Technology company NXP is donating approximately €421,000 to TU Graz

Semiconductor company NXP has made a donation to the Graz University of Technology (TU) to support research and students. CTO Wolfgang Steinbauer of NXP Austria, based in Gratkorn near Graz, presented a gift worth US$450,000 (about €421,000) to university rector Horst Bischoff on Monday. These funds are intended to finance scholarships for master’s students and laboratory equipment at the Institute of Telecommunications Networks and Satellite Communications.

In Gratkorn near Graz, expert teams from the Dutch global active semiconductor manufacturer NXP are working on highly safe data processing, sensors and electrical solutions. A six-storey research center is currently being built on the Styria site. Of the nearly 800 employees, 130 were hired this year alone. We have been working with Graz University of Technology for many years and have moved to an additional NXP office in the new “Data House” on the Inffeldgasse campus. The tech company is now digging deep into its pockets to set up a large-scale lab and support students.

“Here we can perfectly combine the innovative strengths of NXP and TU Graz, and at the same time commit to promoting science, engineering and mathematics locally,” said Steinbauer. Specifically, US$225,000 (about €210,000) will be allocated to scholarships for master’s students in the field of information security, and the second half of the donations will support the technical equipment of the UWB laboratory.

“UWB is a radio technology that works with broadband signals in particular. It allows very precise positioning and fast data transmission over fast distances,” explained Klaus Wittersaal, head of the Institute for Telecommunications Networks and Satellite Communications. The UWB Measurement Laboratory aims to promote innovations and applications in the fields of communications, positioning and sensor technology. This is intended to make locking the car more secure or to detect when, for example, young children are alone in the car for a longer period of time. “It’s a wonderful timely donation for us to be able to set up the lab,” said Wetresall happily.

“We are particularly pleased that NXP supports young artistic talents and are pleased that we can once again intensify cooperation and take it to a new level,” Bischof emphasized. “We want to use the funds to attract young people to the field of cybersecurity in Graz, where we offer a master’s degree in English,” said Stefan Mangard, head of the Institute for Applied Information Processing and Communications Technology. The aim is to support new students from other universities as well as outstanding students from TU Graz itself.