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Researching new materials and intelligent manufacturing procedures within the SmartPro Project at Aalen University.

The project SmartPro has been running at Aalen University since 2017. The focus of the project is collaborative research activities towards socially and economically relevant topics like energy efficiency and resource conservation with regional companies. The targeted goals were recently evaluated positively by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research [BMBF]. Aalen University is pleased with the extension of SmartPro to 2025, for which the BMBF provided 4.75 million Euros, as well as an additional million Euros for companies.

With the programme „Strong Universities of Applied Sciences – Impulse for the Region (FH-Impulse)”, the BMBF supports research-focused Universities of applied sciences. The goal is to intensify research collaborations with middle-sized regional companies and set a long-term basis. From over 80 applications, only ten universities nationwide were chosen for a four-year funding period until 2020, among them was Aalen University with the concept SmartPro. At the beginning of the year, Aalen University had to create an extensive report regarding previous results and a new concept for the second funding period until 2025. A task, that the professors Dagmar Goll, Volker Knoblauch and Gerhard Schneider, with support for SmartPro’s management from Dr. Kristina Lakomek and Dr. Ralf Schreck, as well as many contributions of around 20 participating research groups with immense commitment mastered. During the elaborate and multileveled evaluation procedures, the university was attested for its very good work, and was rewarded with the extension of the project.

Brightly set up for the Future

”I’m very happy that the BMBF’s funding has made it possible for us to continue the intensive cooperation with the over 30 participating companies in the area for the next years”, says university President Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schneider. It is a great achievement for the university, the region Ostwürttemberg and the numerous partners, who have continuously supported us these last years. The spokeswoman for SmartPro, Prof. Dr. Gagmar Goll explains: “Our concept for new materials and technologies that should lead to more energy efficient electric motors, stronger battery systems or hybrid lightweight designs, were able to completely win over the BMBF-evaluators”. It was important to put special focus on energy and resource efficiency for topics like magnet materials, battery technologies and lightweight design, and further strengthen the cross-sectional technologies like additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence. In connection to the new research building on Rombacher Street in the summer, Aalen University is extraordinarily ready to further promote the transfer of knowledge and technology in the region, as well as train future learners.

Photo credits: © Aalen University / Sven Döring