FAQ about the Innovation Campus Lemgo

State-of-the-art technology for the teaching of the future

The Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts is one of the ten most research-intensive universities of applied sciences in Germany. At the three locations of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the "Innovation Campus Lemgo", the "Creative Campus Detmold" and the "Sustainable Campus Höxter", students can learn and research in more than 60 bachelor and master degree programs. At the Lemgo site, TH OWL is constructing two new buildings for the Life Science Technologies, Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering departments and the Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics department. The new buildings will house modern laboratories and seminar rooms.

Exchange between teaching, research, industry and trade

TH OWL lives the symbiosis of teaching and research. This means that students not only benefit from the findings of current research projects, but also accompany them from conception to presentation of the results. New buildings such as the InnovationSPIN and the Future Food Factory OWL offer plenty of space for exchange and joint work.

The InnovationSPIN, for example, is a joint project of the district of Lippe, the Paderborn-Lippe district craftsmen's association and the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Univeristy of Applied Sciences and Arts. Through the cooperation of these different institutions, the exchange between research, teaching and the craft practice is promoted. Partnerships are created that make the region strong for the work of the future.

In the rooms of the InnovationSPIN, for example, training and seminar rooms on the topic of care are being created, equipped with care beds with modern sensor technology. In the Innovation Lab Mobility of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts in the InnovationSPIN, workshop, storage and assembly areas are being created in addition to training and seminar rooms. Here, the focus is on research questions such as autonomous driving on roads and rails or drive technologies in electric vehicles. Scientists from a wide range of disciplines at the OStwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts are working on solutions here together with the skilled trades, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups.

The Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts was opened in 1971 and celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2021. The artistic design of the reinforced concrete columns at the main entrance and the concrete slabs of the parapet cladding were created by Detmold artist Karl Ehlers. The concrete surfaces in the foyer were designed by the Hamburg artist Gerhard Hauptmann. The building is listed as a historical monument.

As in almost all universities built in the 1970s, paints, joint sealants and carpet adhesives containing PCB were used. This was used until the 1980s as a plasticizer in paints, sealants, insulating materials and plastics. If the concentration is too high, this substance can have an effect on health.

The Lemgo site of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts will be completely renovated by the Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb Nordrhein-Westfalen (BLB NRW) in four construction phases from 2020 to 2022.

The members of the Innovation Campus Lemgo have obtained funding for some of the new buildings being constructed on campus. For the realization of the buildings, for example, subsidies are available from the EU, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia or the Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW. These are paid out as part of funding projects such as REGIONALE 2022, OP EFRE NRW or the Hochschulbau-Konsolidierungsprogramm (HKoP). However, private investments, such as the Science-to-Business Center for company settlement or the daycare center, also contribute to rapid development.

The Lemgo site has grown steadily since the university was founded in the 1970s. Currently, around 6,600 students are learning and researching at the three Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts locations. Around 3,700 young people study at the Lemgo site.

Unique alliance of players from education, science, business, trades

The Innovation Campus Lemgo is an alliance of players from education, science and business/trade that is unique in this form in Germany. At just one campus between Liebigstraße and Lüttfeld, people of all ages can take advantage of offerings from the entire educational chain. Starting with early childhood education in the daycare center, through vocational schools, vocational colleges, the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts, to a craftsmen's training center and top companies from the East Westphalia-Lippe region.

Entire education chain, location of major companies, cradle for start-ups - all on one campus

At the Innovation Campus Lemgo, the entire innovation chain of the digital economy is concentrated in one place - from career orientation, education and training, and studies to research, development, and start-ups. In this way, the Innovation Campus Lemgo makes a significant contribution to strengthening regional innovative power and thus to the economic development of the region.

With the students of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the specialists from the vocational colleges and researchers, the campus will become an attractive location for companies that want to settle in Lemgo and create jobs. In terms of urban development, the Innovation Campus Lemgo will be connected step by step to the historic old town of Lemgo and the culture in Lippe.

Local recreation - a place for relaxation and inspiration

At the Innovation Campus, in addition to the Campus Wiese, the Campus Boulevard is also being created, consisting of the East Boulevard and the West Boulevard. This boulevard - which extends from Campusallee in the south to Hornschen Weg in the north - forms a connection between the campus and the city center. At the edge of the boulevard, green spaces, rows of trees, seating and lounging options, as well as an outdoor restaurant will be created in the area of the InnovationSPIN. An area-wide WLAN connection is available.

Connecting people - Innovative educational and vocational offerings

The Innovation Campus Lemgo brings people, ideas and technologies together. The goal is to network players along the innovation chain of education, research and business at one location. The campus offers programs for the entire educational biography. Starting with early childhood education in the daycare center to school, vocational and academic education, represented by the vocational colleges and the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with research institutes such as Fraunhofer IOSB-INA.

Talent factory for regional and national industry

All educational programs at Innovation Campus Lemgo are dedicated to practical education and research with high relevance for industry and business in the region. Companies from the region can solve current problems together with the research institutions. At the same time, the educational institutions at the ICL are a talent factory for the regional and national economy and thus counteract the acute shortage of skilled workers. Graduates and scientists settle in the region with their families and revitalize it. Almost half of the graduates of theOstwestfalen-lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts remain in the region after graduation and are available to companies as skilled workers.

