An excellent example of successful collaboration between science and industry

In the presence of Brandenburg's Minister of Economics Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Steinbach and numerous representatives from politics and business development, BTU President Prof. Gesine Grande and LKT's Manager signed a framework cooperation agreement.

LKT GmbH has been a reliable partner of the BTU for two decades. The cooperation with the field of study Urban Water Management under the direction of Dr. Andrea Straub at the university's Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Urban Planning has been particularly close. The success speaks for itself. The joint activities and projects include

• seven completed projects and one project in progress in research and development,
• one patent, one patent application and two prizes
• 16 theses,
• regular workshops for students and researchers,
• joint study projects,
• joint specialist lectures and one specialist publication on the projects carried out
• and a total of ten graduates hired.

Prof. Dr. Gesine Grande, President of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg , emphasized in her welcoming address: "A relatively small university like BTU benefits particularly from strong alliances. I am delighted that with the new cooperation agreement with LKT GmbH, we are now taking this fruitful collaboration in research and teaching into the future. It is our strength as BTU that we combine a global perspective with our regional location. LKT brings fields of application and practical challenges to the collaboration, for which we at the university find scientific solutions based on interdisciplinary approaches. For us as a university, transfer - via specialists and our research expertise - is a central responsibility. The cooperation with LKT is a very successful example of this."

In his opening speech, LKT Manager Michael Müller praised this cooperation as a prime example of how the Transfer of Knowledge and Technology can work on an equal footing. It shows how not only knowledge but also skilled workers can be brought into the Lusatia region. At the same time, impulses from practice would flow back into science and have a positive effect on the development of innovative solutions for environmental protection and resource conservation.

An excellent example of the successful transfer partnership is the career of Torsten Hansen, who completed his Master's degree in Business Law for Technology Companies at BTU and is now head of the Research Department at LKT GmbH.

Minister of Economic Affairs Steinbach emphasized the importance of this cooperation and in particular praised the involvement of students, including those with an international background, in the projects.