Karlsruhe (dpa/lsw) - Thanks to regulations that are unique in Germany, students and scientists can conduct research more flexibly in large-scale research and university departments in Karlsruhe. "You are doing research here on the important fundamentals that we need - but at the same time you are doing practical research," said Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) on Monday at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Together with Baden-Württemberg's Science Minister Petra Olschowski (Greens), she symbolically ushered in a new era of teaching and research.

Since the beginning of the year, a law has been in force at KIT that enables a connection between university and large-scale research areas. This gives students, for example, access to large laboratories and enables them to interact more easily with the scientists working there. Bureaucratic hurdles have been removed so that scientists can switch back and forth between research and teaching.

Practice-oriented research on assistance systems

During her inaugural visit to the KIT, Olschowski had previously promoted a service center there. It will advise universities and colleges on the subject of accessible teaching materials. The need is great, said Olschowski. There are now many inquiries from universities throughout the southwest, added Rainer Stiefelhagen, Professor of Assistance Systems for Visually Impaired Students at the Center for Digital Accessibility and Assistive Systems. The establishment of the center is part of the coalition agreement. A concept for this was submitted to the ministry in 2019.

Olschowski also learned about robotic systems and the possibilities of artificial intelligence: a robot was demonstrated that can assist with repairs, learn movements from humans and execute certain commands when called upon. Also on show was a semi-autonomous hand orthosis, a kind of splint with an artificial hand that recognizes objects and grips them precisely with the help of a camera mounted in the palm of the hand.

The University of Excellence with around 9800 employees and more than 22,000 students is the first institution in Germany to dissolve the boundaries between university and non-university institutions. The so-called 2nd KIT Further Development Act required for this was passed by the state parliament two years ago.