Press Releases

University of Bremen is a Founding Member of the Robotics Institute Germany

On July 1st, the Robotics Institute Germany will begin its work to strengthen Germany as a robotics location internationally, promote talent and accelerate the transfer of innovative technologies to industry and society. Due to its extensive expertise in AI-based robotics, the University of Bremen has been accepted as a founding member of the network, which brings together leading research institutions and industry partners.

Thanks to its strong automotive industry, Germany is traditionally one of the most important locations for the use of and research into robotics. Massive advances in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are now opening up numerous new application possibilities in industry, but also in society - for example in the healthcare sector. The University of Bremen has already had internationally significant expertise in AI-based robotics for many years and has therefore now been accepted as a full member of the Robotics Institute Germany, which officially starts on July 1. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the association of research institutions and technology companies with 20 million euros over the next four years in order to position Germany at the forefront of global robotics in the future.
 
University of Bremen, 21.06.2024
 
 

For more efficiency and Climate Protection: Project on Automated Driving in Car Ports Launched

Every year, Volkswagen Group Logistics ships around 2.4 million vehicles from more than 40 ports. The largest port in this network is the port of Emden. Volkswagen Group Logistics, the BIBA - Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik at the University of Bremen, Deutsche Telekom and software specialist Unikie will be conducting research there in the new AutoLog R&D project until the end of 2026. The project partners are convinced that automated driving technology has great potential to make the distribution process more efficient, safer and more climate-friendly across the various logistics partners.
 
The AutoLog project (development of automated driving processes and dynamic storage and logistics concepts at car terminals) aims to research and realise the potential for optimisation using automated driving processes at car terminals. To this end, the partners are investigating which prerequisites must be created for the processes and infrastructure at the car terminals and how the technical infrastructure must be designed to ensure robust and safe vehicle control. They are also focussing on human-technology interactions – for intuitive, safe interaction on the terminal in automated and non-automated processes. In addition, they are investigating the potential for optimising warehouse and logistics processes.
 
BIBA, 16.04.2024
 
 

Avoiding Packaging Waste with the Help of Mycelium

Mycelium is a fine thread-like network of fungi. It is suitable as a packaging material. A new research project led by BIBA at the University of Bremen focuses on this biodegradable material as well as the production, use, and recycling of packaging.
 
It is easy to spot in mold with the naked eye: a fine mycelial network, which mostly grows hidden in the ground or in biomass. Mycelium possesses properties that can be very useful in avoiding environmentally harmful packaging waste. Scientists from the University of Göttingen and the University of Bremen, as well as from the BIBA – Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik, are now researching new biodegradable mycelium composite materials and their use in creating biodegradable packaging. They are developing adapted production methods that keep the entire product life cycle in mind and use artificial intelligence for promising material combinations.
 
University of Bremen, 11.03.2024
 
 

New type of voice assistant for production works according to the rules of AI ethics

Successful: COALA project with 14 partners from 5 countries | 5.7 million euros in EU funding | trustworthy use of artificial intelligence also for economic gain
 
Brussels, Bremen. Quick help even with complex problems: In future, an intelligent voice assistant will be able to help people in production. COALA relies on the trustworthy use of artificial intelligence. The system can support the work, training and knowledge transfer of employees via smartphone or tablet and reduce costs and time. This is the result of the COALA R&D project with 14 partners from 5 nations. In Germany, BIBA - Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik and the Institute of Technology and Education (ITB) at the University of Bremen were involved. BIBA was responsible for coordinating the 5.7 million euro EU project.
 
BIBA, 04.03.2024
 
 

Rolf Drechsler Named Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery

Rolf Drechsler, Professor of Computer Architecture at the University of Bremen, has been named a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and has thus received the international association's most prestigious honor.
 
