TUM Opens Convergence Center, NEURA-Powered RoboGym

TUM opens its Convergence Center and TUM RoboGym powered by NEURA at Munich Airport. Students, researchers and industry partners come together to develop tomorrow's technologies.

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) has opened its new TUM Convergence Center at Munich Airport's LabCampus. The new location brings together students, researchers, partners from industry and civil society, and the public to develop new ideas, technologies, and solutions for the future. Its focus areas include robotics, artificial intelligence, mobility, and technology transfer. The opening also makes Munich Airport a university location.

Guided by the motto "One Place. Countless Talents. Unlimited Creativity.", the center is taking shape as a place where research, teaching, innovation, and dialogue come together. The TUM Convergence Center brings research facilities, living labs, continuing education programs, and student initiatives together under one roof. These include KI.Fabrik, the TUM Future Work LivingLab, and TUMorrowHub for TUM Student Clubs. Further initiatives by researchers, the TUM Think Tank, and the Institute for Lifelong Learning will expand this emerging ecosystem over the coming months.

"With the TUM Convergence Center, we are creating a place at LabCampus where scientific excellence translates into tangible impact. Here, students, researchers, and partners do not meet only at the end of a development process. They work together on responsible technologies from the very beginning. This is what an entrepreneurial university means to us: nurturing talent, overcoming disciplinary boundaries, and translating knowledge into innovations for society."

Thomas F. Hofmann, President of the Technical University of Munich

Putting robotics and AI into practice

A central feature of the new location is the TUM RoboGym powered by NEURA. Jointly developed by TUM MIRMI and NEURA Robotics, this living lab provides a scientific environment for research and education in physical AI that is unique in Europe. Here, humanoid and other cognitive robots train for real-world applications under realistic conditions. As the first location in the global NEURA Gym network, RoboGym connects cutting-edge research with industrial applications.

TUM MIRMI is a key pillar of Bavaria's Hightech Agenda in intelligent robotics, combining research in robotics, machine perception, and artificial intelligence with the transfer of research into practice.

"Physical AI becomes relevant when intelligent machines can act reliably in the real world. At the TUM RoboGym powered by NEURA, we combine scientific excellence with a training environment that connects directly with industry. This creates a place where robots can learn skills, develop them further, and, in time, share them with one another."

David Reger, Founder and CEO of NEURA Robotics

Jost Lammers, CEO of Flughafen München GmbH, says: "With TUM, we are strengthening Munich Airport as an innovation hub of international standing. At LabCampus, scientific excellence and business practice come together directly to make tomorrow's technologies a reality sooner. In the future, Munich Airport will not only send passengers on their way, but also ideas for the future."

Bavarian Science Minister Markus Blume emphasizes the importance of the new location for research, innovation, and nurturing talent: "Even robots need training before they can help us in everyday life - and here at LabCampus, we are building their gym. One thing is clear: the next industrial revolution will be decided wherever knowledge is turned into reality. That is precisely where the TUM Convergence Center and RoboGym come in. TUM is a global leader in robotics research, and NEURA Robotics is one of the most exciting rising stars in an industry that is changing the world. Now, they are coming together at LabCampus. NEURA Robotics made a deliberate choice to partner with Bavaria and TUM. That speaks to the strength of our ecosystem. We have critical mass here - a concentration of talent and technology that few other locations in Europe can match. The TUM Convergence Center is more than a research site. It is an interdisciplinary powerhouse driving Bavaria's technological future and an innovation hub for all of Europe."

Albert Füracker, Bavarian State Minister of Finance and Home Affairs, highlights the importance of connections: "Munich Airport connects Bavaria with the entire world-not only by air, but also, at LabCampus, through science, research, technology, and progress. With the TUM Convergence Center, this internationally connected location is gaining a platform that brings together cutting-edge research, bright minds, and strong companies. In doing so, the Free State of Bavaria is creating key conditions for new technologies, sustainable value creation, and a competitive Bavaria."

Hubert Aiwanger, Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, sees great potential in the new technologies: "Whether on the factory floor, in a skilled trades business, or in care settings, intelligent robots can do valuable work everywhere. They transport materials, assemble components, or take on physically demanding routine tasks. This eases the burden on employees and frees them up for tasks that call for human skills. Especially in the face of skilled labor shortages, this is an enormous opportunity for our businesses."

Following the opening, an Innovation Festival gave visitors a firsthand look at the breadth of activities at the new location. Invited guests from government, research, and industry explored the TUM RoboGym powered by NEURA, KI.Fabrik, the TUM Future Work LivingLab, and numerous Student Club projects from TUMorrowHub. Talks, demonstrations, and interactive sessions showed how researchers, talented students, and partners work together to develop the technologies of tomorrow.