New TU9 leadership: Peter Middendorf und Angela Ittel take office ...

The University of Stuttgart's new Rector, Prof. Peter Middendorf, now leads the Alliance of leading Universities of Technology in Germany (TU9) alongside Prof. Angela Ittel. The two of them aim to strengthen the TU9's political voice and to expand international networking, engineering education and startup-oriented transfer.
[Picture: University of Stuttgart / Uli Regenscheit]

As of October 1, Prof. Angela Ittel, President of the Technische Universität Braunschweig, and Prof. Peter Middendorf, Rector of the University of Stuttgart, lead the TU9 Alliance as the new dual leadership. Middendorf succeeds Prof. Tanja Bühl, who has led the Alliance of leading Technical Universities together with Angela Ittel for the past two years.

The new TU9 Executive Board will further strengthen the political voice of leading Technical Universities in Germany both nationally and internationally. At national level, the leadership duo will engage in close dialog with the relevant political stakeholders to advocate for the needs of TU9 Universities in all dimensions. International networking will also be further intensified.

“For TU9 Universities, close cooperation with institutional networks at home and abroad continues to be essential, now more than ever in the context of the current geopolitical challenges. Our strategic partnerships with top institutions worldwide allow us to exchange ideas on global challenges, develop joint visions and tackle them together. We believe that conducting a multilogue involving different perspectives beyond the German and European horizon is the key to outstanding and, above all, sustainable and disruptive innovations. At the same time, we aim to attract exceptional talent to Germany as a location for science and business, regardless of their career level,” says TU9 Co-President Angela Ittel.

Engineering education and startup-oriented transfer are also of particular importance to the TU9 Executive Board. TU9 Universities already act as hubs and drivers of vibrant innovation ecosystems. Peter Middendorf, new TU9 Co-President: “The solutions from our cutting-edge research should be transferred to society and industry more quickly. This requires expanded programs for scientists. We also need to expand and strengthen suitable networks, for example through startup factories and entrepreneurship education. Another focus will be on future-oriented engineering education, which plays an important role in the TU9 Alliance – in close cooperation with the important organizations in this field.”

Angela Ittel has been President of Technische Universität Braunschweig since 2021 and TU9 Co-President since 2022. In 2008, she was appointed Professor of Educational Psychology at TU Berlin, where she was also full-time Vice President for Strategic Development, International Affairs, Young Academics, and Teacher Training from 2014 to 2021. Angela Ittel has been a member of the Board of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) since 2020 and HRK Vice-President for International Affairs, Equal Opportunities and Diversity since 2023.

Peter Middendorf has been Rector of the University of Stuttgart since October 1, 2024. Previously, he had been Vice-Rector for Knowledge and Technology Transfer there since 2018 and Head of the Institute of Aircraft Design since 2012. He was also a founding member and spokesperson for the ARENA2036 research campus and coordinator of Baden-Württemberg's aerospace strategy.

TU9 is the Alliance of leading Universities of Technology in Germany: RWTH Aachen University, Technische Universität Berlin, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Technical University of Darmstadt, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Leibniz University Hannover, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Technical University of Munich, and University of Stuttgart.

TU9 Universities take special responsibility for the productive and innovative strength of our society and economy. We help shape the future by contributing to digitization and the energy and sustainability transition, to name a few. To this end, we combine our specific expertise in basic research, especially in the natural sciences and engineering, with applied research and innovation. TU9 Universities enjoy an outstanding reputation around the world as renowned research and teaching institutions. As such, they train exceptional young academics for careers in science, business, and administration and assume social responsibility. TU9 Universities foster top-class international networks and diverse cooperation with industry, making them a key element of Germany as a location of science and innovation.