Press Release 64/2008

Using Development Options for KIT

President Hippler Appeals to the City
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The grandstand of the KSC soccer club. (Photo by: Universität Karlsruhe)

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT, the merger of the Universität and Forschungszentrum, is developing rapidly. According to the President of the Universität Karlsruhe, Professor Horst Hippler, the existing campus therefore does not longer offer a sufficient development potential. Hippler considers the use of the area of the KSC soccer club a unique chance for the KIT to provide sufficient space for new research fields and new staff. “The KSC and KIT are excellent marketing instruments of the city”, underlines Hippler. “Optimum boundary conditions have to be established for both of them.”

To improve the teaching situation at the KIT, more space is required. Studies courses for bachelors and masters will have to be established and smaller groups of students will be needed. Due to its success in the Excellence Initiative, KIT has the opportunity to establish entirely new research areas, to create new jobs for university teachers and other staff, and to purchase and accommodate new large devices. However, neither the state of Baden-Württemberg nor the university presently is in a position to calculate precisely the space needed in the future. According to Hippler, an extension of the research and education institution is indispensable for it to be visible worldwide.

Only when its central teaching and research campus will be extended, will the KIT and, hence, the city of Karlsruhe catch up with such renowned university cities like Harvard, Berkeley or Stanford. According to Hippler, the city and the region would only profit from such a development.

Hippler points out that the third expert opinion submitted with respect to the KSC area considerably restricts the development potentials of the KIT. In his appeal to the city, he underlines that the development potentials of the KIT should be taken into account when deciding on the future of the KSC soccer stadium.

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is the merger of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, member of the Helmholtz Association, and the Universität Karlsruhe. This merger will give rise to an institution of internationally excellent research and teaching in natural and engineering sciences. In total, the KIT has 8000 employees and an annual budget of 700 million Euros. The KIT focuses on the knowledge triangle of research – teaching – innovation.

The Karlsruhe institution is a leading European energy research center and plays a visible role in nanosciences worldwide. KIT sets new standards in teaching and promotion of young scientists and attracts top scientists from all over the world. Moreover, KIT is a leading cooperation partner of industry.

zk, October 17, 2008
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Fax: +49 721 608 3658
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