Two Partners – One Vision

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) represents the merger of the Universität Karlsruhe with the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. Thus, there arises one of the largest research institutions in Europe. KIT combines two partners of similar size, resulting in roundabout 8000 employees and an annual budget of about 700 million Euros. In December 2007, a cooperation treaty was signed which provides the legal prerequisite for the merger. With the decision of the Federal Republic of Germany and the federal state of Baden-Württemberg to have both institutions merge in a public corporation from 2009, KIT now takes form and comes to life. Last details are worked upon with the aim to create a common statute. KIT will be an institution with two missions - that of a state-funded university focusing on teaching and research and that of a large-scale research centre within the Helmholtz Association. In sum, KIT stands for excellence in Research, Teaching, and Innovation.