Karlsruher Institut für Technologie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Motto | KIT – Die Forschungsuniversität in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Motto in English | KIT – The Research University in the Helmholtz Association | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Established | Fridericiana Polytechnic: 7 October 1825; 200 years ago (1825-10-07) TU Karlsruhe: 1865 KIT: 1 October 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Academic affiliation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Budget | EUR 1.163 billion(2023)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairperson | Michael Kaschke[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Jan S. Hesthaven[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Academic staff | 414 professors 5,409 (other academic staff)(2023)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Administrative staff | 4,211(2023)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Students | 22,816(2023)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Undergraduates | 12,434(2023)[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Postgraduates | 8,042(2023)[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 950(2023)[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | ,, Germany 49°00′34″N8°24′42″E / 49.00944°N 8.41167°E /49.00944; 8.41167 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Campus | Urban/Suburban | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | kit.edu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
TheKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; German:Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) is both a Germanpublicresearch university inKarlsruhe,Baden-Württemberg, and aresearch center of theHelmholtz Association.[5]
KIT was created in 2009 when theUniversity of Karlsruhe (Universität Karlsruhe), founded in 1825 as a public research university and also known as the "Fridericiana", merged with theKarlsruhe Research Center (Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe), which had originally been established in 1956 as a national nuclear research center (Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe, or KfK).[6] By combining academic education with large-scale non-university research, KIT integrates research, teaching, and innovation in a single institutional structure that is unique within the German research landscape.[7]
KIT is a member of theTU9, an alliance of nine leading technical universities in Germany.[8] As part of theGerman Universities Excellence Initiative KIT was one of three universities which were awarded excellence status in 2006.[9] In the following "German Excellence Strategy" KIT was awarded as one of eleven "Excellence Universities" in 2019.[10]
Science-based mechanical engineering was founded at KIT in the mid-19th century under the direction ofFerdinand Redtenbacher, which influenced the foundation of other technical universities, such asETH Zurich in 1855.[11] It established the first German faculty forcomputer science in 1972.[12][13][14] On 2 August 1984, the university received the first-ever German e-mail.[15]
Professors and former students have won sixNobel Prizes and tenLeibniz Prizes, the most prestigious as well as the best-funded prize in Europe. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is well known for many inventors and entrepreneurs who studied or taught there, includingHeinrich Hertz,Karl Friedrich Benz and the founders ofSAP SE.[16]
The University of Karlsruhe was founded on 7 October 1825 byGrand DukeLudwig I of Baden under the namePolytechnische Schule. It was modelled on theÉcole polytechnique in Paris.[17] In its early official documents, it was still referred to as theGroßherzogliche Badische Schule (Grand Ducal Baden School), reflecting its institutional origins founded by the regional sovereign.[17] The university is the oldest technical university in Germany and the fourth oldest in Europe and have traditionally focused onengineering,natural sciences andeconomics.[18]
In 1832, aForstschule (school of forest sciences) was also established in response to the importance of forestry in the Baden region, particularly theBlack Forest.[17] The two institutions were later merged to form a single, expanded technical school.[17]
In 1864,William Barton Rogers, the founding director of theMassachusetts Institute of Technology, remarked on thePolytechnische Schule in Karlsruhe: "The Polytechnic Institute at Carlsruhe, which is regarded as the model school of Germany and perhaps of Europe, is nearer what it is intended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shall be than any other foreign institution."[19]
In 1865,Grand DukeFriedrich I of Baden raised the school to the status of aHochschule, an institution of higher education. Since 1902 the university has also been known as theFridericiana in his honour. In 1885, it was declared aTechnische Hochschule, or institute of technology, and in 1967, it became anUniversität, a full university, which gave it the right to award regular doctorate degrees. It had hitherto been allowed to award doctorates only in engineering, identified asDr.-Ing., a right bestowed on all technical institutes in 1899.
