ZIRKON takes off!
After a one-year transition phase, the iTN+IOT joint institute will become a new institute in Zittau from January.
On January 6, 2021, the two research institutes at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences— iTN and IOT —merged to form a joint institute: the Joint Institute for Sustainable Process Development, Surface Technology, and Peat and Natural Materials Research— iTN+IOT for short. The goal of this merger was to create synergies for the research conducted by both institutes and to establish optimal structures for the long-term future.
The time has come! Following a one-year transition phase, the iTN+IOT Joint Institute will become the Zittau Institute for Process Development, Circular Economy, Surface Technology, and Natural Products Research— “ZIRKON” — at Zittau/GörlitzUniversity of Applied Sciences , effective January 1, 2022.
The organizational structure introduced for the joint institute, consisting of subject-specific working groups
- Sustainable Processes and Methods for Material Processing and Recycling,
- Soil Science, Geotechnical Engineering, and Landfill Management; Peat and Natural Products,
- Bioeconomy,
- Surface Treatment and Analytics
has become established and proven effective. This structure, along with the dedication of the professors and staff conducting research at the joint institute, has already yielded good results in project work and led to the acquisition of new projects and networks. In addition, new collaborations for applied industrial research have been established. As planned in 2020, the institute will now continue on this path under a new name and, soon, with a new logo.
With Prof. Dr. Martin Sturm as Institute Director and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Schoenherr as President in an advisory capacity, ZIRKON’s expertise and networks will be further expanded, and new developments—such as topics related to the circular economy—will be effectively supported.
