BASF and Heidelberg University Inaugurate New Catalysis Research Laboratory
Research cooperation on research for tomorrow's innovations
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It's all systems go for the new catalysis research laboratory (CaRLa) of BASF Aktiengesellschaft and the Ruprecht-Karls University of Heidelberg in Heidelberg's Technology Park. Günther H. Oettinger, premier of the state of Baden-Württemberg, officially opened the EUR1.5 million project today.
An international research team consisting of six university and six BASF scientists will be working to develop new homogeneous catalysts in the Heidelberg Technology Park. "This collaboration is a brand new and path-breaking form of technology transfer in Germany", emphasized premier Oettinger. "I hope that cooperation between researchers from universities and industry on joint campus-based projects will become increasingly common."
CaRLa covers the entire spectrum of research from basic research to industry-specific applications. "This makes CaRLa an ideal project for conducting research jointly with industry, a goal contained in our strategy paper", stated Prof. Peter Hommelhoff, President of Heidelberg University. "Knowledge transfer and applications are playing an increasingly big role in our university's strategy for the future."
CaRLa will be headed by BASF researcher Dr. Christoph Jäkel, who has been working since 2002 on the development and use of homogeneous catalysts in BASF's Chemicals Research & Engineering field. Together with Prof. Peter Hofmann, head of the special research field "Molecular Catalysts: Structure and Functional Design", Dr. Jäkel will also assume scientific management of the laboratory.