Bosch
Connected to
ideas
The new research campus in Renningen is the hub of Bosch’s global research and development network
F
ollowing several years of planning and construction, Bosch’s new research campus in Renningen, Germany, was officially opened on October 14th 2015 at a ceremony attended by high profile business, politics and academia guests such as Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel. Bringing together many faculties, the research campus is Bosch’s very own Stanford, with the company wanting its researchers to be entrepreneurial when it comes to research and innovation as a way to maintain prosperity. Indeed, with the campus bringing together disciplines from science and technology, including electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science or microsystems technology, the company will ensure it stays one step ahead of competition in growing markets such as mobility solutions, industrial technology, consumer goods and building technology. Today a total of 14 new buildings have been erected on a space of 100 hectares in Renningen, and the total size of the new centre has reached almost 110,000 square metres. Twelve of the 14 buildings have been laid out
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in line with the model of a university campus in mind and have been distributed over 32 hectares at the northern end of the property. Meanwhile, the laboratory and workshop buildings have been connected via paned bridges and transparent connecting buildings; an open style that aims to promote communication and co-operation through a range of scientific disciplines. In the middle of the campus will be a number of generous green spaces and bodies of water, while the towering central building, at 60 metres high, will be the visual highlight of the campus. Created as the heart of the new campus’s research and advance engineering operations, the central building will feature rooms for site management functions on the basement and ground floor, while part of the site’s logistics are also located on the lower floors. Meanwhile, the building’s upper floors include a conference centre, offices and laboratories; it is here that Bosch researchers will work in the electronic labs while focusing on software intensive systems. There will also be a multi-purpose room for sporting and cultural activities and a library. Costing more than 310 million euros,
Renningen is setting new standards for technological research as a total of 1200 associates in corporate research and advance engineering and 5000 PhD students and interns strive to find solutions to the technical challenges of the future. Before the official opening, these researchers were based at three areas in greater Stuttgart, however, with everyone now operating under one campus, there are opportunities for associates to network in different research locations and scientific disciplines; this is something that Bosch is keen to develop through the creation of its hub for R&D that boasts the motto of being ‘Connected for millions of ideas’. In line with this focus on enterprise and entrepreneurship, Bosch understands that a start-up spirit is key to ongoing innovation; with this in mind, the company paid close attention to working conditions in Renningen through the development of a modern work environment. Creating a campus that is also an entire workplace, Renningen has WiFi connections in every building and all over the grounds, while laptops, tablet computers and voice over Internet means work can take place in any area