The anniversary event brought together representatives from science, higher education and the State of Brandenburg. The thematic focus included a review of the Joint Lab’s shared successes, technology transfer, academic education and joint forward-looking fields of research relevant to regional innovation policy.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Mai opened the official programme, followed by welcoming remarks on behalf of IHP management by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Kahmen. TH Wildau was represented by Prof. Dr. Klaus-Martin Melzer, Vice President for Research and Transfer. Dr. André Lottmann, Head of the Non-University Research Unit at the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture and Chair of the IHP Supervisory Board, spoke on behalf of the State of Brandenburg.
"For 20 years, the Joint Lab of TH Wildau and IHP has stood for successful cooperation between a university of applied sciences and a Leibniz institute. Here, application-oriented higher education and excellent high-technology research complement one another. The close partnership creates space for innovation, technology transfer and the practical training of our students. Joint spin-offs and the establishment of a research cluster for quantum technology are exemplary of the Joint Lab’s capabilities. We look forward to the next 20 years," said Prof. Dr. Klaus-Martin Melzer.
A central part of the event looked back on 20 years of the Joint Lab and the people behind the cooperation. Prof. Dr. Andreas Mai and Prof. Dr. Martin Regehly traced the development of the collaboration and its contribution to linking higher education with advanced microelectronics research. Contributions on the impact of the joint research for socially relevant applications were given by Prof. Dr. Martin Regehly, Christoph Schumann, start-up CEO and project lead at TH Wildau, and Prof. Dr. Andreas Mai.
"The Joint Lab promotes talent in the scientific and engineering fields and offers them modern infrastructure in a dynamic R&D environment. The joint research projects and the large number of publications and projects show how well this collaboration between IHP and TH Wildau has worked for decades," said Prof. Dr. Andreas Mai, Head of the Joint Lab and Head of the Technology Department at IHP.
The cooperation has comprised joint research and training activities in areas such as silicon photonics, high-speed devices and technology transfer. Milestones include the founding of HyPhoX, a joint spin-off of IHP and TH Wildau with founders from Wildau and Frankfurt (Oder). The company is developing a digital rapid test that uses silicon-based semiconductor technology to enable real-time, laboratory-quality analysis of viruses, bacteria, toxins or proteins. HyPhoX received the Berlin-Brandenburg Innovation Award in 2023. Further achievements include two joint patents, work on European activities in silicon photonics, including Silicon Light, and an international Summer School with the University of Rome Tor Vergata for students and early-career researchers.
The Joint Lab makes an important contribution to training the next generation of scientific staff and skilled professionals in microelectronics and photonic systems. Microelectronics is considered a key technology for numerous future fields and is closely linked to questions of technological sovereignty in Germany and Europe. Brandenburg is positioning itself as an active location for semiconductor and photonics research.
Over the past 20 years, the Joint Lab has trained numerous Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates. It has supported several hundred internships and short-term placements; more than 20 graduates have acquired industry-relevant skills in integrated photonics, surface technology, microsystems technology and materials diagnostics.
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Kahmen, Scientific and Technical Managing Director of IHP, emphasised: “For IHP, Joint Labs are a special form of cooperation based on long-standing, successful and trust-based collaboration. For IHP, the strategic value of the Joint Lab lies in particular in the joint training of early-career scientific and technical staff and in excellent joint research on highly innovative topics, such as Si photonics. Together with TH Wildau, we will continue to shape ‘Leading Edge Technology, Made in Brandenburg’.”
During the event, participants also received guided insights into IHP’s research infrastructure, including the cleanroom, facilities for offline characterisation and the quantum transport laboratory. The event ended with an informal get-together, providing an opportunity for exchange between partners, guests and researchers.
Outlook: The partnership continues
Looking ahead, IHP and TH Wildau intend to further expand the Joint Lab. The focus will be on new fields such as application-oriented quantum technologies and novel sensor developments, which are due to start in the near future through new funded projects. Further new joint projects on system integration are also planned, as is the continuation of the international Summer School.
