Space to explore your next idea

A house full of projects to equip students with future skills

Ongoing project - open for funding

This is what it's all about

In order to be prepared for the challenges facing our society in the future, interdisciplinary skills are needed. These include dealing with uncertainty and ambiguity, as well as critical thinking, abstraction skills, and systems thinking. The ability to collaborate across disciplines and put ideas into practice is also necessary for finding innovative and sustainable solutions. The aim of the “Space to explore your next idea” project is to enable learners to develop these skills for problems in the STEM field. The core of the project is the emerging KIT nova (formerly „Lern- und Anwendungszentrum Mechatronik – LAZ).

What we already achieved

Project phase 1, 2014-2025: Building the ecosystem
The development of an interdisciplinary and interfaculty utilization concept in collaboration with the faculties of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and information technology was a resounding success! Thanks to the support of the state of Baden-Württemberg and several companies, the construction of the physical infrastructure of KIT nova was realized. We are thrilled to announce that KIT nova will be completed in 2025 and will open its doors in 2026! The building will include project workspaces, meeting rooms, learning and relaxation areas, and the heart of the facility – the student makerspace with industrial-standard manufacturing infrastructure.

Further Informations

The heart of the teaching concept is a course that serves as a prototype for future teaching concepts. This course has been offered at KIT since the 2014/15 winter semester for the mechatronics and information technology degree program, and thanks to funding, it has gradually been opened up to other degree programs. Zum Gebäude von KIT nova: Spanning an impressive 6,000 m², this state-of-the-art facility, which cost more than €20 million to construct, boasts cutting-edge infrastructure worth a further €3 million, akin to what you'd find in a top-notch corporate setting.

What we want to achieve

Project Phase 2, 2023-2029: Bring the ecosystem to life
We're eager to see the KIT nova ecosystem reach its full potential, and we know that novel and innovative teaching concepts are the key to making it happen. The goal of the second project phase is to initiate, implement, and evaluate the development of these innovative teaching concepts across different faculties at KIT. This exciting project will require the expertise and time of various subject matter experts, as well as material resources. Funding is the key to unleashing the potential of subject matter experts from the STEM and education sectors. We're going to be incorporating the teaching concepts into KIT nova on a permanent basis after the introduction and evaluation.

Further Informations

As part of the introduction of innovative teaching concepts, a tandem fellowship for innovation in higher education teaching from the Stifterverband and the Baden-Württemberg Foundation has already been secured in a highly competitive process. The two recipients of the tandem fellowship continue to be involved in the development of KIT nova and have an extensive network across the entire KIT. This facilitates the expansion of teaching concepts to different departments and enables continuity through synergies. The continuous collection of data throughout the entire development process, from the initial idea to manufacturing on industry-standard machines and testing prototypes to commissioning the product, creates a versatile, networked data pool that can be used for research beyond the teaching concepts. The analysis of this data pool offers the potential for novel insights into previously unrecognized connections in the development of technical solutions for: team processes, product-production co-design, sustainable product design, reliability of technical solutions, and much more...

Facts and figures

Project duration:
From October 1, 2025 to June 30, 2029 (with an extension possible)

Funding required:
€100,000 per teaching concept or accompanying research project

Current sponsorships:
SEW Eurodrive, TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen, WiCAM Stiftung, Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft and Baden-Württemberg Stiftung

Project responsibility KIT:
Dr.-Ing. Matthias Eisenmann (Contact person), Dr. Moritz Mußgnug

^{"KIT nova represents a unique ecosystem for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teaching innovations. Here, learners from a wide range of disciplines can develop ideas, create new things, fail at challenges, and grow from them in a protected space. The building's design is a true showcase for KIT, opening the doors for public participation and inspiring people of all ages to get involved.“}

^{Dr.-Ing. Matthias Eisenmann

_{- Co-Lead KIT nova -}}

Dr.-Ing. Matthias Eisenmann

Are you interested in this project?
If so, please contact us.

Ingo Laubenthal
Fundraiser

+49 721 608-45462ingo laubenthal ∂does-not-exist.kit edu

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