Technical University Ilmenau

What Technical University Ilmenau does

Technical University Ilmenau (Technische Universität Ilmenau) is a public research university located in Ilmenau, Thuringia, Germany, established in 1894 and operating under the supervision of the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture as a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts. The university is organized into five faculties — Electrical Engineering and Information Technology; Computer Science and Automation; Mechanical Engineering; Mathematics and Natural Sciences; and Economic Sciences and Media — and delivers more than 40 Bachelor's and Master's degree programs alongside 12 international double degree programs. It serves domestic and international students as its primary segment, with secondary segments for industry partners (joint research, technology transfer, contract research) and continuing education learners.

The institution operates an integrated research and commercialization infrastructure comprising the SUNRISE international research alliance (focused on sustainable technologies), the PATON state patent center for intellectual property services, the Ilmkubator startup service, and the wholly-owned subsidiary TU Ilmenau Transfer GmbH for technology transfer and commercialization of research outcomes. Supporting digital infrastructure includes the Moodle e-learning platform, a Campus Portal, the Mobility Online platform for international mobility programs, and an open interactive timetable system.

Its business model is non-commercial in the conventional sense: tuition is regulated by German state law, with revenue drawn primarily from state appropriations and third-party research funding. The university describes itself as one of the most third-party funded and patent-active universities in Germany. Distribution is direct through on-campus enrollment, with international reach via exchange programs, double degree partnerships, and dedicated international student services such as the we4you International Student Service and Welcome Center for PhD candidates. Continuing education is offered through PATONakademie and the TU Ilmenau Bürgercampus (Seniorenakademie), and alumni engagement is sustained via AlumniCampus.

Name

Technical University Ilmenau

Legal name

Technische Universität Ilmenau

Website

https://tu-ilmenau.de

Company type

Public

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Technical University Ilmenau is a public research university in Thuringia, Germany, offering more than 40 Bachelor's and Master's programs across five engineering, science, and media faculties, and serving domestic and international students along with industry research partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Universities with Computing, Data & AI Focus (EDAHAEAK), Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships (EDAHAEAG)

Keywords

• Engineering higher education
• Public research university
• Technology transfer services
• Continuing education programs
• Patent and innovation support

Headquarters

HQ city

Ilmenau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Technical University Ilmenau is a public research university that delivers higher education and research services primarily through Bachelor's, Master's, and doctoral degree programs across five faculties in engineering, computer science, natural sciences, economics, and media. It also provides continuing education, language certificate courses, startup incubation through Ilmkubator, and technology transfer and patent services through PATON and TU Ilmenau Transfer GmbH.

Product overview

Technical University Ilmenau is a public research university offering comprehensive higher education across engineering, natural sciences, computer science, economics, and media disciplines. The university provides undergraduate (Bachelor's) and graduate (Master's) degree programs, continuing education through PATONakademie and Bürgercampus, e-learning via Moodle and Campus Portal, startup support through Ilmkubator, technology transfer services via PATON patent center, and international mobility programs through Mobility Online. The institution participates in the SUNRISE international research alliance and hosts the Scientific Year 2026 'Precision' theme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SUNRISE: SUNRISE is the international research alliance of universities in Central Germany, focusing on sustainable technologies and resource efficiency.
• PATON
• Ilmkubator
• TU Ilmenau Bürgercampus