The University of Karlsruhe is one of the leading German institutions incomputer science. A central computer laboratory was founded in 1966. The department of informatics was established three years later, along with the first regular course in informatics.[20] On 2 August 1984, the university received Germany's first email. TheInstitut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung (Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research) was founded at the university in 1985.
The university also cooperated extensively with the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe Research Centre), and this relationship was formalised on 6 April 2006 when Professor Horst Hippler and Dr. Dieter Ertmann from the University of Karlsruhe, and ProfessorManfred Popp and Assistant Jur. Sigurd Lettow from Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe signed a contract for the foundation of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The name was inspired by theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the leading technical university in the United States.[21] In February 2008, the merger of the university and the research centre to form KIT was agreed by the state ofBaden-Württemberg and Germany's federal government.[22] The necessary state law was passed on 8 July 2009.[23] KIT was formally established on 1 October 2009.
The main reason for establishing KIT was to strengthen Karlsruhe's position in theGerman Universities Excellence Initiative, which offered elite universities grants of up to 50 million euros per annum. This aim was not achieved. While the University of Karlsruhe was chosen for the initiative in 2006/2007, KIT failed to secure a place in 2012. It did, however, attract funds from other sources. In 2008, Hans-Werner Hector, co-founder ofSAP, raised 200 million euros to support researchers at the institute. (Hector is the only founder of SAP who did not graduate from the University of Karlsruhe; he was given an honorary doctorate for his support of intellectually gifted children in 2003.)
TheCampus Nord (Campus North), the formerForschungszentrum, was founded in 1956 asKernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe (KfK) (Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Centre). Initial activities focused onForschungsreaktor 2 (FR2), the first nuclear reactor built by Germany. With the decline of nuclear energy activities in Germany, Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe directed its work increasingly towards alternative areas of basic and applied sciences. This change is reflected in the change of name fromKernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe toForschungszentrum Karlsruhe with the subheadingTechnik und Umwelt (technology and environment) added in 1995. This subheading was replaced byin derHelmholtz-Gemeinschaft (in the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers) in 2002.
Campus Nord is the site of the main German national nuclear engineering research centre and theInstitute for Transuranium Elements. Also at the site is ananotechnology research centre and the neutrino experimentKATRIN.
Campus Nord also hosts a 200-metre-tall guyedmast for meteorological measurements.
The university has eleven faculties:
The Carl Benz School of Engineering (CBS) is the international mechanical engineering college of KIT. It is named after Carl Benz, the inventor of the automobile and a former student of the University of Karlsruhe.
Founded in 1999, CBS offers an English-taught Bachelor's program in Mechanical Engineering, designed for international students.
In 2005, KIT launched a business technology school, the HECTOR School of Engineering and Management. The school offers Master of Science programmes, certificates and individual transfer qualifications in close cooperation with industry. It offers seven Master of Science programmes covering production, logistics, financial and risk management, information technology, renewable energy and mobility:
The Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics (KSOP)[24] was established in 2006 as a publicly funded project by theDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under theGerman Universities Excellence Initiative. KSOP was the first graduate school at the University of Karlsruhe and covers the fields of photonic materials and devices, advanced spectroscopy, biomedical photonics, optical systems and solar energy. It is supported by several of the university's institutes and professors. It is also a partner in the EUROPHOTONICS consortium,[25] which provides scholarship for master's[26] and PhD degrees[27] under the European Commission's prestigiousErasmus Mundus cooperation and mobility program.
TheInstitute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis is a research facility and is also a member of theHelmholtz Association of German Research Centres. The Institute investigates scientific and technological developments with a focus on their impacts and possible systemic and unintended effects. It produces analytical knowledge and assessments of socio-technical developments in order to provide policy and design options for decision-makers.
The university offers a great range of education options with such possibilities as cross studies and work-study programs. Astudium generale (general studies) program was established in 1949, allowing students to attend lectures not directly pertaining their study field.
In the first semesters of a course, education tends to be theoretically oriented at KIT, with a high concentration on mathematics for engineering and natural science courses. It is possible to choose between practical and theoretical topics in later semesters.
