Urban Research: Karlsruhe and KIT Aim to Collaborate More Closely

Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at KIT spark – KIT’s new infrastructure for transdisciplinary and human-centered research
Hesthaven and Mentrup signing the Memorandum of Understanding Cynthia Ruf, KIT
Together for a sustainable urban development: KIT President Professor Jan S. Hesthaven (right) and Karlsruhe Mayor Dr. Frank Mentrup.
Group photo of the project members Cynthia Ruf, KIT
Aiming to use KIT spark for joint projects: Leonie Hensgen and Daniel Lang (ITAS), Jan S. Hesthaven, Frank Mentrup, Sandra Mähliß and Oriana Kraemer (City of Karlsruhe) as well as Jan Cermak (KIT Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research).

To make cities more resilient and sustainable in times of crisis, science, public administration, and society must cooperate even more closely. This is precisely what Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the City of Karlsruhe have set out to do. In early May, KIT President Professor Jan S. Hesthaven and the Mayor of Karlsruhe, Dr. Frank Mentrup, signed a corresponding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). 
Key points of the planned cooperation include the implementation of joint real-world laboratories in urban areas, the creation of new formats for exchange, and the integration of urban challenges into practice-oriented teaching and learning formats. Both sides also aim to promote the exchange of data, for example to support evidence-based decision-making at the municipal level.

New Infrastructure for Transdisciplinary Projects

The MoU was signed at the new KIT spark facility, located near Karlsruhe’s Kronenplatz – a joint initiative of KIT’s Institutes for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) and for Information Systems together with the KIT Center for Humans and Technology. Starting in the summer of 2026, researchers and non-academic stakeholders will be able to jointly advance transdisciplinary projects there, ranging from modeling and citizen science projects to real-world experiments for the resilient city of tomorrow. On the occasion of the MoU signing, spark’s co-initiator Daniel Lang from ITAS, presented the integration of the joint activities into the Helmholtz Association’s program-oriented research.

jm, May 19, 2026