Bringing together ambitious minds from across the globe, our community grew with the arrival of students from two forward-looking programs:

• M.Sc. Management of Smart and Sustainable Energy Systems

• M.Sc. Sustainable Energy and Hydrogen Infrastructures

Both cohorts represent the next generation of engineers, strategists, and pioneers tasked with solving one of the most critical challenges of our time: decarbonizing our energy systems and building resilient, sustainable infrastructure.

Stepping Onto the Innovation Floor

The day began with a comprehensive introduction to life at EUREF-Campus Düsseldorf. For many students, this was their very first time setting foot on the site – a living laboratory where climate protection, sustainable architecture, and next-generation mobility meet in real time.

Exploring the cutting-edge facilities, modern seminar rooms, and integrated green tech gave everyone a concrete view of where they will spend the coming semesters learning, debating, and innovating.
Rather than studying sustainability solely through textbooks, our students find themselves immersed in a real-world ecosystem designed around carbon-neutral principles.

Opening Words: Vision, Science, and Community

The day opened with warm and encouraging welcome addresses setting the tone for the semesters ahead:

• Dr. Yves Gensterblum officially welcomed the new international students, emphasizing the significance of their studies in tackling global climate and infrastructure challenges.

• Prof. Dr. Martin Faulstich provided profound academic and scientific perspectives on the transformation of sustainable energy networks and circular economy paradigms, encouraging students to think critically and innovatively.

• Karin Teichmann delivered greetings on behalf of the Board of EUREF AG, highlighting how the Düsseldorf campus serves as a collaborative living lab where science, business, and tech converge to build climate-neutral solutions.

Industry in Action: Meeting the Campus Partners

A cornerstone of the EUREF-Talent Campus experience is direct access to leading corporate and research partners actively driving the transition. The morning featured a series of engaging presentations from industry leaders:

• E.ON, presented by Oliver Hagedorn, showcasing the evolving landscape of sustainable grid management, digital customer energy solutions, and large-scale decarbonization.

• Schneider Electric, presented by Caroline Fiedler, highlighting digital transformation, energy efficiency, and modern IoT-driven campus infrastructure.

• SPIE, presented by Tobias Gärtner, detailing the role of technical services, smart multitechnical solutions, and infrastructure development.

• WILO and Wilo Foundation, presented by Cebastien Foumouo, illustrating sustainable pump systems, water management solutions, and the philanthropic commitment to environmental research and education.

Exploring the Campus & Hands-On Technology Hubs

The afternoon shifted from strategy and networking into direct, hands-on exploration through a curated technical tour:

1. EUREF-Campus Düsseldorf Tour: Students explored the campus grounds, observing firsthand how climate-neutral architecture, decentralized energy systems, and modern mobility infrastructure work as a cohesive whole.
2. Schneider Electric Innovation Hub: Inside the hub, the cohorts experienced live demonstrations of advanced energy management software, microgrid controls, and automated building management systems that drive operational efficiency.
3. ONE SPIE Experience Center: Concluding the site visits, students stepped into the ONE SPIE Experience Center to see integrated multitechnical installations, smart city concepts, and digital service infrastructure in action.

Here’s to an Inspiring Journey Ahead

Welcoming this vibrant group of students reminded us why the EUREF-Talent Campus exists: to serve as a home for bold ideas, cross-cultural collaboration, and decisive climate action.

To our new students in Management of Smart and Sustainable Energy Systems and Sustainable Energy and Hydrogen Infrastructures: A warm welcome to Düsseldorf and the EUREF family! We are thrilled to have you here and can’t wait to see the impact you will make.

Interested in our international study programs and life at EUREF-Talent Campus Düsseldorf? Follow our updates or reach out to learn more about how we connect talent with the future of sustainable energy.

The post A New Chapter in Sustainable Energy: Welcoming Our International Master’s Students to EUREF-Talent Campus Düsseldorf appeared first on IAGES.

The EUREF Talent Campus in Düsseldorf offers one answer to this challenge by combining the advantages of a campus that is home to dozens of companies with a unique collaboration between four universities in North Rhine-Westphalia.

International students come to the campus to pursue their master’s degrees and, in addition to receiving extensive theoretical input, are directly involved in some of the industry’s most exciting projects. This ensures that their education is closely aligned with real-world needs, while companies have the opportunity to get to know the talent of the future and, where there is a good fit, recruit them.

This pioneering concept, which has already been successfully established at the EUREF Campus Berlin, brings business and academia together in a highly practical way.

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister of Science, Ina Brandes, came to see the concept for herself during her visit to the EUREF Talent Campus on September 9. Following a tour of the carbon-neutral EUREF Campus, Karin Teichmann, Member of the Executive Board of EUREF AG, welcomed company representatives, academic leaders and, not least, the students of the Talent Campus.

Prof. Dr. Manfred Bayer, Rector of TU Dortmund University, highlighted the importance of cooperation between universities and practice-oriented education in ensuring the future competitiveness of North Rhine-Westphalia as a business and academic location.

Stefan Deibel, Head of Learning & Development at SPIE Germany Switzerland Austria, demonstrated just how closely and productively academia and industry are interconnected on the campus. In his presentation, he spoke about the successful collaboration with the EUREF Talent Campus in training the skilled professionals urgently needed for the energy and mobility transition.

The focus then shifted to key representatives of the International Academy for German Engineering and Science (IAGES), a collaboration between four universities – Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), TU Dortmund University, the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and Hochschule Düsseldorf – University of Applied Sciences (HSD) – that is setting new standards for integrating academic education with practical experience.

The academic directors of the IAGES programs, Prof. Dr. Andreas Löschel, Prof. Dr. Lars-Peter Lauven and Prof. Dr. Franziska Schaube, provided insights into the curricula and development of the master’s programs already underway: Sustainable Energy and Hydrogen Infrastructures (SEHI) and Management of Smart and Sustainable Energy Systems (MOSSES).

At the heart of the Minister’s visit, however, was the direct exchange with the talents themselves. International students Minkun Kim and Manahil Khan presented their current practical projects, demonstrating how they are already taking on significant responsibilities with renowned industry partners such as Schneider Electric and SPIE while still completing their studies. In doing so, they are actively helping to translate research into real-world applications.

Minister Brandes spoke personally with the students, asking about their individual journeys to Düsseldorf and expressing great interest in the international profile of the program and the commitment shown by the next generation of professionals.

The visit concluded with a look ahead at the further development of the campus. Prof. Dr. Ellen Enkel presented an innovative new master’s program in logistics planned for the coming year.

Finally, Dr. Yves Gensterblum from the Academy of Ruhr University Bochum emphasized the long-term vision of establishing the EUREF Talent Campus Düsseldorf as a vibrant and sustainable hub for networking and exchange between students, cutting-edge research and industry.

The post High-Profile Visit to the EUREF Talent Campus Science Minister Ina Brandes Takes a Closer Look at the Talent Hub appeared first on IAGES.