Opening of AVL-TU Graz Transmission Centers

On 31st of May 2017 AVL List GmbH and Graz University of Technology jointly opened the world's most powerful competence centre for research and development of novel transmission systems.

The AVL-TU Graz Transmission Center is anchored in the Field of Expertise Mobility & Production, one of five strategic research fields of Graz University of Technology.

Helmut List, CEO of AVL, explains his company's intention: "From the development of sophisticated system solutions to their industrial implementation, it is a long road that we are now taking in an even closer partnership with Graz University of Technology in the field of electrification of transmission systems. In this way we will ensure that AVL continues to expand its international leading position in research and development of state-of-the-art drive solutions".

TU Graz Rector Harald Kainz also welcomes the intensified cooperation with AVL List: "The AVL-TU Graz Transmission Center takes the already strong partnership between AVL and TU Graz to a new level and contributes to further strengthening the worldwide visibility of the location in research, teaching and further education in the field of automotive drive technology.

Specific cooperation model

The type and scope of the cooperation is a novelty in the collaboration between university and company. In its entirety, the Transmission Competence Centre is one of the best equipped and most efficient centres worldwide, with a unique combination of test rig technology and measurement technology. The investment costs of the two partners for the first expansion stage amount to seven million euros.
In this Transmission Competence Centre, students and experienced researchers from Graz University of Technology will work together with AVL developers to research special topics in transmission technology and complete projects. Hannes Hick, head of the Institute for machine components and methods of development at Graz University of Technology and responsible for the Transmission Center explains: "For us the cooperation with AVL within the framework of the Transmission Center is a milestone in research and teaching. Our students will not only find a powerful and ultra-modern research environment for their scientific work related to automotive transmission technology, but also the perfect partnership for the targeted and rapid combination of their research work with business-specific requirements of industry". The junior engineers at Graz University of Technology are directly integrated into the research institution and the ongoing research projects, thus preparing them in the best possible way for their profession and career in industry and business.

With this state-of-the-art research environment, the Institute for machine components and methods of development at Graz University of Technology ranks among the top institutes worldwide in this field. The test bench infrastructure at the Transmission Competence Center is also available to other companies in coordination with AVL. Further test bench capacities at the location are already being planned.