"Innovations only happen if we stay in motion"

With Jülich Innovation Day, Campus Jülich celebrates 50 years of FH Aachen and 10 years of the newly built campus

"Nothing is as constant as change," Prof. Dr. Bernd Pietschmann, Rector of FH Aachen, said at the ceremonial act held as part of Jülich Innovation Day. The event took place on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the FH Aachen and the 10th anniversary of the new FH Campus in Jülich. What started in the sixties as a state school of engineering for mechanical engineering has since developed into an application-oriented, internationally oriented research location with three faculties and numerous institutes of FH Aachen. This is mainly due to the steady development, which the Rector of FH Aachen looks upon with pride: "Innovations only happen if we stay in motion," says Pietschmann. "Universities of Applied Sciences stay in motion in order to create sustainable solutions." This way, the local structural change is to be accompanied in a profitable manner. The campus is of great importance in this regard: "Jülich is not the second location of FH Aachen, but, together with the Aachen location, Jülich is FH Aachen." He went on to say that the university was taking the opportunity to present the Jülich location as an essential part of the university within the framework of its anniversary.

At the beginning of Innovation Day, guests had the opportunity to gain an insight into the research activities and degree programmes offered by the three faculties of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Medical Technology and Technomathematics, and Energy Technology at the Jülich campus. In the afternoon, the official ceremonial act took place, where guests from science and politics, along with representatives of FH Aachen, discussed the prospects for the up-and-coming campus. Jülich campus spokesperson Prof. Dr. Volker Sander spoke about the new campus buildings on Merscher Höhe, which celebrated ztheir10th anniversary in 2020, as well as about the successful development of Campus Jülich. Since it opened ten years ago, the number of students has risen from 2,800 to 3,800. In his short talk, he presented the steps in the development of the campus: the expansion of the dining hall, the construction of a new lecture hall building, and the soon to be built sports campus at the Jülich location by the end of 2024. With a digital greeting, Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, congratulated FH Aachen: "We need innovations and contributions from smart minds. We need research, ideas and a founding spirit to master the future."

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Gisela Engeln-Müllges, acting Chairwoman of the University Council and Honorary Senator, Wolfgang Spelthahn, District Administrator of the District of Düren, Thomas Rachel, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Thorsten Menne from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Prof. Dr. Christof Schelthoff, Vice Rector for Strategic Planning, Financing and Controlling at FH Aachen, all participated in the subsequent discussion panel. They talked about the developmental possibilities of the location and that the structural change was emerging as the greatest challenge for the region. "FH Aachen can make a contribution to making structural change a success," State Secretary Thomas Rachel explained and continued: "Knowledge must be transferred into services and products. Content must provide impetus for the future." As a surprise guest, "Prof. Friedrich Moninger" - an actor from the Hamburg "Scharlatane" named Bernd Hellsteller - entertained the audience with a comedic interlude about the changes in communication brought about by the internet. The ceremonial act was completed by the musical accompaniment of the jazz quintet "Mintett" of FH Aachen under the direction of Boris Bansbach.

We would like to thank our anniversary partner Kabelwerk Eupen as well as our event partners National Instruments, Leitungspartner, Sparkasse Düren and Stadtwerke Düren.