With the appointment as a fellow, the ACM honors members who have made a special contribution to the field of computer science in their research and only one percent of members receive this award. The ACM is particularly honoring Rolf Drechsler for contributions to foundations and applications of formal proof techniques in synthesis, test, and verification. The ACM is the world's largest professional society for computer science. Founded in 1947, it now has 110,000 members in 190 countries. Its members include teaching staff members, researchers, and experts in computer science.
 
University of Bremen, 25.01.2024
 
 

Future Concepts Bremen: Science Transforms Practice

Innovative solutions for Bremen companies and student organizations: This is the aim of future concepts bremen, a practice-oriented teaching format of the Chair of SMEs, Business Start-ups and Entrepreneurship (LEMEX) at the University of Bremen. This time, the practical partners include fleXality GmbH, Die Sparkasse Bremen AG, monocles, TreeforPlanet and TRiLiTEC Gmbh. The "Demo Day" will take place on Thursday, 25.01.2024, in the Campus Space of Sparkasse Bremen.
 
The innovation solutions were developed by 21 students as part of the course "future concepts bremen - innovative practical projects" using design thinking, an approach to solving complex problems that focuses on creativity and user orientation. Lecturer Leon Marquardt and tutor Silke Melzer-Counen provided intensive support for the process through repeated presentation cycles and regular coaching.
 
University of Bremen, 23.01.2024
 
 

DataNord: A Data Competence Center for the Bremen Region

The University of Bremen, in close collaboration with the U Bremen Research Alliance and other partners, is establishing a data competence center for the entire region. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is supporting the establishment of the center with over 3.5 million euros.
 
“Our vision is to extend Bremen’s strong expertise in the field of data science to a data competence center with a lighthouse character, which can serve as a model for other regions in Germany,” says the project leader at the University of Bremen, Professor Rolf Drechsler, who is one of three spokespeople for the project. The goal of the interdisciplinary data competence center for the Bremen region (DataNord) is to create a place for researchers in the area to learn about data science, and research and network together, independent of boundaries in institutes and disciplines. Professor Frank Oliver Glöckner, spokesperson for the initiative at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), adds, “Digitalization is advancing steadily and the amount of available data is enormous. However, data is not useful unless it can be analyzed and transformed into knowledge. DataNord helps researchers gain the abilities needed to do this.”
 
University of Bremen, 01.11.2023
 
 

New Center for Co-Constructive Artificial Intelligence

R&D Projects for Intelligent Planning and Control of Car Handling in Ports Successfully Completed

Approximately 70,000 car parking spaces, around 1,000 car ships per year, plus thousands of car trains and trucks: with 1.7 million cars handled annually (2022), the BLG AutoTerminal Bremerhaven is one of the largest in the world. This is precisely where the tests in the "Isabella" and "Isabella 2.0" research projects took place. They dealt with the process planning and control of automobile handling in ports with the help of mathematical optimisation, simulation and artificial intelligence (AI). “Isabella 2.0" has now also been successfully completed. The partners involved were BLG LOGISTICS, 28Apps Software (Bremen) and BIBA – Bremen Institute for Production and Logistics.
The range of services at the BLG terminal includes almost all vehicle logistics services, from storage and technical preparation of the cars to their handling. The planning and control of the highly complex and dynamic processes of car handling in inland and seaports can fundamentally be made more effective and efficient with the "Isabella" system, according to the results of the research. The system offers options for increasing the number of transshipments, reducing ship lay times and making better use of space - and thus securing competitiveness and jobs.
 
BIBA, 17.10.2024
 
 

Prizes Awarded for Outstanding Doctoral Supervision

The University of Bremen has honored outstanding doctoral supervisors for the third time. The two prizes went to the mathematician and computer scientist Nicole Megow and the political scientist Kerstin Martens. The prize money of 2,000 euros each was donated by the Alumni Association of the University of Bremen.
 
"At our university, there are numerous doctoral supervisors in all departments who take on this task with great commitment and heart and soul. Making this achievement more visible is a central concern of today's award ceremony," said the Vice-Rector for Internationality, Academic Qualification and Diversity, Dr. Mandy Boehnke, at the award ceremony in the Campus Space of the Sparkasse Bremen. Mandy Boehnke also thanked the Alumni Association of the University of Bremen e.V., which donated the prize.
 
