Acoustic measurements carried out on the Walcker organ in St. Jacob's Church in Ilmenau marked an important milestone in a European research project dedicated to the large-scale digitization of traditional and ancient musical instruments.

The ForLab Competence Atlas was launched at the symposium "Microelectronics Research in Germany: From Fundamentals to Application" which is currently taking place in Bochum. The online platform presents the high-tech infrastructure and specific expertise in microelectronics research at 23 German universities. Other research institutions and companies can now access it and establish contacts with the respective universities and initiate corresponding projects. ForLab Competence Atlas: https://forlab-kompetenzatlas.tu-ilmenau.de/

Dr. Andreas Schwarz, a German communications scientist at the Technische Universität Ilmenau, has been invited to become a member of NASA's Task Force 2, "Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy (NASA-DARES)." The US space agency is developing a strategic roadmap for the next ten years to explore the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. The working group, in which Dr. Andreas Schwarz is involved, contributes various social science perspectives that are important for the responsible communication of complex scientific results from space research and the possible discovery of extraterrestrial life to society.

Automated vehicles are conquering the roads. So it is high time to research how reliability and safety can be optimized in the communication between human and technical systems. The Thuringian Center for Innovation in Mobility (ThIMo) at TU Ilmenau is tackling precisely this issue with a new research group.

Finding new paths, combining different perspectives and questioning supposed boundaries: with this goal in mind, 72 children and young people competed in the West Thuringia regional competition of "Jugend forscht" at TU Ilmenau on February 12, 2026.

In the neuroNODE research project, which starts on 1 January, researchers at TU Ilmenau are developing super-fast microelectronic components that are nevertheless extremely energy-efficient - an imperative given the rapid growth in energy requirements due to global digitalization. The superconducting circuits are inspired by human biology, which is extremely energy-efficient: they exchange information and signals in a similar way to the voltage impulses on human nerve pathways. The neuroNODE project is being funded by the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture with 482,000 euros from the European Social Fund Plus for three years.

The Thuringian Innovation Center for Quantum Optics and Sensor Technology, which is based at TU Ilmenau and Friedrich Schiller University Jena, is launching the FastPIC research group on January 1, 2026.

"Smart Materials, Smarter Sensors" - Intelligent materials and sensor technology will be the focus of the 24th Thuringian Materials Day on March 19 at the TU Ilmenau. Thuringian Materials Day is one of the most important forums for experts from science, industry, and politics on innovations in materials development, testing, and application. Here, current developments in materials research are discussed and new collaborations are initiated. The program for this year's event includes keynote speeches, short scientific presentations, and a poster and industry exhibition. Participation in the event is free of charge.

As part of the EU project MusicSphere, the TU Ilmenau is working with eleven partners from across Europe to digitize the historic organ of Ilmenau's town church in a detailed 3D model. The acoustic measurements will enable digital twins of historic organs to be created in order to preserve them and their sound for future generations.

What does it feel like to not only observe the energy transition, but to actively help shape it? High school graduate Benjamin Schwibs is experiencing just that - during his Voluntary Year in Science, Technology and Sustainability (FJN) at the Thuringian Energy Research Institute (ThEFI) at TU Ilmenau.

What does interdisciplinary research look like when natural and engineering sciences, chemistry and biotechnology come together - and when scientists from India and Germany work together in the laboratory? Two visiting researchers from the Birla Institute of Technology And Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani) recently gave a vivid impression of this during their research stay at TU Ilmenau - including a sledge ride.

The Thuringian Innovation Center for Mobility at the TU Ilmenau is launching a research group that aims to make autonomous vehicles safer and road traffic more efficient.

On 1 January, the TU Ilmenau is launching the HERMES research project in collaboration with robot manufacturer MetraLabs from Ilmenau, in which a mobile robot is being developed that can move independently in an environment in order to localize and detect certain objects with high precision. For example, the robot will be able to carry out a fully automated inventory and stock check in a warehouse or independently record stocks in a supermarket. The HERMES project is being funded by the Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Areas with almost one million euros over three years.

Electronic devices are becoming ever more powerful - but also ever more energy-hungry. That's why 12 doctoral researchers at the Ilmenau School of Green Electronics (ISGE) , supported by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, are exploring new ways to make future electronics more sustainable.