Holiday Break
About us
The Department of Mechanical Engineering is part of KIT's Area 3 "Mechanical and Electrical Engineering" together with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, four Helmholtz programs, and eight institutes of the large-scale research area. The department consists of more than 20 institutes with about 1,000 employees, including about 45 professors, 460 scientific employees, and 200 employees in administration and technology. In addition, there are several hundred tutors and scientific assistants.
Five prizewinners from Heilbronn, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Stuttgart and Tübingen receive prize money totaling 250,000 euros. The special prize of 5,000 euros goes to a university group from Karlsruhe, in recognition of the outstanding commitment of the university group Engineers Without Borders.
Press release from the state of Baden-Württemberg
Incoming orders in the mechanical and plant engineering sector in Germany rose by 4% in real terms in October compared to the same month last year. This was driven by non-euro countries, which contributed a 9% increase in orders. Orders from Germany and euro partner countries remained at the previous year's level, while orders from abroad grew by 6 percent.
Yesterday, Nov. 19, 2025, we were pleased to welcome many interested pupils at the Study Information Day, who came to the Department of Mechanical Engineering desk in the Audimax to get advice, attend taster lectures and guided tours and marvel at our exhibits.
Thanks to the advisory team, all speakers and participants. We look forward to the next Study Info Day in November 2026.
Heat-resistant, radiation-resistant and industrially producible - this is how the proverbial "first wall" of future fusion power plants should withstand the extreme conditions inside the reactor. KIT researchers are developing new materials and production processes together with partners from science and industry under the coordination of the laser fusion company Focused Energy. The BMFTR is funding the joint project with around 11 million euros.
Damp meadows, steep slopes and loose soils often pose a challenge for agricultural vehicles. Together with an industrial partner, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a new drive system that safely drives off-road vehicles through difficult terrain. It replaces conventional differentials with individually controllable gears on each wheel. This makes it possible to master terrain that was previously impassable.
Reducing the consumption of fossil fuels - a new material could contribute to this in aircraft engines and gas turbines in the future. A team at KIT has developed a refractory metal alloy with a novel combination of chromium, molybdenum and silicon that is malleable at room temperature, stable at a melting temperature of around 2,000 degrees Celsius even at high temperatures and at the same time resistant to oxidation. DOI 10.1038/s41586-025-09516-8 Press release
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