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Happy about the new cooperation (from left to right): Pascal Cromm, Director of the International Relations Office at Aalen University, Prof. George van Schoor, Prof. Kenneth Richard Uren (both North-West University) and Akash Mangaluru-Ramananda from the Institute of Drive Technology at Aalen University. Photo: © Aalen University | Nichola Adams

A newly signed cooperation agreement was handed over to the guests, Prof. George van Schoor and Prof. Kenneth Richard Uren - both professors in the School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering - as part of the return visit from South Africa's North-West University (NWU). This formalized the new partnership with the university, which is located southwest of Johannesburg in Potcheftsroom.

In spring, Aalen professors Prof. Dr. Markus Kley and Prof. Dr. Steffen Schwarzer visited North-West University in South Africa to discuss joint research interests, and particularly the exchange of international students. Recently, Prof. George van Schoor and Prof. Kenneth Richard Uren came to Aalen for a return visit, during which the next steps for cooperation were discussed with representatives of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Faculty of Management and Business Science. In addition to joint research proposals and publications, there will also be an ongoing student exchange program and possibly also a double degree program at the two universities.

During their visit, the two South African professors had the opportunity to get a personal impression of the research activities at Aalen University. To this end, the visitors were given an overview of current projects in the laboratories of the Industry 4.0 Center and at various drive test benches. Particularly in the field of applied AI for data analysis, common research interests were quickly identified, which will initially lead to a joint publication.

The partnership with North-West University complements Aalen University's previous cooperations in South Africa, a very attractive destination country for Aalen students for an exchange semester. Students now have the choice between the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein, a partnership which has existed for over twenty years, the Vaal University of Technology in Vanderbijlpark, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town and now also the North-West University in Potcheftsroom. “Those who study at Aalen University not only study at one of the strongest German universities for applied sciences in terms of research but can also align their studies internationally and go abroad to do either a study semester and/or an internship abroad. Around 140 university partnerships on all continents as well as a close-knit industrial network open all doors for Aalen University graduates for their future professional careers,” explains Pascal Cromm, Director of the International Relations Office.