Since the winter semester of 2008/2009, KIT has completed the transition fromDiplom degrees tobachelor's degrees and master's degrees. Students already enrolled for aDiplom degree when the transition began were allowed to finish their studies, but new students are allowed to apply only for a bachelor's or master's degree.
Admission policies differ among the departments. While students are chosen by the quality of their school degree and their extracurricular activities for courses such as industrial engineering and management (27% of admissions in 2008),[28] other departments do not preselect for their courses, including physics, informatics, and meteorology. All courses require a minimum number of passed exams, calledOrientierungsprüfungen or orientation assessments, in the first three semesters before students are allowed to complete their course. There is a substantial drop-out rate in some engineering courses due to the immense study required to meet the prerequisites.
The Zentrum für Angewandte Kulturwissenschaft und Studium Generale (Centre for Applied Culture and General Studies)[29] was founded in 1989 as a central institution to support students engaged in interdisciplinary study. Nowadays, it offers specialised qualifications in the fields of "Leadership and Entrepreneurship", "Media – Culture – Communication", "Internationalisation and Intercultural Decision-making and Responsibility", "Diversity Management", and "European Integration and Identity Studies", as well as the classicalstudium generale. There is also the possibility of concomitant study in applied culture science.[30]
In 1979, the Interfakultatives Institut für Anwendungen der Informatik (Interfaculty Institute for Informatics Applications)[31] was founded. It brings together research in physics, mathematics, and engineering based on computer science. Its mathematical pendant is the Institut für Wissenschaftliches Rechnen und Mathematische Modellbildung (Institute for Scientific Calculations and Mathematical Modelling).[32] Its aim is to enhance the exchange between mathematics and engineering in the fields of scientific calculations.
The Interfakultatives Institut für Entrepreneurship (Interfaculty Institute for Entrepreneurship)[33] was established with SAP funding. Its teaching professors were entrepreneurs on their own. Before being shut down in 2010, a former professor of this faculty wasGötz Werner, founder ofdm-drogerie markt.
In 2001, the Centre for Functional Nanostructures (CFN)[34] was established. It merges the fields within material sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, and physics which are related to nanotechnology. CFN is one of the three Exzellenzzentren (English: Excellence Institutions) of the University of Karlsruhe. Another interdisciplinary institution is the Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM).
The Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics (KSOP)[35] was established in 2006 as a publicly funded project by theDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under theGerman Universities Excellence Initiative. KSOP was the first graduate school at the University of Karlsruhe and covers the fields of photonic materials and devices, advanced spectroscopy, biomedical photonics, optical systems and solar energy. It is supported by several of the university's institutes and professors. It is also a partner in the EUROPHOTONICS consortium,[36] which provides scholarship for master's[37] and PhD degrees[38] under the European Commission's prestigiousErasmus Mundus cooperation and mobility program.
The Karlsruhe Decision & Design Lab (KD²Lab) was established in 2016 and is one of the worldwide largest computer-based experimental laboratories. The laboratory offers an excellent infrastructure for conducting economic, neurological, and psychophysiological experiments, enabling researchers to study human decision-making behavior in controlled environments. The KD²Lab also facilitates interdisciplinary research into the complex interplay of cognitive and affective processes underlying human decision-making. The facility brings together researchers from a variety of fields, including economics, information systems, engineering, psychology and computer science.[39]
In January 2019 the cluster of excellence "3D Matter made to order" (3DMM2O), affiliated with both the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and theUniversity of Heidelberg started to operate.[40] Specializing intwo-photon polymerization, it aims to revolutionize3D printing on micro and nanoscales. By uniting expertise acrossmaterials science, engineering, and physics, the cluster seeks to develop precise and versatile fabrication techniques for various applications, frombiotechnology to electronics.
KIT operates severalTCCON stations as part of an international collaborative effort to measure greenhouse gases globally. One station is near the campus.
