Friends of TUM Annual Meeting at ZEITlab

ZEITlab was pleased to host this year's summer event of the Friends of TUM, welcoming around 100 invited guests to the new facilities of the School of Computation, Information, and Technology in Garching.

The Friends of TUM is the university's supporting association, committed to fostering excellence in research and, in particular, strengthening education and teaching for future generations of students. The event provided an excellent opportunity to showcase how these goals are realized through state-of-the-art research infrastructure and hands-on education at the ZEITlab.

The event opened with welcome addresses by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Kramer, Vice President for Research and Innovation at the Technical University of Munich, and Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Bungartz, Dean of the School of Computation, Information and Technology. Both highlighted the importance of cutting-edge research environments and interdisciplinary collaboration for educating the next generation of engineers and scientists.

Guests gained exciting insights into current research activities through presentations by Prof. Dr. Bernhard Wolfrum and Prof. Dr. Markus Becherer, head of the ZEITlab. Their talks illustrated how the laboratory's unique infrastructure enables research across micro- and nanotechnology, sensor systems, biomedical engineering, and semiconductor technologies.

Following the presentations, participants joined guided tours through the new building, including the approximately 800 m² cleanroom facilities, 150 m² biological laboratories, and 400 m² measurement laboratories, making the ZEITlab one of TUM's central research and teaching facilities for electrical engineering and information technology. A poster session featuring current research projects from the ZEITlab community further showcased the breadth of ongoing scientific activities.

A particular highlight was the demonstration booth that illustrated the complete prototyping chain, "From Wafer to Prototype – Everything Under One Roof." Visitors dived into the entire development process capabilities, from wafer dicing, thin-film deposition, and microstructuring to PCB design and assembly, chip integration, and functional testing of fully integrated prototypes. The demonstrations emphasized the unique capability of the ZEITlab to combine all essential micro technologies and prototyping capabilities within a single facility.

The ZEITlab places a particularly strong emphasis on educating the next generation of technology experts. Students gain practical experience in the cleanroom already at the bachelor's level, working directly with advanced fabrication equipment in a user-driven, hands-on environment. This educational philosophy enables students to acquire practical skills in micro- and nanotechnology while contributing to cutting-edge research projects.

The laboratory's outstanding capabilities have been made possible through the successful acquisition of more than €12 million in third-party funding for major research equipment, complemented by generous donations from internationally renowned industrial partners. Together, these investments provide an exceptional environment where world-class research and outstanding education take place under one roof.

The annual meeting demonstrated how the close partnership between the Friends of TUM, the university, and its industrial supporters continues to strengthen TUM's mission of combining excellent research with outstanding education, ensuring that future generations of scientists and engineers have access to one of Europe's most advanced research and teaching infrastructures.