Campus Bielefeld, a major project

Science and research are key pillars of the city’s development and a decisive quality factor for Bielefeld as a university location.

The consistent development of Campus Bielefeld is a huge opportunity for the city of Bielefeld and the East Westphalia-Lippe region. Big sums are involved, with investments scheduled to exceed 1 billion euros by 2025. The Interactive Intelligent Systems research building represents the first step in establishing new research institutes and research and development centres on Campus North.

An ideal environment for research, teaching and study helps to ensure the best prospects of success in the face of national and global competition. Science and research are creating the jobs of the future. They are attracting innovative enterprises into Bielefeld which will invest and exert a powerful pull on talented young people.

The expanded Campus Bielefeld is intended to promote synergistic effects and cooperation between the University of Bielefeld and Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences as well as between the academic establishments and research and development institutes. Research-oriented start-up enterprises will also find that the Campus Bielefeld environment offers excellent conditions to help them get established.

The attractive framework conditions also increase the likelihood of bringing well-known institutes to Bielefeld. The city’s power to attract prominent scientists is growing. The spatial proximity of universities and research establishments will enable new university/college places to be created.

Bielefeld City Council has been involved in all the University and University of Applied Sciences development concepts, town-planning competitions, development plans and architectural competitions since the early 1960s. The Council and the administration have devoted decades to doing the groundwork to equip Bielefeld with a campus that will rank as one of the most modern anywhere in Germany.

Research cooperation between University and University of Applied Sciences

The University of Bielefeld and Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences have already been working together for years.
Along with the development of Campus Bielefeld the universities have agreed on a new strategic framework for academic cooperation in scientific and technical research fields. To that end, on 2 November 2010 Professor Dr. Beate Rennen-Allhoff, Principal of Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, and Professor Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer, Rector of the University of Bielefeld, signed a framework agreement on research partnerships.

Profitable cooperation

The aim is to initiate and carry out joint research and development projects. On the one hand, it is hoped that this will create synergies and pool the participants’ potential to best effect. On the other hand, scientific events like seminars, symposia or workshops will also be planned and held.

Another important area of cooperation involves assisting the rising generation of scientists by arranging for joint supervision of doctoral students in the context of a cooperative doctorate process. The agreement also provides for shared use and provision of scientific equipment and staff. The cooperative research undertaking is covered by a five-year contract initially.

In 2010, at the initiative of the Science Office of Bielefeld Marketing GmbH , the University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW and Bielefeld City Council joined forces in an offensive to position Campus Bielefeld in the public arena. Campus Bielefeld marketing activities are coordinated by the Science Office.