology-orientated companies and cutting-edge researchers is currently being developed here.
Space for opportunities
Silicon Valley shows the way - innovation happens everywhere, but especially where people come together. The Augsburg Innovation Park offers many opportunities for innovative companies and their employees and researchers to meet, network and be creative together. Larger and smaller events and functions take place on the premises of the TZA, such as the Augsburg Technology Transfer Congress, which recently attracted over 300 participants under the motto ‘Experience innovation’.
The new Q40 complex on the Innovation Park site also offers an inspiring environment where work and life can merge, with catering, fitness and other urban infrastructure. Q40 was recently nominated for the German Design Award.
Picture gallery – Augsburg Innovation Park – insights
Three tips to copy:
- Collaborate with research partners
- Use the community at the Augsburg Innovation Park
- Attend the Technology Transfer Congress in Augsburg
Further Links
Augsburg Innovation Park website
TEA.Network of Transfer Institutions Augsburg Website (German)
Augsburg Technology Transfer Congress website (German)