Simmersfeld. The ninth edition of the Boysen Doctoral Students' Days focused on building bridges between university research and industrial practice. Since 2013, doctoral students, professors and company representatives have been meeting regularly to exchange information about the interim status of research projects funded by the Friedrich and Elisabeth Boysen Foundation.
The event is now an integral part of the many years of funding by the Boysen Foundation, which has been investing considerable funds in scientific projects in the field of environmental protection since 1996. With up to two million euros annually, it supports numerous research topics at the University of Stuttgart, the Technical University of Dresden and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
In his welcoming address, Boysen CEO Rolf Geisel emphasised the importance of university research for the future viability of Germany as a business location. In doing so, he appealed to the 75 participants not only to gather scientific knowledge, but above all to keep an eye on practical application: "We need not only research, but also innovation. This means that the theoretical findings must later also be turned into practical and profitable solutions for the economy."
This is not always easy and requires a certain amount of pressure, "but in times of technological change and the energy transition, this effort is all the more important". After all, the Boysen Group also has a daily obligation to deliver top performance in order to be able to supply its customers despite difficult conditions as a result of the Corona pandemic, semiconductor shortages and material bottlenecks due to the Ukraine war.
The scientists proved that the research projects are being steered in the right direction in this respect in 15- minute technical presentations each. The doctoral students from the first funding year were exempt from this, as they presented their topics in two-minute pitches in view of the still short processing time and answered further questions in a subsequent round of talks.
Sabrina Haubold from the Institute of Aerodynamics and Gas Dynamics at the University of Stuttgart has been working on her research project since 2021 and was already at the Doctoral Students' Days for the second time. In her doctoral project, she is looking at airflow simulations on wind turbines to predict noise pollution.
"Based on the simulation results, we can redirect the air flows in a targeted manner via suction devices on the rotor blades and thus reduce the noise," explains the doctoral student. For her, the focus on the benefits for the energy transition is particularly important: "In the end, we make a valuable contribution with these measures because we can dispel doubts about the technology and thus increase acceptance of wind energy." She sees the format of the doctoral student days as "the ideal opportunity to receive feedback from experts, to broaden one's own perspective and to network with other disciplines".
The Chairman of the Board of the Friedrich and Elisabeth Boysen Foundation, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefanos Fasoulas, was impressed by the quality of the interim results. He thanked the doctoral students for their enthusiasm for science: "With your work, you are making a significant contribution to solving the global challenges in the field of environmental technology and protection."
The two-day event was traditionally rounded off with a factory tour of the Boysen production site in Simmersfeld. The participants were given an insight into the digitally networked factory and learned more about the Boysen Group's transformation steps. The prototype parts of the hydrogen tank systems that are currently being developed and built at Boysen were of particular interest.
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The core business of the Boysen Group, headquartered in Altensteig (Baden-Württemberg), is the development and production of high-performance exhaust systems and components for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and off- highway applications. In addition to the three main customers Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the exhaust technology specialist works for the German car manufacturers Volkswagen and Porsche, the English brands Bentley and Rolls-Royce, the commercial vehicle manufacturers Daimler and MAN, and in the field of off-highway applications for Krauss Maffei, mtu, Voith and others
In the course of technological change within the automotive industry, Boysen is focusing not only on innovative exhaust technologies but also on new product groups that can be used in all vehicles - regardless of the type of drive. The foundation company sees another important component of its future strategy in the field of energy technology, with a particular focus on topics such as hydrogen, fuel cells and stationary energy storage.
The Boysen Group currently employs around 5,200 people at 27 sites in Germany and abroad. In addition to the development sites in Altensteig and Nagold, Boysen has production sites in Altensteig, Simmersfeld, Heubach, Salching, Ingolstadt, Plauen and Achim as well as in France, Egypt, South Africa, India, China, Mexico, Serbia, Romania and the USA.
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For further questions please contact:
Christian Grimm
Marketing Team Leader
BIN Boysen Innovationszentrum Nagold GmbH & Co. KG
Carl-Friedrich-Gauss-Str. 4
72202 Nagold
Tel. 07452/8408-200
Fax 07452/8408-8200
E-mail christian.grimm(at)bin.boysen-online.de
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