Ulm University is among Germany's top 12 universities in THE World University Ranking

Ulm University scores impressively in the recently published THE World University Ranking 2020: In a global comparison of almost 1400 universities, Ulm University ranks on place 141, and with a remarkable 12th place in the nationwide ranking, Ulm University leaves numerous larger and older universities behind – including the Universities of Stuttgart, Constance and Cologne as well as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the TU Berlin. Compared to the last THE World University Ranking, Ulm University improved its position by eight places.
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A new „Mission Statement Teaching “ to mark the anniversary after 50 years of teaching at Ulm University

For 50 years, Ulm University has been educating future specialised professionals and executives at the highest level in the sought-after MINT (mathematics, information technology, natural sciences and technology) and medical subjects. To mark the occasion of this anniversary, the University is publishing its first “Mission Statement Teaching”, which sets out the demands and objectives in educating students. The mission statement, which incorporates decades of teaching experience at Ulm University, will continue to be expanded and adapted to reflect new developments.
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Visit from the renowned Peking University – plans for expanding cooperation to include psychiatry, cancer and trauma research

Ulm University enjoyed a prestigious visit from China. Around 20 guests from the renowned Peking University met with researchers from the Ulm University Medical Department. The scientific programme focused on the areas of strategic development at Ulm University: haematology and oncology, neurodegeneration and trauma research. “Peking University is probably the best university in China, and a world leader in the field of medicine. We hope that the visit from this delegation serves to intensify our collaboration and take it to the next level”, said Professor Thomas Wirth, dean of the Medical Faculty. Professor Klaus-Michael Debatin, vice president for outreach at Ulm University, added that other goals include joint research projects and exchange programmes for students and researchers.
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Young founders present their start-up at Ulm University’s “innolution night”

When asked about successful spin-off companies from Ulm University, the companies that most frequently come to mind are the laser diode producer U-L-M Photonics and WiTec GmbH, a company specialising in microscope systems. However, in addition to these long-established businesses with a record of success, new start-ups such as Nexol Photovoltermic AG are also cropping up at the University. The founders of Nexol Photovoltermic are selling a solar energy boiler, developed themselves, which is able to heat water in an energy-saving fashion. Master student Niklas Gemp presented the start-up company at the “innolution night” in May.
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Founders of CellMOUSE start-up company receive 700,000 euros

Three young physicists at Ulm University have developed a new optical method (CellMOUSE) that enables the real-time identification, characterisation and sorting of living cells and particles. This method, which can be implemented in fields such as medicine, environmental technology or biotechnology, is simple, gentle and low cost. The most interesting aspect of this new method is that the data is processed directly on the sensor chip, so that analysis and control are possible in real time. CellMOUSE is now being funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie) and the EU through the EXIST Transfer of Research Programme. The start-up team, which also includes a business administration graduate, is now receiving more than 700,00 euros to develop a market-ready prototype and make preparations to start the company.
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Local computer scientist Susanne Biundo-Stephan shapes the field of artificial intelligence

A scientist from Ulm made a big splash in the “Science Year 2019”, which focuses on artificial intelligence. Professor Susanne Biundo-Stephan, director of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence, was named one of the “ten influential minds” in the history of German artificial intelligence. She was selected by an expert panel from the German Informatics Society within the scope of the Science Year, put on by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung: BMBF).
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From an automated tax assessment notice to a fully automated judge?
16th Ulm Colloquium for Business and Tax Law

Digitalisation doesn’t even stop at the judiciary. Legal chat bots and other AI-based algorithms are already doing their part to help prepare legal decisions. Could automated machines even replace judges in the future? The 16th Ulm Colloquium for Business and Tax Law addresses questions such as these. Professor Rudolf Mellinghoff, president of the Federal Fiscal Court (Bundesfinanzhof), will provide stimulation for discussion on these issues. His lecture, “Tax enforcement and judicial control in the age of digitalisation”, was held at Ulm University in Research Building N27 on Wednesday, 17 July (6:00 pm).
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Ulm University has Germany’s only Chinatron - Paving the way for the bionic tree trunk

The laboratory of the Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology houses a unique specimen: in the “Chinatron”, Germany’s only centrifuge of its kind, it is possible to do much more than just study how plants react to stress due to drought in times of climate change. The device also helps in developing “bionic branches”, which could be paving the way for new pumping and cooling systems.
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Second Synergy Grant over 9.4 million euros for Ulm physicists! Unravelling cell metabolism with the help of MRI and diamond sensors

The physics professors Martin Plenio and Fedor Jelezko from Ulm have yet again landed a major coup: They have obtained another rare ERC Synergy Grant, the second time in a row since 2012. The third member of the new HyperQ project is Professor Jan Ardenkjær-Larsen from the Technical University of Denmark. Over the next six years, the scientists will receive around 9.4 million euros in funding. Their goal is to revolutionise nuclear spin applications using quantum technology, from the well-known MRI scanner in hospitals to tiny sensors that can be used to study metabolic processes in living organisms.
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When Grandpa hits the books – more and more senior citizens are flocking to the universities

a growing number of senior citizens are facing up to the challenges in the lecture hall and the library and picking up a course of study. Humanities is the preferred discipline among senior citizens as they head out of their comfort zone and onto the unyielding chairs of the seminar rooms.
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First graduate of the SAPS Business Analytics master’s programme is successful as a data scientist

Robin Burghardt is the first graduate of the Business Analytics programme at the “School of Advanced Professional Studies” (SAPS), an institution cooperatively run by Ulm University and the Ulm University of Applied Sciences. This part-time master’s programme for professionals prepares executives to face the challenges of digitalisation and, in particular, data-driven optimisation of production and service processes.
Burghardt, a mechanical engineer, talks about the advantages of this programme from his perspective.
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