University of Bremen, 05.07.2023
 
 

Less Food Waste in Storage

Reducing spoilage of fresh foods such as apples during storage is the goal of a new project by the University of Bremen and the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomics (ATB) in Potsdam. To this end, the researchers want to develop a so-called digital twin - a replica of the fruit that is as accurate as possible - that monitors humidity. The project is funded with 600,000 euros until 2026. 
 
In order to meet consumer demand for fresh fruit all year round, apples are cooled by machine in a controlled atmosphere for several months. However, up to ten percent of all fruit spoils in the process. For Germany alone, this amounts to 100,000 tons of apples thrown away each year. Any way of reducing such losses is of great ecological and economic importance.
 
University of Bremen, 15.06.2023
 
 

Michael Beetz Receives Coveted ERC Advanced Grant from the EU

Artificial intelligence is now achieving impressive results, but one important skill is still missing: planning actions in advance. Professor Michael Beetz from the Institute of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bremen is working on the foundations for the development of this competence - and has now been awarded the European ERC Advanced Grant, which is endowed with 2.5 million euros.
 
"I am very happy for Michael Beetz, for his team and for the University of Bremen about this high award," says University Rector Professor Jutta Günther about the decision of the European Research Council. "Thus, the research on artificial intelligence at our university is once again acknowledged for its outstanding scientific importance. I congratulate Michael Beetz very warmly on behalf of the entire rectorate," says Rector Jutta Günther.
 
University of Bremen, 30.03.2023
 
 

hyBit: New Large-scale Hydrogen Research Project Launched with BIBA Participation

Hydrogen is considered the "energy carrier of tomorrow," and the tangible consequences of climate change and politics make its rapid introduction indispensable. But the path to an efficient hydrogen economy is complex, poses economic and social challenges - and requires excellent research. The large-scale hydrogen research project hyBit, coordinated by the University of Bremen, is now receiving nearly 30 million euros in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
 
The central starting point of the project in Bremen's industrial port is the Arcelor Mittal steel mill. The steel sector is one of the outstanding industries that are starting the conversion process from coal and natural gas to green hydrogen with research and innovation. The hyBit project consortium is supported by 19 partners from science and industry working together with a strong collaborative approach. Project partners include the Wuppertal Institute, the Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik (BIBA) at the University of Bremen, Fraunhofer-IFAM (Bremen), Fraunhofer-ICT (Karlsruhe) and Bremen University of Applied Sciences, as well as other key players in Bremen industry such as Arcelor Mittal Bremen, swb and BLG.
 
University of Bremen September 06, 2022 

A trustworthy voice assistant for future manufacturing

 
Making the right information immediately available at the workplace without needing to look for it and getting help quickly even for complex problems - in the future, an intelligent voice assistant will support people in manufacturing. The system relies on artificial intelligence and will enable the exchange of knowledge between employees. 14 partners from 5 countries are now researching this topic in the new European R&D project "COALA". In Germany, the institutes BIBA - Bremen Institute for Production and Logistics and Institute Technology and Education (ITB) of the University of Bremen are involved. BIBA is coordinating the 5.7 million Euro project.
 
BIBA, December 17, 2020

Optimized Wind Turbines with Digital twin

Bremen’s ForWind-Centre for Wind Energy Research (Bremen, Hannover, Oldenburg) coordination office has initiated a research project at the University of Bremen to preserve equipment, maintenance support, minimize expenses, and maximize wind yield. The aims of the project are the ecologically and economically optimum operation of the wind turbines with the help of a digital twin. ForWind members, the Institute for Integrated Product Development (BIK), and the Institute for Electrical Drives, Power Electronics and Components (IALB) are working with eight partners to develop a research wind turbine within three years into a cyber-physical system.
 
