TU9
TU9 – German Universities of Technology e. V. is a non-profit alliance of nine leading technical universities in Germany, formed to promote excellence in engineering, technology, and natural sciences through collaborative research, education, and innovation initiatives.[1] Established as an institutionalized association in 2006—following informal cooperation starting in 2003 during the Bologna Process reforms—the alliance serves as a unified voice for its members on national and international stages, addressing societal challenges such as sustainability, digitization, and climate change.[1] Renamed in 2018 to reflect its focus on universities of technology, TU9 emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, international partnerships, and talent development to drive technological progress and economic impact.[1] The nine member institutions, all founded before 1900 and renowned for their contributions to STEM fields, include: These universities collectively represent a significant portion of Germany's third-party research funding (as of 2024, approximately 27% of ERC grantees) and produce a large share of the nation's engineering graduates (approximately 47%), with TU9 facilitating joint projects like innovation weeks, startup support, and policy advocacy.[1][2][3] Governed by a General Assembly of the nine university presidents and an Executive Board, TU9 operates through specialized committees and panels that meet regularly to exchange best practices and coordinate strategic efforts, including international collaborations with global partners and contributions to European research frameworks.[1] This structure enables the alliance to amplify the influence of its members in shaping higher education policy, fostering industry ties, and advancing solutions to global challenges in technology and engineering.[1]History
Formation and Early Years
The TU9 alliance originated as an informal consortium formed in 2003 by the presidents and rectors of nine leading German technical universities, all established before 1900, to tackle shared challenges in engineering education and research. This initiative emerged during the implementation of the Bologna Process, a pan-European reform aimed at harmonizing higher education systems, standardizing degree structures, and enhancing mobility across borders. The consortium sought to strengthen the position of specialized technical universities in a transforming academic landscape, where broader policy shifts threatened to dilute their focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.[1] Initial meetings were driven by the need to coordinate collective responses to evolving higher education policies, including the anticipation of the German Excellence Initiative, which was formally launched in 2005 to promote top-tier research clusters and graduate schools at universities. These discussions highlighted the technical universities' unique strengths in applied sciences and innovation, contrasting with the more comprehensive profiles of other institutions, and underscored the urgency of unified advocacy amid potential funding reallocations. By pooling resources informally, the group aimed to influence national debates on resource distribution and maintain their competitive edge in research funding.[4] A pivotal founding event was an informal exchange among the university presidents in 2003, which emphasized collaborative strategies for advancing innovation and technology transfer between academia and industry. This gathering laid the groundwork for joint positions on key issues, such as integrating practical engineering training with Bologna-compliant curricula, and positioned the technical universities as a cohesive bloc against broader comprehensive universities in ongoing funding negotiations. These early efforts focused on conceptual alignment rather than formal structures, fostering a network that would evolve into a registered association by 2006.[1][4]Institutionalization and Expansion
TU9 was formally established on January 26, 2006, as the non-profit association "TU9 – German Institutes of Technology e.V.," with its headquarters located in Berlin to serve as the central office for coordination and representation.[1] This institutionalization transformed the informal collaboration among the nine leading technical universities into a structured entity capable of unified action in higher education and research policy.[5] At its founding, TU9 adopted a mission statement that emphasized joint representation of its members in policy discussions and research initiatives, positioning the alliance as a unified voice for engineering and technology in Germany.[1] The statement underscored commitments to advancing top-level research, enhancing teaching and training, facilitating knowledge and technology transfer, and promoting internationalization among the member institutions.[6] This foundational framework enabled TU9 to engage effectively with government bodies, industry partners, and international stakeholders from the outset. In 2018, the association's name was revised to "TU9 – German Universities of Technology e.V." to better reflect its focus on universities of technology.[1] Throughout the 2010s, TU9 experienced significant organizational growth, evolving from a modest secretariat to a more robust administrative structure supporting expanded activities. A key milestone came with the alliance's prominent role in Germany's Excellence Strategy, launched in 2019, where TU9 universities secured five of the ten Universities of Excellence designations and 21 of the 57 funded Clusters of Excellence in the first funding round.[7][8] This success highlighted TU9's influence in shaping national priorities for scientific excellence and innovation. The alliance marked its 15th anniversary on January 26, 2021, with events and the launch of a revamped website, reflecting on its sustained impact on German education policy and reaffirming its role in advocating for engineering sciences amid evolving challenges like digital transformation and sustainability.[5] By this point, TU9 had solidified its position as a pivotal organization, with growing administrative capacity to handle increased policy engagements and collaborative projects.[1]Mission and Objectives
Core Goals