Venue - there's something for everyone here

Through events such as the open day at the university, the Monday series, the Lemgo short film reel, the offers of the observatory at the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts or the university information days for pupils, the Ostwestfalen-lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts as a member of the Innovation Campus Lemgo enriches the cultural life of the region and brings citizens closer to important topics from science and research. In addition, the sports and cultural events in the PHOENIX CONTACT arena are a highlight for different groups of the population.

Business incubator - for more entrepreneurial diversity in the region

A business incubator and a master's degree program at the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Un iversity of Applied Sciences and Arts specifically promote the founding of new companies. In the master's program "Applied Entrepreneurship", founders can study their own idea and work with lecturers to advance product, financing and marketing.

With the Campus Meadow and the West and East Boulevards, green spaces for lingering and relaxing are to be created at the Innovation Campus Lemgo. Meadows, trees, loungers and benches, outdoor catering and an event area will make the campus a place for leisure and recreation in the future.

The east and west boulevards will create a path that will run south to the main building of the Technical University and meet Hornscher Weg in the north. Visitors to the campus will quickly reach the Historic Old Town of Lemgo and local public transportation stops via Hornscher Weg and Bunsenstraße. The new Auenpark, which will be built from the beginning of 2021 along the Bega River, from the Langenbrücker Tor toward Regenstorplatz, will provide a new, green path connection between Lemgo's city center and the new recreational area at Innovation Campus Lemgo.

The students and vocational students from the vocational colleges come mainly from the district of Lippe to the Innovation Campus Lemgo.

As a place to study, the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts is known and popular far beyond the borders of Lemgo and Lippe. Two-thirds of the first-year students who choose a bachelor's degree program come from East Westphalia-Lippe. A good 10 percent come from the rest of North Rhine-Westphalia and another 10 percent from other German states. Each year, about 10 percent of international students also start their bachelor's studies in Lemgo. In the master's programs, the percentage of students who have earned their university entrance qualification abroad and come to Lemgo to study is much higher. Currently, about 30 percent of the master's students come from abroad.

Public transport connection of the ICL

The Innovation Campus Lemgo can be easily reached by public transport (ÖPNV). The train station "Innovation Campus Lemgo / Lemgo Lüttfeld" is located directly at the campus. The Eurobahn RB 73, also called "Lipperländer", connects the cities of Bielefeld and Lemgo hourly between about six in the morning and about zero at night. The CampusExpress express bus line connects the Detmold Creative Campus with the Lemgo Innovation Campus. From January 2021, this fast connection will be extended to the Kalletal - Lemgo - Detmold route. It will run hourly until 9 p.m. in the evening.

With three bus stops at the Berufskolleg, PHOENIX CONTACT arena and Liebigstraße, the various institutions are easily accessible.

Official directions to the ICL

Signage to the Innovation Campus Lemgo directs residents at the appropriate intersections and traffic circles in Lemgo via Braker Weg and then via Bunsenstraße to the campus. This official routing aims to equalize traffic in the residential areas along Detmolder Weg and Liebigstraße.

Reduction of the built-up parking area

The Innovation Campus Lemgo aims to provide its employees and visitors with as much parking space as necessary. At the same time, as little space as possible should be built on.

The city of Lemgo has adopted a parking space statute for the Innovation Campus Lemgo with the possibility of redemption, which limits the parking spaces at the individual buildings to a maximum of eight spaces. The fees for additional parking spaces will be used, among other things, to finance the expansion of the public transport system and additional bicycle parking spaces. Further necessary parking spaces will be bundled in central collective parking facilities in order to seal as little area as possible.  

As part of the preparation of the development plan, the city of Lemgo commissioned a traffic and noise study in order to be able to reliably represent the increase in traffic volume due to the planned development of the campus area. The expected change in traffic distribution due to the tying up of Campusallee is also considered in this expert opinion. The appraisal considers campus development in two stages. In the first step, the experts consider the traffic volume taking into account the measures in the course of 2020. In the second step, they forecast the traffic volume until 2030.

Complementing this traffic study, these developments will also be studied in terms of noise through 2030.

Research on digital parking guidance system

Fraunhofer IOSB-INA, located at the Innovation Campus Lemgo, is conducting research on a digital parking guidance system together with inIT (the Institute for Industrial Information Technology at the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Univeristy of Applied Sciences and Arts) and other partners. Using the Innovation Campus Lemgo as an example, the institute is researching what infrastructure is suitable, what hardware is necessary, and what data sets are required to be able to respond optimally to a high volume of traffic and parking at events, for example at the PHOENIX CONTACT arena.

As part of the research activity, Fraunhofer IOSB-INA has set up digital panels around the campus in Lemgo. Tests are being conducted to determine the extent to which these can also be used for a parking guidance function, how they can be embedded in the data infrastructure, and how they are accepted by users.

The testing, integration and piloting of digital information and guidance systems are sub-projects at Fraunhofer IOSB-INA in the context of research into digitization strategies and methods for small and medium-sized cities.

A test run for a possible parking control system is planned for the beginning of 2021. Among other things, image sensors will be used to count incoming and outgoing vehicles. The aim of the research is to avoid parking lot search traffic.