The title of the research project is Concept and design of a cyber-physical system for the holistic development of wind turbines (WindIO). Its total volume is 3.1 million euros, where 2.1 million euros are being funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the 7th Energy Research Program of the Federal Government - Innovations for the Energy Transition. The project is supported by the project management company Jülich.
 
University of Bremen, October 29, 2020

„TTU PhD SummerCamp“ at the University of Bremen

Cooperation over Three Continents - Research Visit from Ethiopia and Texas/USA in BIBA
 
The Ethiopian Ministry of Education, with support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), established homegrown postgraduate programs in different clusters of Universities of Technology to spread the establishment of Centers of Excellence in different technological and engineering fields. The Texas Tech University (TTU, Lubbock/Texas/USA) runs such a program in collaboration with the Jimma Institute of Technology (JiT, Jimma/Ethiopia). From the 1th of July until the 27th of September 15 doctoral candidates out of this project are guest researchers at the University of Bremen, hosted by BIBA - Bremen Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik.
 
BIBA, August 22, 2017
 
 

New satellite gateway for wireless sensors now available

24th-28th of April, Hannover Messe / 9th-12th of May, Transport Logistic Munich
 
The young Berlin company VIRTENIO, a former partner of the 'Intelligent Container' project provides now a battery driven gateway to connect wireless sensor networks over an iridium satellite link.
 
This device makes it possible to transfer data of sensor nodes - packed to sensitive cargo e.g. in ocean container - in real-time to the cloud, even outside the range of land-based cellular networks.
 
The PreonGate Iridium Gateway is part of VIRTENIO's wireless complete solution toolkit and can be used on vessel ships or remote locations nearly 2 months transmitting serveral times a day without recharging.The Gateway collects and uploads data wirelessly from up to 50 multi-sensor-cubes to the web platform.
 
Logistic companies or OEMs can purchase the device as part of the complete solution starter-kits. The satellite gateway and the starter-kits will be presented by VIRTENIO at Hannover Messe (24th-28th of April) and Transport Logistic (9th-12th of Mai) in Munich.
 
intelligentcontainer.com, March 2, 2017
 
 

Two New Scholarship Projects Contribute to the Internationalisation of the University of Bremen

Internationality in the Spotlight
 
"Living internationality" in an interdisciplinary research and education atmosphere is the programme of the International Graduate School for Dynamics in Logistics (IGS) at the University of Bremen. Since mid-2005 the IGS has been offering excellent researchers from all around the world – especially from the so called "emerging logistic markets" China, Southeast Asia, Latin America as well as from Germany – the opportunity to complete an efficient, structured doctoral training programme at a logistic location of long standing tradition. Until now, a total of thirty-eight young researchers – from nineteen countries – joined the IGS. The IGS’s average of 80% foreign doctoral students tops the mean number of international students in doctoral training programmes in engineering sciences. The German National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) awarded a prize for this innovative approach in the category "Internationalisation" to the IGS in 2011 in the competition "Best practices and new ideas to improve the doctorate in engineering sciences".
 
Informationsdienst Wissenschaft, December 5, 2012
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From the PhD in the Logistics Graduate School at the University of Bremen to the Professorship in Brazil

About a year after successfully graduating from the International Graduate School for Dynamics in Logistics (IGS) Dr.-Ing. Enzo Morosini Frazzon was offered a professorship at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. After four years of doing research at the University of Bremen the Brazilian-born returns to his home country. As of 1st of August 2010 he will take up the employment in faculty of Production Engineering.
 
University of Bremen, July 27, 2010
 
 

Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wimmer appointed Honorary Professor at the University of Bremen

The Bremen Senator for Education and Science has appointed Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wimmer an Honorary Professor at the University of Bremen. The Chairman of the Management Board of Bundesvereinigung Logistik (BVL) will continue his lectures in the specialist field of "Applied Logistics" in the specialisation Planning and Control of Technical Production Systems at BIBA, University of Bremen.
 
University of Bremen, November 6, 2009