Experience innovations in action
Learn how our innovations work in practice
Cooperations & PartnershipsDeveloping innovation together
The best innovations arise from collaboration. That is why we work with universities, research institutes, and industry partners around the world. Together, we combine scientific excellence with industrial practice to develop solutions for the challenges of tomorrow — from decarbonization and digitalization to the mobility of the future.
Developing knowledge together
Our university partnerships lay the foundation for tomorrow’s innovations. Together with leading universities, we combine basic research with industrial applications while also supporting the next generation of scientists. This fosters long-term collaborations that give rise to new technologies, research projects, and training programs.
Working together to advance decarbonization
RWTH Aachen and thyssenkrupp Steel
thyssenkrupp Steel has maintained close ties with various departments at RWTH Aachen University for many years. For several years now, these joint projects have focused on decarbonization. Among these, the Institute for Metallurgical Process Engineering and Metal Recycling (IME) is a new partner of thyssenkrupp Steel and possesses proven expertise in the field of electric furnaces and their industrial applications. The long-standing collaboration with the Chair of Sustainability in Construction (INaB) in the field of life cycle assessment and environmental impact analysis is now being further strengthened through accompanying doctoral projects.
Developing logistics for the industry of tomorrow
TU Dortmund and Fraunhofer IML – thyssenkrupp Competence Center Logistics (tkCCL)
The thyssenkrupp Competence Center Logistics (tkCCL) is a three-way collaboration established in 2011 between several thyssenkrupp business units, TU Dortmund University, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML). The focus is on application-oriented logistics research along industrial value chains. Through the Graduate School of Logistics (GSofLog) at TU Dortmund University, thyssenkrupp also provides targeted support for early-career researchers: Since the center’s inception, twelve scholarships have been awarded to fund doctoral projects at the intersection of logistics and industrial practice.
Thinking ahead together on steel research
University of Duisburg-Essen and thyssenkrupp Steel
thyssenkrupp Steel has maintained close geographical and academic ties with the University of Duisburg-Essen — for example, with the Chair of Metallurgy in Iron and Steel Production — for many years and conducts numerous research projects in all areas of steel production. In addition, the company supports the University of Duisburg-Essen through an endowed professorship. As part of these collaborations, thyssenkrupp Steel also regularly supports doctoral research.
Bringing research into practice faster
In addition to university partnerships, we work closely with non-university institutions. Our focus is on applied research — tailored directly to the needs of industry.
Bringing SOEC technologies to production readiness
thyssenkrupp nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS
Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS), thyssenkrupp nucera is advancing SOEC technology for hydrogen production. In May 2025, the partners opened the first pilot production facility for SOEC stacks (Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cells) in Arnstadt. High-temperature electrolysis can use external heat sources and enables efficient, highly automated production. With a capacity of 8 megawatts per year, the pilot facility provides valuable insights for future series production.
Developing materials for hydrogen applications
thyssenkrupp Steel and Fraunhofer IWM, Fraunhofer IWS
The Product and Process Engineering division of thyssenkrupp Steel collaborates with the Fraunhofer Institutes IWM, IWS, and IGP to develop material concepts and in-situ alloying methods for guiding and coating components used in the combustion, storage, and transport of hydrogen-based energy carriers.
Decarbonizing steel production
VDEh Institute for Operational Research (BFI) - various research projects
Together with the VDEh Institute for Industrial Research (BFI), thyssenkrupp Steel is researching new ways to decarbonize steel production. As part of the “H2Stahl” and “DRI-Einschmelzer” projects, pilot plants are being built in Duisburg to test the use of hydrogen in direct reduction and the subsequent electric melting of direct reduced iron (DRI). The aim is to enable increasingly low-carbon and, in the long term, blast furnace-free steel production. thyssenkrupp Steel and BFI also collaborate on further research projects.
Shaping the circular economy together
Open Hybrid LabFactory - OHLF
thyssenkrupp Steel has been a member of the Open Hybrid LabFactory (OHLF) in Wolfsburg since 2016. At the research campus, science and industry work together on new technologies for the automotive industry, including lightweight construction, the circular economy, recycling and reducing the carbon footprint. thyssenkrupp Steel is currently involved in the BMBF-funded SARESA project, which focuses on recovering resources from end-of-life products. The OHLF also provides an important network for developing new research topics with partners such as Volkswagen.
Working together to further develop automotive steels
Galvanized Automotive Partnership - GAP
thyssenkrupp Steel participates in the Galvanized Automotive Partnership (GAP) , an international research program involving the steel, zinc and automotive industries. Together, the partners work to further develop galvanized automotive steels and strengthen their competitiveness. Key areas include the galvanizing and welding of high-strength steels as well as the quality and processing of galvanized steel products. The program gives thyssenkrupp Steel access to international research findings and facilitates exchange with partners across the entire value chain.
Scaling future technologies together
Some of our research collaborations go far beyond bilateral partnerships. In collaborative projects, we combine basic research, applied science, and industrial implementation within a joint consortium — coordinated, publicly funded, and designed to maximize impact.
Using CO2 as a raw material
Carbon2Chem®
The Carbon2Chem® project is a prime example of our collaborative research in industry: Coordinated by thyssenkrupp, the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI-CEC) and Fraunhofer UMSICHT are working together with a growing number of university and industrial partners. The goal is to utilize CO2 from steel production as a feedstock for chemical products — a substantial contribution to the decarbonization of the steel industry. In the third project phase — funded with 50 million euros in public funds — the University of Duisburg-Essen and the FernUniversität in Hagen joined BASF and EY Consulting GmbH as new consortium partners.
Enabling hydrogen imports of the future
thyssenkrupp Uhde & Uniper
In November 2025, Uniper and thyssenkrupp Uhde signed a framework agreement that lays the foundation for the large-scale industrial deployment of thyssenkrupp Uhde’s ammonia cracking technology. As part of the agreement, Uniper secured license packages for up to six large-scale commercial plants with a total capacity of 7,200 metric tons of ammonia per day. The shared goal: to build a scalable hydrogen import infrastructure that efficiently recovers green hydrogen—transported in the form of ammonia. The agreement builds on an existing strategic partnership between the two companies and underscores thyssenkrupp Uhde’s key role as a technology provider in the global hydrogen market.
Advancing the circular economy on an industrial scale
Open Hybrid LabFactory
The Open Hybrid LabFactory (OHLF) research campus, where representatives from academia and industry conduct joint research under one roof, aims to advance future-oriented and sustainable automotive manufacturing through its focus on lightweight construction and the circular economy. In the forward-looking SARESA collaborative project, thyssenkrupp Steel, together with OHLF, is advancing key research topics such as the recovery of high-value resources, the promotion of closed-loop plastic cycles, and the optimization of public-private partnerships in line with the principles of the circular economy. This initiative is generating momentum far beyond the research campus.
Testing new methods for climate-neutral steel production
H2Steel
The funded projects launched in 2021 and 2022 are being implemented in close collaboration with the VDEh Institute for Industrial Research (BFI). The H2Stahl project aims to gradually decarbonize blast furnace and pig iron production through the large-scale use of hydrogen. A key focus is on demonstrating hydrogen-based direct reduction (DR) as a long-term alternative to the traditional blast furnace process. The contract is valued at approximately 10 million euros and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs. In addition, the DRI Melting Furnace project addresses the downstream melting of sponge iron produced via direct reduction (DRI) in an electrically powered melting unit, with the aim of testing a complete, blast-furnace-free process route for pig iron production.