Hello Prof. Sinzinger and Dr. Ivanov, this year at TU Ilmenau is all about European cooperation: the "Research for Europe" theme year and, in particular, the recently launched SUNRISE Alliance, an association of European universities under the leadership of TU Ilmenau, are intended to further strengthen international cooperation. Why has the university decided to focus so clearly on Europe?
Prof. Sinzinger: As TU Ilmenau, we have to network more and more internationally in order to achieve the necessary clout in the European research area. This is a long-term process that requires consistent work and commitment. The theme year and SUNRISE should serve as an impetus to motivate our students and scientists to become actively involved in the European area. European networks and funding opportunities are becoming increasingly important as more and more research funding is distributed across the European Union. In order to participate in this, it is essential to establish collaborations and partnerships at an early stage.
How can students and researchers benefit from the SUNRISE alliance?
Prof. Sinzinger: Through SUNRISE, we want to inspire and encourage our university members - students and researchers alike - to think and act more internationally. We see time and again how enriching such experiences are and how much they promote personal and professional growth. We want to intensify exchange at all levels - in research, teaching and administration. At the same time, we want to make the numerous opportunities and benefits of international networking more visible and thus establish a culture of cooperation in the long term. The aim is to anchor our university more firmly in the European context and to benefit from the experience of our partner universities. The alliance serves as a crystallization point for cooperation. It not only promotes the networking of our researchers, but also contributes to institutional development - for example through the introduction of new study programs or double degree programs.
In the area of research, the SUNRISE partners pool their capacities and develop interdisciplinary approaches for an environmentally friendly and sustainable society. What does TU Ilmenau offer its European partners to achieve this goal?
Prof. Sinzinger: Our infrastructure is a big plus. Centers such as the Center for Micro- and Nanotechnologists (ZMN) with its high-tech laboratories or the Thuringian Innovation Center for Mobility (ThIMo) offer a competitive basis for cutting-edge research - not only throughout Europe, but globally. Cooperation is essential in order to fully exploit the potential of our infrastructure. Only by working together can we make optimum use of our capacities.
Dr. Ivanov, you are an expert in smart mobility and have built up a large network of academic institutions, industrial companies and small and medium-sized enterprises by acquiring a large number of EU projects. Why is it so important to work together in the European area, particularly in the field of mobility?
Dr. Ivanov: European cooperation is essential in order to conduct research at the highest level and benefit from the expertise of our partners. It enables us to develop innovative ideas independently of the short-term political agenda. A key advantage of European programs is their bottom-up approach. This means that researchers can contribute their own ideas in open calls and submit concrete proposals.
Nevertheless, local and regional support remains essential - especially when it comes to investing in key infrastructures such as ThIMo or the ZMN. Without these facilities, it would hardly be possible for us to adequately present our research capabilities and attract partners for projects.
What are you currently researching?
Dr. Ivanov: We are working on modular vehicle architectures with so-called active corner modules. This is an innovative concept in which the corner module integrates the drive, brake, suspension, chassis and steering systems. This makes it possible to quickly and easily adapt a vehicle platform for different purposes, for example from passenger car to cargo car or shuttle vehicle. The modular vehicle architectures also contribute to advanced automated driving technologies through flexible dynamics and greater redundancy.
Another focus of our research is on software-defined vehicles. This means that many of a vehicle's functions are no longer defined by hardware, but can be flexibly controlled and regularly updated via software - similar to a smartphone. In this respect, future vehicles will receive regular over-the-air updates that add new functions or improve existing ones.
We are also working on high-voltage drive systems, particularly in the field of electromobility. Europe attaches great importance to new technologies in this area, such as 1200-volt systems, which are set to revolutionize the charging speed and efficiency of electric vehicles. Our aim is to make vehicles more sustainable, efficient and adaptable in order to actively shape the mobility of the future.
You are working with your European partners on a so-called X-in-the-loop network. How does this work and how does it contribute to sustainable mobility?
Dr. Ivanov: With X-in-the-loop , we can significantly reduce development costs and times, as many experiments are conducted online. This concept became particularly relevant during the pandemic, when physical meetings and experiments at partners' premises were often not possible.
The principle is as follows: we connect test benches and simulators via the local networks or via the internet, which enables us to carry out tests and validations across locations. This makes it possible to test several vehicle systems in parallel and in real time in a flexible and cross-domain development environment. This also contributes significantly to sustainability: By reducing consecutive physical tests and travel, resources such as time, energy and materials are saved. At the same time, the quality of the tests is maintained, as the data from the various partner laboratories can be integrated and analyzed in real time.
What do you personally expect from the increased European cooperation within the SUNRISE alliance?
Dr. Ivanov: Research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary and we don't always have all the expertise in one place. It is therefore important to find partners who complement us and from whom we can learn in order to further develop our own strengths.
SUNRISE offers an excellent platform to expand these partnerships. I hope that through this initiative we can motivate more colleagues to become more active internationally. It is crucial that we become more involved in European networks, because science does not work in isolation, but through collaboration and exchange.
Ultimately, my goal is for TU Ilmenau to play an even more visible role in the European Research Area in the long term and for our international activities to make the university even more attractive - both for researchers and students. SUNRISE is an important step in this direction.
Prof. Sinzinger: It is particularly important to create a stronger dynamic in international cooperation. Through more intensive integration into European networks, we can not only gain new partners, but also expand existing collaborations and secure them in the long term.
For the future, I hope that these activities will strengthen the international culture at TU Ilmenau in the long term. Cooperation with the SUNRISE partners offers us the opportunity to learn from their experience and at the same time to contribute our own strengths to the European area.
In the long term, I see great potential to make TU Ilmenau even more attractive for students and researchers from all over the world. This year offers the chance to set an important course for the future development of the university and to take international cooperation in research and teaching to a new level.