The core goals of TU9 center on advancing interdisciplinary research in engineering, natural sciences, and sustainability to address pressing global challenges such as climate change and digitization. By integrating expertise from engineering, natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and medicine, TU9 universities develop holistic solutions that drive societal transformation through innovative basic and applied research. This approach underscores TU9's commitment to contributing to energy transitions and sustainable development, positioning the alliance as a key player in tackling environmental and technological imperatives.[9] TU9 promotes the excellence of "German Engineering" by emphasizing high standards in education and research, including standardized quality assurance mechanisms and targeted talent development programs. These efforts ensure the cultivation of top-tier professionals through over 1,200 study programs, many incorporating interdisciplinary modules and doctoral training, while fostering flexible career paths for researchers from postdoctoral positions to professorships. Such initiatives maintain TU9's reputation for pioneering innovations, supported by significant third-party funding and success in national excellence strategies.[6][9] A key objective is internationalization, achieved by attracting global talent through extensive English-taught programs and international collaborations. TU9 universities offer over 240 master's programs in English for the 2025/2026 academic year, spanning fields like engineering, computer science, and environmental sciences, which facilitate the integration of diverse international students—comprising more than 20% of the total enrollment. This strategy promotes worldwide exchange and strengthens global networks in research and education.[10][6][9] TU9 also focuses on innovation transfer to bridge academia and industry, with goals to enhance startup formation and economic impact from university research. The alliance supports the creation of innovation ecosystems through close partnerships with businesses, resulting in over 850 supported startup and spin-off initiatives across member universities as of 2021, alongside patenting and licensing activities. This emphasis aims to translate research into practical applications, bolstering Germany's innovative capacity.[9][11] The updated mission statement from July 2023 further highlights TU9's dedication to societal responsibility, diversity, and open science. It commits to addressing major societal challenges via cooperative networks involving science, business, and politics, while promoting equality, anti-discrimination, and the inclusion of diverse perspectives in research and education. Open science principles encourage transparent dialogue and multilogue on regional, national, European, and global levels to amplify impact.[9]Policy and Advocacy
TU9 plays a prominent role in influencing German and European higher education policies, particularly through lobbying for enhanced support in engineering and natural sciences. The alliance engages with policymakers, industry, and other stakeholders to advocate for reforms that strengthen research and innovation ecosystems. Since its formation, TU9 has positioned itself as a unified voice for technical universities, contributing to debates on funding allocation, curriculum flexibility, and digital integration in education.[12] A key aspect of TU9's advocacy has been pushing for increased funding in technical fields. TU9 member universities have been highly successful in securing resources through national programs, with five of the eleven designated Universities of Excellence under the Excellence Strategy awarded in 2019 being TU9 institutions. This outcome underscores TU9's efforts to prioritize performance-based funding mechanisms that reward excellence in research and teaching. In the 2025 funding round, TU9 universities obtained 23 of the 70 selected Clusters of Excellence, further demonstrating their influence in directing substantial public investments toward technical disciplines. Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, TU9 lobbied for a €500 million Digital Pact for Higher Education Teaching to support the consolidation of digital learning experiences and hybrid formats across universities.[13][12][14] Regarding the Bologna Process, TU9 has advocated for optimizations to reduce bureaucratic burdens and enhance flexibility in engineering curricula since the early 2010s. In a 2010 position statement, TU9 proposed improvements to the two-tier bachelor's-master's degree system, emphasizing the need for adaptable structures that maintain high standards in technical education while complying with European harmonization goals. This stance reflects TU9's commitment to refining the process without compromising the depth of engineering training.[15] In the 2020s, TU9 has supported the integration of the EU Green Deal into university research agendas, highlighting the role of technical universities in advancing sustainability and energy transitions. The alliance promotes collaborative research initiatives aligned with Green Deal objectives, such as renewable energy systems and climate-resilient technologies, to foster innovation-driven solutions. Concurrently, TU9 has endorsed performance-based funding models while aligning with broader German higher education opposition to introducing general tuition fees, prioritizing equitable access to technical education.[16] TU9 collaborates closely with the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) on key issues, including digital transformation in education. Joint press conferences with the HRK and the German Research Foundation (DFG) have highlighted TU9's leading position in third-party funding, with the alliance securing 21% of DFG grants for the period 2020-2022, according to the DFG Funding Atlas 2024. These partnerships have informed joint statements and policy recommendations on post-COVID digital infrastructure, emphasizing sustained investment in teaching technologies.[2][17] TU9 produces annual policy papers and position statements to articulate its views on emerging challenges. Notable examples include the 2020 Position Paper on the Digital Pact for Higher Education Teaching, which outlined strategies for digital collaboration and infrastructure, and the 2025 Position Paper on the New Government, focusing on science and innovation priorities. These publications serve as advocacy tools, influencing national and EU-level discussions on topics like AI integration and ethical engineering practices.[18][12]Member Universities
List of Institutions
The TU9 alliance consists of nine prestigious public technical universities in Germany, each with a rich history and specialized expertise in engineering and technology fields.[16]- RWTH Aachen University, founded in 1870, excels in mechanical engineering and production technology.[19][20]
- Technische Universität Berlin, founded in 1879, is a leader in urban technology innovation and sustainable engineering.[21][22]
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, founded in 1745, specializes in aerospace engineering and mobility systems.[23]
- Technische Universität Darmstadt, founded in 1877, is prominent in information technology and materials science.[24][25]
- Technische Universität Dresden, founded in 1828, focuses on microelectronics and semiconductor research.[26][27]
- Leibniz Universität Hannover, founded in 1831, is renowned for optics and photonics.[28][29]
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), formed in 2009 through a merger of institutions dating back to 1825, leads in energy technology and sustainable systems.[30][31]
- Technische Universität München, founded in 1868, is a powerhouse in automotive engineering and life sciences.[32][33]
- University of Stuttgart, founded in 1829, specializes in mobility systems and advanced manufacturing.[34][35]