The new alliance puts education and innovation at the heart of its projects, aiming to inspire young talent to learn more about real-world technologies and end-to-end approaches. A number of JKU students are already working at the GRAND GARAGE.

In October 2023, Univ. Prof. Dr. Stefan Koch (JKU Rector) and Ruth Arrich-Deinhammer (co-founder of GRAND GARAGE) signed a pioneering strategic partnership agreement focused on education and innovation in an effort to support growth and advancement, particularly in Linz. The shared goal includes inspiring young people to learn more about new technologies in a more hands-on, comprehensive way.

Shared Solutions to Address Key Contemporary Challenges
As the JKU and the GRAND GARAGE are mutually committed to addressing the key challenges of our time and pursuing innovative solutions, the decision to join forces seems like a natural step forward. For many years, both the JKU and the GRAND GARAGE have been at the forefront of creating new approaches designed to share knowledge and expertise.

JKU: Broad-Based Education
The JKU believes that a broad-based approach to education is now more important than ever before. Academic degree programs offered at the JKU not only convey technical expertise, but also focus on teaching students how to think critically and take a more networked approach in their work. Academic degree programs in "Digital Society", "Artificial Intelligence", "Sustainable Polymer Technologies and a Circular Economy", "Art x Science", "Medical Engineering", and "Business Informatics" are just a few examples of interdisciplinary studies offered at the JKU. The JKU campus also provides countless opportunities to engage in hands-on education and research, such as programs at the LIT Open Innovation Center, and at its polymer pilot factory, the LIT Factory. The LIT Factory pools expertise in academia and business in one location, creating an inspirational hub, particularly to support entrepreneurs and start-up companies.

JKU Rector Stefan Koch looks forward to the partnership: "Be it natural sciences, engineering, computer sciences, digitalization, business, social sciences, education, law or medicine - our students are learning important 21st century skills to create approaches and strategies that address the challenges we face today, be it climate change or digitalization. Our partnership with the GRAND GARAGE is an additional opportunity to share information, interact, and develop innovative, educational formats."

The GRAND GARAGE: Providing a Holistic Approach to Education
The innovative, educational workshop at Tabakfabrik in Linz believes in the importance of taking a holistic approach to both theory and hands-on experience as part of all of its formats. Young people in particular have an ideal space to not only conduct hands-on experiments involving new technologies, but also discover their individual talent and personal potential, including exploring the subject of plastics and recycling. Students can try out shredding, extruding and injection molding plastic processes for themselves at the Plastic Garage.

Ing. Sam Zibuschka (project manager at the GRAND GARAGE) remarked: "The Plastic Garage is in line with the underlying philosophy of the GRAND GARAGE, offering young people an opportunity to implement their projects while also providing them with easy access and an ideal space to focus on exciting and important contemporary topics by taking a hands-on approach. In this respect, our partnership with the JKU is another important milestone."

JKU Students: Tinkering at the GRAND GARAGE
The JKU and the GRAND GARAGE have a history of successful collaboration efforts and the new agreement will build on their successful teamwork. On the first Friday of every month, for example, the Cyberducks (an association of JKU students) hold a so-called Tüftel-Tee at the GRAND GARAGE to "tinker" with new, innovative ideas. Last spring, the Cyberducks team introduced its innovative ‘foot lifter’ (which can alleviate symptoms of peroneus palsy, a foot weakness caused by nerve damage) and won the Linz hACkT competition. The prototype was designed during a hackathon and manufactured at the GRAND GARAGE.

Last Friday, January 12, Mag. Christiane Tusek (JKU Vice-Rector for Finance and Entrepreneurship) attended the first Tüftel-Tee meeting of 2024 and spent time with the students involved at the GRAND GARAGE: "The one-on-one interaction between students and faculty members at the crossroads of science and real-world practices is opening the doors to countless opportunities to pursue innovation. We experience this daily at our LIT Open Innovation Center and making it a reality together with the GRAND GARAGE is ideal."

Co-founder Mag. Ruth Arrich-Deinhammer is excited about the partnership and added: "The GRAND GARAGE thrives on bringing inspiring ideas and driven individuals together, especially those who enjoy thinking outside of the box. We strongly believe that an educational foundation that lets people share ideas can result in growth, advancements, and progress. We look forward to the new formats that may emerge in cooperation with the JKU."