Products and services

• Bachelor's Degree Programs Undergraduate degree programs across engineering, natural sciences, computer science, economics, and media — including Applied Media and Communication Science, Business Administration with Technical Orientation, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Biotechnology, Data Science, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Vehicle Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, Mechatronics, Media Technology, Media Economics, Technical Cybernetics, Technical Physics, Materials Science, Business Informatics, and Industrial Engineering, plus the new B.Sc. Sustainable Energy Systems.
• Master's Degree Programs Graduate programs including Business Administration with Technical Orientation, Biomedical Engineering/Technology, Chemical Biotechnology, Communications and Signal Processing, Data Science, Digital Business, Electric Power and Control Systems Engineering, Electrical Energy Systems, Electrochemistry and Galvanotechnology, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Vehicle Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering Computer Science, International Business Economics, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics and Business Mathematics, Mechatronics, Media and Communication Science, Media Engineering Sciences, Micro- and Nanotechnologies, Optical Systems Technology, Regenerative Energy Technology, Research in Computer and Systems Engineering, Technical Cybernetics and System Theory, Technical Physics, Materials Science, Business Informatics, and Industrial Engineering.
• PATONakademie Continuing education offerings provided by the university for professional development and lifelong learning.
• Ilmkubator Startup service supporting entrepreneurs and innovative business concepts emerging from the university community, including offerings, partner networks, founder stories, and contact information for aspiring entrepreneurs.
• TU Ilmenau Bürgercampus (Seniorenakademie) Citizens campus offering educational programs for senior citizens and the broader community.
• Language Course Certificate (C1) Certificate program offering language courses at C1 proficiency level, including German, English, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, and French language instruction.
• Bachelor's Degree Program: Sustainable Energy Systems (B.Sc. Nachhaltige Energiesysteme) New B.Sc. degree program in Sustainable Energy Systems (Nachhaltige Energiesysteme) launched in 2026 to address engineering education for a sustainable future.
• PATON — Landespatentzentrum Thüringen State patent center for Thuringia providing intellectual property services and technology transfer support to researchers.
• TU Ilmenau Transfer GmbH University-owned company for technology transfer and commercialization of research outcomes.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SUNRISE University AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational university alliance for collaborative research. TU Ilmenau is a member of this strategic alliance focused on research collaboration and internationalization.
• Thuringian Innovation Center for MobilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research center for mobility research. TU Ilmenau contributes to research on highly automated driving vehicles.
• VHS Arnstadt-IlmenauminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCooperation for language courses. Discounted course fees available for students with THOSKA student ID.
• Associated Institutes (An-Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal research institutes affiliated with the university that conduct research under university oversight.
• TU Ilmenau Transfer GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity-owned company for technology transfer and commercialization of research outcomes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Technische Universität München (TUM): Germany's flagship technical university with comprehensive engineering, computer science, and natural sciences faculties. Directly comparable as a state-owned Technische Universität competing for students, faculty, and third-party research funding in overlapping engineering domains.
• RWTH Aachen University: Germany's leading technical university with strong industry partnerships and one of the highest third-party funded universities in Germany. Directly comparable in research intensity, engineering faculty breadth, and patent/technology-transfer profile.
• Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden): Large East German technical university with five faculties spanning engineering, natural sciences, and economics. Comparable in faculty structure, public-corporation governance, and Eastern German innovation-system role.
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT): State-owned research university combining a Technische Universität and a Helmholtz research center. Comparable in research intensity, engineering breadth, and patent-driven technology transfer at scale.
• Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin): Major German technical university with faculties in electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, and economics. Directly comparable in program portfolio and competition for international engineering talent.
• Technische Universität Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt): Mid-sized German technical university with strong focus on engineering, computer science, and natural sciences. Most comparable peer in size and discipline mix, sharing similar positioning in applied engineering research and industry partnerships.
• Technische Universität Braunschweig (TU Braunschweig): Older German technical university with engineering-led faculty structure and automotive/mobility research emphasis. Comparable in size, governance, and patent/research-funding profile within the TU9 alliance of leading German technical universities.
• Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg: Public research university in Saxony-Anhalt focused on engineering, natural sciences, and economics. Comparable as a mid-sized German technical-oriented university with similar faculty structure and publicly funded research profile.

Regional players

• Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena: Regional Thuringian public university with strong natural sciences, optics/photonics, and materials science programs. Comparable as a Thuringia-based research university sharing state funding dynamics and overlapping research domains.
• Bauhaus-Universität Weimar: Thuringian public university specializing in civil engineering, media, and design. Regional peer sharing state oversight and overlapping in the media/economics faculty structure of TU Ilmenau.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/tu-ilmenau
• Facebookfacebook.com/TU.Ilmenau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/tu-ilmenau
• Instagraminstagram.com/tu.ilmenau
• Xx.com/TU_Ilmenau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Technical University Ilmenau