Unique research and teaching facility in Oberpfaffenhofen

Cornerstone laid for Aerospace Flight Test Center

Bavaria's Minister President Dr. Markus Söder commented at the ceremony: "From the lecture hall to the landing strip: Here we see the beginnings of Bavaria's Cape Canaveral. We will invest 700 million euros in aerospace and aviation in the years to come. Our talented young scientists will develop ideas that grow into new companies."

TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann said: "The research airstrip at Oberpfaffenhofen is unique in Germany. It unites more than 30 aerospace and aviation companies and research facilities at a single site. This physical proximity fosters mutual inspiration and the joint development of technological innovations. Today we're giving our 'flying laboratory' clearance for take-off, fitting Bavarian aerospace and aviation with wings for the future."

Prof. Martin Leitner, President of the Munich University of Applied Sciences, said: "The Aerospace Flight Test Center in Oberpfaffenhofen represents a unique bridge directly connecting science and practice. In the future, at the new Center we will work together with partners in aerospace and aviation who do not have their own flight test opportunities. This applies to small and medium-sized companies as well as to our own in-house start-ups."

Science Minister Markus Blume said: "The new Aerospace Flight Test Center is unique, a true incubator for aerospace in Bavaria. TUM and Munich University of Applied Sciences are our pioneers for this. Here, we bring knowledge from the lecture hall directly to the runway. Research, teaching and practice are closely linked - innovative ideas become start-ups. Aeronautical engineering is anchored in the Bavarian DNA and part of Bavaria's vision for the future."

30 companies and facilities related to aerospace and aviation combine to make the Oberpfaffenhofen Airtech Campus is the most important site of its kind in Germany. A total of approximately 8,000 employees work there for major corporations, SMEs and start-ups as well as at branches of universities and research institutes such as the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

The Bavarian State government has plans for Bavaria to become Germany's Space Valley. TUM's three sites in Garching, Ottobrunn/Taufkirchen and now in Oberpfaffenhofen figure prominently in these plans. The present expansion is part of the Hightech Agenda, funded by the State of Bavaria with a total of approximately 3.5 billion euros.