Sustainability

The latest developments at TUM for a more sustainable future: Research findings, technical innovations, degree programs – as well as our commitment at home and in our global network.

More about Sustainability at TUM

TUM Sustainability: How we are making our university more sustainable

In the e-conversion Cluster of Excellence, experts are researching the mechanisms of energy conversion, providing crucial foundations for the energy transition.

1/10/2025

Reading time: 9 Min.

E-conversion Cluster of Excellence

Creative ideas for the energy transition

In the e-conversion Cluster of Excellence, experts are researching the mechanisms of energy conversion, providing crucial foundations for the energy transition. What are the research highlights? What is the secret to the cluster's success and why is Munich the perfect place to explore the renewable energies of the future? We take a look behind the scenes with Prof. Jennifer L.M. Rupp (TUM School of Natural Science) and Prof. Thomas Bein (Department of Chemistry, LMU Munich).

Learn more

Research Sustainability Energy

1/9/2025

Reading time: 4 Min.

NewIn: Orestis Papakyriakopoulos

The way to fair digital technologies

As Professor of Societal Computing, Orestis Papakyriakopoulos studies how algorithms and AI models can be made less discriminatory. In this issue of NewIn, he talks about why his work has to move quickly, why he is optimistic that digital technologies will become more inclusive and what role the TUM Think Tank will play.

Learn more

Studies Research Sustainability Artificial Intelligence Community

Standing from left Prof. Juliane Winkelmann (TUM), DAAD prizewinner Maria Elisa Magnoni, showing the award certificate, and Dr. Stephan Geifes (DAAD).

1/9/2025

Reading time: 2 Min.

TUM student Maria Elisa Magnoni receives the DAAD Prize

“A role model for internationality”

The DAAD Prize is awarded annually to international students who not only achieve outstanding academic results but also show a high level of voluntary commitment. The awardee of 2024 is Maria Elisa Magnoni. The Brazilian is passionate about sustainability and environmental protection. That’s why she came to Germany four years ago to study environmental engineering at TUM. And that has something to do with Angela Merkel.

Learn more

Studies Sustainability Community

Angela Dai, Professor of 3D Artificial Intelligence

12/19/2024

Reading time: 2 Min.

8,000 open source models for sustainable mobility

More efficient car designs with AI

Designing new cars is expensive and time consuming. As a result, manufacturers tend to make only minor changes from one model generation to the next. With DriverAerNet++, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have now developed the largest open-source database for aerodynamic car design. More than 8000 models representing the most common vehicle types will make it possible to create more efficient designs with the aid of artificial intelligence. The goal is to make development processes more cost-effective while improving fuel efficiency and making advances in electric vehicles.

Learn more

Research Sustainability Mobility Artificial Intelligence

12/13/2024

Reading time: 2 Min.

Land use in tropical regions

Biodiversity loss due to agricultural trade three times higher than thought

Exporting agricultural products from tropical regions to China, the USA, the Middle East, and Europe is three times more harmful to biodiversity than previously assumed. Researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the ETH Zurich have shown this by tracking how agricultural exports from 1995 to 2022 affected land use changes in the producing countries. Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and Madagascar are particularly affected by species loss.

Learn more

Research Sustainability

12/9/2024

Reading time: 2 Min.

TUM researchers develop highly effective filter material

Removing hazardous PFAS chemicals from drinking water

The chemicals known as PFAS are considered a severe threat to human health. Among other things, they can cause liver damage, cancer, and hormonal disorders. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now developed a new, efficient method of filtering these substances out of drinking water. They rely on so-called metal-organic framework compounds, which work much better than the materials commonly used to date. Even extremely low concentrations of PFAS in the water can still be captured.

Learn more

Research Sustainability

12/6/2024

Reading time: 3 Min.

Model enables precise simulation of forest landscapes

Digital twin depicts the forest in 100 years

Forest ecosystems of the future will have to cope with very different conditions to those of today. For this reason, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) indicate that a strategic approach to forest management is crucial. To this end the research team has developed iLand: a simulation model that can compute long-term developments of large forest landscapes, right down to the individual tree – including disturbances from bark beetles to wildfires.

Learn more

Research Sustainability

The winners of the TUM IDEAward at the award ceremony

11/28/2024

Reading time: 2 Min.

Teams from informatics, environmental engineering and medicine

IDEAward for researchers’ start-up ideas

An AI-controlled construction robot, a CO2 conversion process and a test to detect head and neck tumors: These three promising start-up ideas from researchers are the latest winners of the TUM IDEAward.

Learn more

Research Entrepreneurship Sustainability Artificial Intelligence

11/28/2024

Reading time: 2 Min.

NewIn: Anne Rademacher

Sustainability requires social equity

In this episode of "NewIn", we get to know Anne Rademacher. At the newly created Chair of Sustainable Urban Environments, she researches the interactions between socio-cultural dynamics and sustainable urban development.

Learn more

TUM Magazine Teaching Studies Research Sustainability Community

11/27/2024

Reading time: 5 Min.

Strategic partnership on optoionics between TUM and Max Planck Society

World's first center for solar batteries

The world's first center for solar batteries and optoionic technologies is being established in Bavaria. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Max Planck Society (MPG) have set the course for this with the support of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. With the SolBat Center, a unique research ecosystem will be formed to research new types of energy storage systems and develop applications to use solar energy even more efficiently and flexibly.

Learn more

President Research Sustainability Artificial Intelligence Energy

View all latest news

Technical University of Munich

Corporate Communications Center
Arcisstr. 21
D-80333 Munich
Tel. +49 89 289 22778
pressespam prevention@tum.de

Team