The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is taking on the coordination of a new DAAD center of excellence, thereby sending a strong signal for German-African cooperation in energy research. Starting in 2026, the African-German Center for Just Energy Transition will be established in collaboration with four South African partner universities. The consortium will receive around four million euros in funding from the German government until 2030.
Andreas Heddergott / TUM Young scientists from Africa will work with researchers at TUM to develop practical solutions for an environmentally and socially compatible energy transition. The focus will be on the integration of renewable energies, the creation of new labor markets, and the energy supply in rural regions, among other things.
The center will be run in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Johannesburg, Tshwane University of Technology, and the University of Venda. It aims to contribute to the transfer of research results into practice in business, politics, and civil society in southern Africa.
The DAAD grant of four million euros for an initial period of five years is financed by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space . The aim of the project is to provide high-quality, interdisciplinary student training, build institutional capacity, and develop postdoctoral and doctoral programs. In addition, living labs are being created - from rural and urban mini-grids to political and entrepreneurial ecosystems. These offer practical learning spaces where research is directly linked to social benefits.
TUM's "Global South" initiative
"The center of excellence is a central component of our strategic engagement in the Global South," emphasizes Prof. Juliane Winkelmann , Executive Vice President of TUM for International Alliances and Alumni. "Together with our local partners, we want to work on solutions to the global challenges of our time and pave the way for a socially just and sustainable energy transition in South Africa and beyond. Together, we are shaping the energy transition of tomorrow - fair, sustainable, and innovative."
The consortium is led by Prof. Frank-Martin Belz , Professorship of Entrepreneurial Sustainability at the TUM School of Management and Director of the TUM SEED Center : "The consortium is based on a decentralized governance model that ensures shared responsibility, equal representation, and collective decision-making. It combines international research excellence with local knowledge to promote a fair, resilient, and sustainable energy transition in South Africa. To shape the transition to a climate-neutral energy system, it is necessary to link technology, policy, and sustainable entrepreneurship to create marketable, socially just, and long-term sustainable solutions."