KIT is partner of the science project for urban and autonomous freight logistics,efeuCampus inBruchsal, which is funded by the state ofBaden-Württemberg and theEuropean Union. At the Institute for Conveying Technology and Logistics Systems (IFL), conveyor systems for intralogistics are being developed for the research project, which are used for mobile robotics and human-machine interaction. The project develops localization and navigation algorithms for an urban environment, which enable vehicles to navigate independently on the basis of laser and video data.[41][42]
KIT is considered one of the most important drivers of the startup scene in Germany. With theKIT-Gründerschmiede, established in 2013 by students and staff, KIT operates a central platform for promoting entrepreneurial ventures. The Gründerschmiede supports students, researchers, and alumni through individual mentoring, networking events, new educational formats, and its own crowdfunding platform,KITcrowd. It fosters both technology-based spin-offs from academic research and student-driven startup initiatives.[43]
Each year, more than 30 startups are launched in the KIT environment, and from 2008 to 2018, around 300 startups have been founded.[44]
Additionally, the Center for Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship provides support in the early stages of venture development, particularly in idea generation and business model design. Another key initiative is thePionierGarage, a student-run association that promotes entrepreneurship through lectures, workshops, and trips (e.g., to Silicon Valley), aiming to inspire and connect aspiring founders.[45]
KIT is closely embedded in the local startup ecosystem, which includes institutions like the CyberForum, the EXI Startup Voucher, the VC Ventures Incubator, and the “Perfekt Futur” Creative Park. The latter offers office spaces housed in repurposed shipping containers at the former municipal slaughterhouse site.[46]
| University rankings | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall – Global & National | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
According to theQS World University Rankings for 2024, KIT was ranked 102nd globally and 6th in Germany.[47] TheTimes Higher Education World University Rankings for 2024 listed KIT at a global position of 140, and 14th nationally within Germany.[48] Furthermore, theAcademic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) for 2023 placed KIT in the 301–400 range worldwide, and between 20th and 24th in the country.[49]
In the 2023 QS Subject Ranking, KIT ranks first in Germany in chemical engineering.[50] In the 2023 THE Subject Ranking, KIT ranks within the global 100 in engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences.[51] In the 2023 ARWU Subject Ranking, KIT ranks first in Germany in metallurgical engineering, atmospheric science, and energy science, while sharing the first place in materials science and water resources.[52]
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In theNature Index (1 May 2022 – 30 April 2023), which measures the scientific strength of different institutions on the basis of publications in 82 high-quality scientific journals, the KIT ranks second in the field of physical sciences among the universities in Germany, 7th in Europe, and 63rd worldwide.[53]TU Munich ranks first in Germany, ranks three to five are followed byLMU Munich,University of Hamburg, andUniversity of Mainz.[54]
According to a 2015 survey, KIT has produced the largest number of top managers among German universities, with 24 board members of the 100 largest German companies. The other places are followed by theUniversity of Cologne (17), theRWTH Aachen (17), theUniversity of Mannheim (13) and the LMU Munich (13).[55] In the ranking of the German magazineWirtschaftswoche, in which decision-makers of companies are asked about their preferences, KIT regularly occupies a position among the top ten in the subjectselectrical engineering,computer science, mechanical engineering, andindustrial engineering in Germany.[56][57][58][59][60][61] In theQS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022, which follow a similar approach as the Wirtschaftswoche ranking on a global level, KIT is ranked 46th worldwide. Thus, KIT takes first place in Germany and 10th place in Europe.[62]
In theCWTS Leiden Ranking of the year 2023, which is based exclusively onbibliometrics to measure the research output of universities, KIT is ranked 56th worldwide in the physical sciences and engineering according to the "Impact" indicator and 49th worldwide according to the "Collaboration" indicator. In Germany, KIT is ranked first ahead ofRWTH Aachen University and TU Munich. Europe-wide, KIT is ranked 4th and 8th respectively.[63]
