The planned transfer and innovation center in the Oberland (Tizio) of the Munich University of Applied Sciences (HM) is to come to Bad Tölz. According to Birte Otterbach, the city’s press spokeswoman, the center, in which HM wants to promote research and development together with stakeholders from the economy, is to be built at Tölzer Sitec Park. According to the university, “a campus-like area with several buildings is to be created on the 25,000 square meter area on the northern outskirts of the city, which will attract start-ups and co-working spaces as well as established companies”. Wolfratshausen and Geretsried as well as Eurasburg had also applied for the location.
The Tizio, for which the Free State is to provide start-up funding, provides equipment and infrastructure for cooperation between companies from the region and the university – from student theses to doctoral projects to research projects. Offices, research laboratories and workshops are also to be created. According to HM, the center is dedicated to “needs-based topics that are of great importance for the local economy”, such as digitization and sustainability, innovative manufacturing systems and materials, but also fields such as sustainable tourism. The Tizio would be embedded in the “Technologie Campus Toelz” at Sitecpark “in an optimal entrepreneurial environment”, it says in a joint statement by the university, city and district. “The establishment of a technology transfer center would definitely be a milestone in the history of HM”, says its Vice President Thomas Stumpp. “I am very happy when our beautiful Oberland is enriched with a university location in this way.”
Wolfratshausen would also have liked to become a university location. There the city council voted unanimously in favor of the application in July. Because of the S-Bahn connection to Munich and the good infrastructure, they expected good chances. With the decision for Tölz, Wolfratshausen has to back off against the district town again. Of course he was disappointed, says Mayor Klaus Heilinglechner (BVW). “The university location would have been a great opportunity for Wolfratshausen. But my main concern is that it is established in the district.” The decision was ultimately made by the district council, which considered the Tölz location to be more suitable – also because the Tizio could be implemented there faster.
Thomas Stumpp, Vice President of the Munich University of Applied Sciences.
(Photo: Julia Bergmeister)
After a year of planning, the roadmap for the project is now clear. After the necessary decisions have been made in the city and district, the HM can now submit the technical concept to the Ministry of Science for approval. If the ministry approves the funding, implementation in Tölz can begin. The settlement of the center costs the city and the district quite a bit of money during the five-year start-up phase: up to 90,000 euros are estimated annually, 60 percent of which is borne by the city and 40 percent by the district.
In Bad Tölz they are happy about the contract. “The decision is a win-win situation,” says Mayor Ingo Mehner (CSU). City, district and university benefit from the cooperation, “new, high-quality jobs” could be created. And District Administrator Josef Niedermaier (FW) explains: “This would strengthen the district, which makes our region even more attractive as an educational and business location.”