Innovation catalyst for glass companies in Bavaria and beyond: 10 years of TAZ Spiegelau

It was founded in 2012 with the support of the municipality of Spiegelau, the district of Freyung-Grafenau, and the Free State of Bavaria. As a branch of the Technical University of Deggendorf (THD), and in cooperation with the University of Bayreuth, it bundles competence in the research and development related to glass and its value chain.

What is so special about TAZ? The focus is equally on the digital economy, sustainable management, innovative processes, and new materials. Currently, issues are being explored that were already on the radar when TAZ was founded, but have found new relevance today, e.g. saving energy in the face of drastic price increases and fluctuations, and coping with the shortage of skilled workers.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Gerdes, head of Keylab Glass Technology at the University of Bayreuth, nominee for the German Future Prize 2020, and co-founder of TAZ, describes the role of science in TAZ: "Together with partners from the glass industry, we are driving forward the development of new types of glass products, and working together on the topics of glass recycling, glass melting, and glass shaping. The needs of the manufacturers, those of the market, requirements from government and the latest developments in technology all come together in this way." Indeed, this close cooperation with regional and supra-regional industrial partners is a special feature of TAZ. "By bundling and jointly expanding competency, a strong foundation has been laid in Spiegelau, in a region with a long glassmaking tradition, for a centre also distinguished by its close network with companies all along the process chain of glass production," says Gerdes. One of its pillars is the ERDF-funded Glass Technology Alliance Upper Franconia-East Bavaria with over 20 company partners. These strong networks are there to support regional SMEs meeting the challenges of moving towards climate-neutral glass production and towards a "circular economy".

" TAZ is not only an important interface between science and industry," explains University President Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible, "it also cooperates across university borders in exemplary fashion." As early as 2010, during the planning phase for TAZ-Spiegelau, the University of Bayreuth and the Technical University of Deggendorf worked closely together and agreed not only on the content, but also on the concept of collegial scientific management across university boundaries. Today, TAZ is jointly managed scientifically by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Gerdes from the University of Bayreuth and Prof. Dr. Harald Zimmermann from THD.

Since 2017, glass research at the University of Bayreuth has been bundled and expanded in the Keylab Glass Technology. Its success is in no small part due to its close cooperation with TAZ Spiegelau, the implementation of joint research projects, the exchange of personnel, and the well-coordinated joint development of excellent research infrastructure. This year alone, at least two more joint doctorates (the doctorate at an academy of science with supervision by a university) are set to begin at TAZ.

Details: https://www.th-deg.de/taz-spiegelau