Joint Campus Wolfsburg becomes WeCampusWOB New name highlights the collaborative nature of the campus development
The former Joint Campus Wolfsburg will henceforth be known as WeCampusWOB. With this rebranding, the partners – TU Braunschweig, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, the Fraunhofer Society, Volkswagen, Open Hybrid LabFactory and the City of Wolfsburg – are emphasising the collaborative approach to the campus’s further development into a flagship project for Wolfsburg as a centre of science.
With a new name and a fresh identity, the former Joint Campus Wolfsburg is embarking on its next phase of development: as WeCampusWOB, the partners are sending a clear signal of collaboration, networking and international appeal. The new name says it all: the focus is on ‘we’. The partners (we) are committed to research, teaching and knowledge transfer at the campus in Wolfsburg (WOB) in order to attract international talent.
Researchers and students are investigating current issues in the automotive circular economy to develop innovative approaches for resource-efficient and circular vehicle production. In doing so, the campus is positioning itself as an internationally visible hub for innovation and science, with the aim of firmly establishing research and teaching on circular economy topics within the region. The renaming is of particular significance for all partners. It reflects the growing research ecosystem in Wolfsburg and the region, positioning it as a leading hub for future technologies.
A key component of the City of Wolfsburg’s Future Science Concept
“WeCampusWOB Wolfsburg is an important component of the City of Wolfsburg’s Future Science Concept, which focuses on the interconnection of science, education and urban development,” emphasises Lord Mayor Dennis Weilmann. “Wolfsburg is becoming a university hub. With the WeCampusWOB label, we hope not only to attract a higher proportion of younger residents in future, but also an even greater concentration of research institutions.”
Building on the Open Hybrid LabFactory research campus and in close proximity to Volkswagen’s Mobile Life Campus, a fully-fledged TU Braunschweig university site is thus being created, offering a high quality of life, where people can tackle current issues in the automotive circular economy through innovative research and teaching formats. To ensure that the research results can be utilised by industry in the long term, an entrepreneurship and transfer platform is being established.
Comments on the name WeCampusWOB
Prof. Dr. Angela Ittel, TU President: “WeCampusWOB demonstrates what is possible when people from science, business and society work together on the future. Here, ideas do not emerge in isolation, but through exchange: across disciplines, institutions and national borders. This fosters a vibrant scientific ecosystem that provides concrete impetus for Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, thereby strengthening our region in the long term.”
Prof. Dr. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer Society: “For innovations to take effect rapidly on an industrial scale, it is essential to swiftly translate scientific findings into practical applications. A decisive factor here is close cooperation between research and industry,” says Prof. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. “WeCampusWOB creates precisely the environment we need for successful technology transfer. With the Fraunhofer Centre for Circular Economy in Mobility (CCEM), we are making targeted use of these structures to bring solutions for circular vehicle production into application more quickly. In doing so, together with our local partners, we are sending a strong signal regarding the future viability of Germany as a business location.”
Prof. Dr. Thomas Benda, Vice-President for Teaching, Studies and Continuing Education at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences: “Holistic, interdisciplinary solutions are particularly needed in the strategically important fields of the circular economy and mobility. We are delighted that researchers from our university are contributing their expertise and experience to joint research teams at WeCampusWOB. The Ostfalia campus in Wolfsburg, established in 1987, will also benefit in the long term from additional networking and visibility for the topic of the circular economy. A shared space is emerging that literally makes room for even more of ‘US’ to provide important impetus for sustainable mobility solutions.”
Dr. Stefan Schmitt, Managing Director of Open Hybrid LabFactory e.V.: “We are bringing the experience and network of our public-private partnership to WeCampusWOB. The development of WeCampusWOB, together with strong local partners and regional expansion, motivates everyone involved and will open up new opportunities for collaboration. This will significantly advance all parties, both academia and industry.”