Center for Power Electronics Studies and Research Established in Germany

Dec 7, 2009 11:38 AM

The Bosch Group, the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences, the University of Stuttgart, and the state of Baden-Württemberg are to establish a center for power electronics studies and research. The Baden-Württemberg state government has given the project the go-ahead. Power electronics includes modules, components, and systems that are used in areas such as hybrid vehicles, but also in the renewable energy field, where they are part of photovoltaic systems. This alliance is the first research and teaching network of its kind in Germany. Over a ten-year period, Bosch and the German state of Baden-Württemberg will invest more than 25 million euros in new teaching posts and infrastructure. The Robert Bosch Center for Power Electronics is to be based in Reut
lingen and Stuttgart.

"Despite economically difficult times, We are investing in the future, strengthening Germany as a business and educational location, and assuming social responsibility," says Dr. Wolfgang Malchow, the Bosch board of management member responsible for human resources and social welfare.

In addition, Malchow regards the new center as a logical complement to the Bosch Group's activities in Reutlingen. Dr. Volkmar Denner, the Bosch board of management member responsible for automotive electronics, says: "In Reutlingen, we are investing some 600 million euros in the construction of a new semiconductor manufacturing facility and a testing center. Over the next few years, the location will need highly qualified graduates capable of tackling the challenges for power electronics in areas such as electro-mobility."

On the one hand, this agreement to set up and operate a center is a milestone in the development of Reutlingen's University of Applied Sciences. On the other hand, it breaks new ground in establishing an alliance between a university of applied sciences and a full-blown university. The result will be a model research and teaching network offering bachelor and master degree courses and well as a joint PhD program," says Prof. Dr. Peter Niess, president of the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences.

For Stuttgart University, the center is also a welcome addition to the courses it offers - one that is geared to the needs of the future. "A collaboration such as this is a beacon for future projects," says Professor Wolfram Ressel, president of the university. "Among other things, we hope this will generate a pool of qualified masters graduates. We are also treading new ground in founding a cooperative graduate college with the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences. This college will allow the best graduates from these two institutes to write their PhDs. For this purpose, eleven scholarships are available, whose continued existence is guaranteed."

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