In the 2023Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities released by theNational Taiwan University, KIT is ranked 4th in the fields of natural sciences and engineering in Germany.[64]
In theWebometrics Ranking of World Universities for the year 2023, KIT ranks fifth among 483 listed universities and scientific institutions in Germany.[65] In the rankingU-Multirank funded by theEuropean Union, KIT is ranked 5th out of 106 universities examined in Germany across all categories in 2022.[66] In theUniversity Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) 2017/2018, KIT is ranked first in Germany in the subjects "Chemical Sciences" (world rank: 49), "Technology" (world rank: 54), "Nanoscience & Nanomaterials" (world rank: 58), "Materials Engineering" (world rank: 48), Chemical Engineering (ranked 43), Mechanical Engineering (ranked 58), Civil Engineering (ranked 76), Environmental Engineering (ranked 98), Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences (ranked 15) and Transportation Science & Technology (ranked 123) Further top rankings are also achieved in "Physical Sciences" (rank Germany: 3; world rank: 55); "Mathematical Sciences" (rank Germany: 2; world rank: 66); "Engineering" (rank Germany: 3 (after rank 1 last year); world rank 107); "Electrical & Electronics Engineering" (rank Germany: 2; world rank: 70), "Information & Computing Sciences" (rank Germany: 2; world rank: 63), "Earth Sciences" (rank Germany: 2; world rank: 54), "Geology" (rank Germany: 5; world rank: 111), "Metallurgy Engineering" (rank Germany: 2; world rank: 34) and "Architecture" (rank Germany: 2; world rank: 71).[67]
KIT is a member of theTU9 German Institutes of Technology e.V. As part of theGerman Universities Excellence Initiative KIT was awarded an excellence status in 2006 and 2019. In the 2011 performance-ranking of scientific papers, Karlsruhe ranked first in Germany and among the top 10 universities in Europe in engineering and natural sciences.[68] In 2005, more than 20% of its students come from other nations and 0.6% of its students receive grants from theGerman Studienstiftung (German National Academic Foundation).[69]
The Scientific Computing Center (SCC), formerly called Steinbuch Centre for Computing, named afterKarl Steinbuch, was formed in 2008 when the main computer facilities of the University of Karlsruhe merged with those at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. It is responsible for the university'sIP connectivity and provides central services (Mail, Web, campus management) for students and employees. It supplies students with 10 fully equipped computer rooms, one professional print office and a wireless network providing access to the whole campus area. Some departments, like computer science, physics, and mathematics, run their own computer facilities as well.
The SCC operates some of the fastest computers in Germany:
On 2 August 1984, Michael Rotert, a research fellow at University of Karlsruhe, received the first email ever sent to Germany, at his addressrotert%germany@csnet-relay.csnet.[70]
GridKa runs theRocks Cluster Distribution Linux distribution for supercomputers.
The KIT Library with its two branches on Campus South and Campus North provides literature for research and study for about 25,000 students and 8000 scientists with a widespread, interdisciplinary book stock of over 2 million volumes, reports and 28,000 periodicals in print and electronic form. The emphasis of the collection lies in natural and engineering sciences.
The 24-hour library at Campus South was extended in 2006. It offers many workplaces and an area for relaxing, and is now open around the clock. The combination of a special book security system and an automated issue desk makes it possible to use the 1000 workplaces anytime, day or night. Current and contemporary literature is freely accessible in four specialised reading rooms, each providing cross-linked, modern and well-equipped study and work stations as well as printers, scanners and copy machines.
The research library at Campus North provides a large specialised book stock (especially reports and primary reports) on energy and nuclear energy. All literature is freely accessible to the user. Thirty modern workplaces, as well as printers, scanners, copy machines and cubicles for individual work are available.
Additional literature is located in two specialised reading rooms for chemistry and physics, as well as in the Library of the University of Applied Sciences at the Campus at Moltkestrasse, which is administered by the KIT Library. The faculty of physics, the faculty of mathematics, the faculty of computer science, the faculty of architecture and the faculty of economics and management have their own libraries to supply students and researchers with topic-related literature.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
