Automotive in Thuringia

Thuringia has been making cars for over a hundred years. It still draws enormous expertise from this well of tradition. Local universities produce far more engineers than the national average.

The following colleges and universities offer engineering degree programs directly related to the automotive sector or other specialized degree programs such as mechanical engineering, mechatronics, electrical engineering and material flow and logistics or mobility management:

• Ilmenau University of Technology (Automotive engineering)
• Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences
• Erfurt University of Applied Sciences
• Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences
• University of Cooperative Education Gera-Eisenach (DHGE)

Automotive firms in Thuringia benefit heavily from the research ecosystem and the declared goal of all companies and researchers to make the state one of Europe’s premier technology centers. The Thuringian Economics Ministry provides incentives and institutional structures to help car parts suppliers adapt quickly to the fundamental changes in the automotive industry such as new drive systems, lightweight construction or self-driving vehicles.

The Thuringian Innovation Center for Mobility (ThIMo) supports the industrial change towards a sustainable mobility. The vision of ThIMo is to find scientific solutions for challenges associated with mobility. Environmental responsibility, intelligence, digitized solutions and complex mobility networks are in the focus of research. The center has more than 200 active collaborations with national and international partners from research and industry that have access to state-of-the-art research equipment and benefit from the large network and competences gathered within the center.

Selected research institutions, R&D service providers and technology agencies in Thuringia:

• CiS - Research Institute for Microsensors, Erfurt
• IMMS - Institute for Microelectronic and Mechatronic Systems, Ilmenau
• IOF - Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, Jena
• BITC - Battery Innovation and Technology Center, Arnstadt
• TITK - Thuringian Institute of Textile and Plastics Research, Rudolstadt
• GFE - Society for Production Engineering and Development, Schmalkalden
• IFW - Günter Köhler Institute for Joining Technology and Materials Testing, Jena
• IMG Electronic & Power Systems, Nordhausen
• adapt engineering, Nordhausen
• ThEGA - Thüringer Energie- und GreenTech-Agentur, Erfurt

The network and innovation cluster at - automotive thüringen e. V. is the point of contact for all supplier issues and works actively to ensure the competitiveness and continuous development of the Thuringian business location.