About transCampus

All the major problems of the world today are global in essence, and they cannot be solved unless through some kind of global cooperation.

Yuval Noah Harari

transCampus events

A brighter future for science and research will not be shaped by academia alone – in our global and interconnected world, communication and interaction between the different parts in a society are vital for a comprehensive development. The transCampus aims to bridge the gap between theoretical research at universities and practical approaches in our society and economy in all involved areas.

Saxon Minister for Economic Affairs impressed by the joint activities of transCampus

Martin Dulig, Saxon State Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport, called the transCampus a role model for international cooperation during his delegation visit on 16 May. At the Science Gallery next to the Guy’s Campus of King’s College London, where the transCampus had organised an event on the occasion, Mr Dulig gained a detailed insight in the manifold scientific and also economic activities taking place between Dresden and London.

Scientists from both universities presented their research results in areas as diverse as the impact of diabetes on Covid-19 infections, the treatment of affective disorders, or the ability of SME-entrepreneurs to adapt to the pandemic in terms of well-being. In 2020 Prof. Stefan Bornstein (TU Dresden) and Prof. Manuel Mayr (King’s College) were able to identify protein biomarkers affecting the severity and mortality of Covid-19. Also in 2020 Prof. Ute Stephan (King’s College) started a global study of entrepreneurship during the pandemic, for which researchers from TU Dresden interviewed a large number of entrepreneurs in Germany. Analysing the results from a high number of countries, the study highlights the diverse opportunities how entrepreneurs adapted their businesses in means of digitalisation, sustainability and inclusion or local commitment. Furthermore, Prof. Allan Young gave an insight how an international research training group will provide a foundation for interdisciplinary neuropsychiatric and translational research and training to elaborate and combine research methods and innovative treatment approaches for affective disorders like depression. Also in regard to supporting young scientists in their career advancement Prof. Gianaurelio Cuniberti introduced the joint endeavours of TU Dresden and King’s College London in the Dresden Center for Intelligent Materials. Moreover, the Dresden-London start-up Innate Repair explained their innovative approach to preventing the regeneration of supposedly defeated tumours.

New Cooperation Agreement Signed at the Visit of Minister-President Michael Kretschmer to London

In October 2018, the Saxon Minister-President Michael Kretschmer visited London with a delegation of science and business on the occasion of the anniversary of German unification. As one part of the delegation programme, he gave a speech at the signing ceremony of a new transCampus cooperation agreement. The Memorandum of Understanding was agreed upon between the London based Thomas Young Centre (TYC) and the Dresden Center for Computational Material Sciences (DCMS) of Technische Universität Dresden, expanding the transCampus initiative to the field of material sciences.

The TYC is an interdisciplinary alliance of about 100 research groups based at University College London, Imperial College London, King’s College London and Queen Mary University London. “Dresden is a leading centre of materials research in Europe and worldwide. Strengthening the research network through international co-operations is key to our future strategy”, stated Prof. Gianaurelio Cuniberti, Chair of Materials Science and Nanotechnology at TU Dresden and Managing Director of DCMS.  “The expertise of Dresden and London in materials science complement each other perfectly.”

Michael Kretschmer showed himself impressed with the results of the partnership so far, and with this next step taken, the transCampus can expand its horizon even further and continue help addressing the challenges of society and industry, now also through the theory and simulation of materials. During his stay at the Strand Campus of King’s College London, the Minister-President made also good use of the opportunity to talk to students and hear their perspectives on the cooperation.

1^st transCampus Symposium on Global Challenges of the 21^st Century

The global challenges of our time need not only be tackled by international teams of scientists, but these challenges need to be discussed by the public as well, as solving them will influence all our everyday lives.

This is why transCampus set up a new series of public symposia, the first of which took place at the Francis Crick Institute in London in March 2019. To this “Symposium on Global Challenges of the 21^st Century”, hosted by Nobel Prize winner Paul Nurse, all who were interested to talk about scientific advancements and their implications for everyone’s future everyday life were invited. Over 200 visitors joined in on the debate and listened to the talks held by renowned speakers from King’s College London and the TU Dresden.

The interdisciplinary topics included debates on human–machine interaction and the much-discussed question whether machines will replace human beings at some point. Furthermore, the future of the human ageing process, the interaction with certain genomes concerning the brain, and thus ultimately questions about the (in)finiteness of human life were lively discussed.

Visit of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, to TU Dresden

In February 2019, Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) welcomed His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. As part of his visit to Dresden, he was particularly interested in gaining an impression of the scientific work conducted at East Germany’s only University of Excellence with the exception of Berlin. Moreover, the Duke of Kent, as Chancellor of the University of Surrey, wanted to familiarise himself with the transCampus, the strategic partnership between King’s College London’s and Dresden’s researchers.

In the foyer of the “DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden” (CRTD) of TU Dresden, they were cordially welcomed by Prof. Hans Müller-Steinhagen, Rector of TUD and Uwe Gaul, State Secretary of the Saxon State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts. At various exhibition stands, the Duke of Kent gained insights into the development of regenerative therapies, into models of neurodegenerative processes in the eye, into clinical diabetes research and into materials research at the “Dresden Centre for Computational Materials Science” (DCMS).

“Today, science is no longer bound by national borders, international exchanges have become the norm and a driving force for pioneering developments,” emphasised the Duke of Kent. H. R. H. and TUD Rector Prof. Hans Müller-Steinhagen know each other personally from their time spent together at the University of Surrey. “Great Britain is one of the world’s leading scientific locations with outstanding universities. We have had close ties for many years through trusting and successful research cooperations. Comparable scientific thinking, excellent research infrastructures and the absence of language barriers are important safeguards of these cooperations. In addition, the UK is a popular destination for our students for their semesters abroad and internships,” states the Rector of TUD.

“Today’s visit by the Duke of Kent is a great honour for us and it makes us hopeful that we will continue to maintain a close scientific partnership with Great Britain”. This sentiment was mirrored by the British Ambassador Sir Sebastian Wood: “I am delighted to visit TU Dresden for the second time. transCampus is an innovative and successful project that exemplifies the well-functioning and close scientific connections between Great Britain and Germany. It is an active embodiment of the exchange between our countries.”