“A special place in the world”

Robert Busch, CEO of Siemens and chair of the University Council about his time at university in Erlangen, the potential of FAU and what physics has to do with leading a company.

Mr. Busch, what three things come to mind when you think about FAU?

Physics, great people, Erlangen.

You studied and completed a doctoral degree in physics here. How did you find out about the University?

I was brought up in Erlangen. The University, like Siemens, defines the city and is simply part and parcel of life here. My first impression as a student was of the old lecture hall in the Glückstraße with the creaky wooden benches. I loved it! Later we moved to the campus in the south of Erlangen. It had quite a different charm. And I always liked the university’s international character: I even spent a semester abroad myself, in Grenoble. While working on my Diplom thesis and doctoral degree, I then saw how the university attracted a large number of international doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers.

You are familiar with a lot of universities throughout the world. What characterizes a successful university for you?

The infrastructure plays an important role, modern laboratories for example, followed by the range and quality of the lectures on offer. This depends in turn on high-caliber professors. The surroundings of a university also play a major role. Are there innovative companies where students can work on their theses? What support do students receive if they want to launch a start-up? At the end of the day, it is the total package which counts.

Is the total package at FAU attractive?

Definitely. FAU is one of the most innovative universities, not only in Europe but in the world. Exceptional research with top-notch professors. The Executive Board is extremely successful in attracting top academics and award winners to FAU. And FAU is an attractive destination for outstanding students from across the globe.

The ecosystem surrounding the university also has a role to play. The university is in a unique position. The region boasts a number of large companies such as Siemens, a technology company, Schaeffler, the largest automotive supplier in the world or Adidas, as well as successful small and medium sized enterprises that are world leaders in their sectors. Research institutes such as the Fraunhofer, Helmholtz and Max Planck institutes are all situated locally. Another decisive factor for me is the city itself with its pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. Lots of people we transfer here with Siemens ask, why not Munich or Berlin? But after six months they don’t want to leave anymore, as the quality of life is so high here.

Praise aside, where do you still see potential for improvement?

No matter whether we are talking about a university, a company or an economy: growth matters. I therefore believe that it is crucial that student numbers at FAU continue to rise. The second point is infrastructure. There was a bottleneck in investments that is now being successively resolved. That is very good, as it will also attract more students. The next point would be to become more international, to attract even more international students – the best of the best.

Marketing is crucial in this respect. The first city to come to mind for anyone who wants to study in Germany is either Berlin or Munich. FAU must improve the marketing of its strengths.

FAU is an important collaboration partner for Siemens. What makes the University attractive for your company?

One aspect are the amazing professors working in areas of relevance to us as a company. We always say that Siemens connects the real world to the digital world. It is exactly at this intersection between hardware and software, in automation, in medical engineering and so on that FAU is active. We benefit from the top students, as we are always on the look out for good people. We have partnerships with universities in many places across the globe. The takeover rate is highest for FAU graduates. I am one of them myself. I wrote my doctoral thesis at Siemens and then stayed on in the company.

You have been in the University Council since 2017, and have been the chairman since 2019. What do you want to do for FAU?

I would like to give something back to the University. I can provide my network of contacts, support collaborations and advertise FAU. I love doing so.

For several semesters now, you have also taught a seminar in Business Studies. What motivates you?

First of all, the seminar is characterized by the fact that we cover topics of relevance to Siemens, typically an analysis of companies or start-ups in a certain area of technology. That is fascinating for us. Above all it is fun speaking to young people, seeing how they tackle an issue and then asking unexpected questions. It can stretch them to their limit at times, but it’s great to see how they cope.

What tips would you give young people who want to start studying?

Most importantly: Choose a subject that sparks your curiosity and passion. That motivates you to study. The second point is relevant not only to studying: Make an effort, keep practicing, even when the going gets tough. That is the only way you will get better. And finally, consider the question of where you are aiming to go with the subject you choose to study. At the end of the day, a degree program is an investment for life. The aim is to earn money at some point. Another aspect that is just as important is the willingness to make an effort. This is important for your own career, but even more so for Germany. We are starting to lose this virtue. That harms us in the long term. We are losing our competitive edge! We do not have any natural resources, we live off the innovative abilities of our people. And of the people who come to us.

Was your choice of degree a choice based on passion?

Towards the end of my time at school, I was very interested in chemistry. After one semester of physics, however, I realized that that was the right choice. My focus was on theoretical physics and I was always fascinated by expressing the world in formulas and learning to understand it better as a result. I am often asked what physics – I even specialized in theoretical physics – has to do with running a company….

And what do you reply?

I think there are a lot of parallels. What are the features of theoretical physics? The world is so complex it can barely be described. Accordingly, we try to simplify it using formulas and then come fairly close to the truth. It is similar for a lot of topics and decisions that I am faced with. I need to pinpoint what is important, blend out unimportant aspects and come to a decision in a limited amount of time. Physics teaches you how to do that. As a company, we produce technology. And a basic understanding of that also helps me as the boss of the company.

Where do you get your inspiration?

In my job, I am lucky to meet and interact with lots of interesting people. Not only top politicians, company directors or people from tech companies, but also young people who are launching start-ups, or colleagues from production who have great ideas. It is very rewarding.

Author: Sandra Kurze

This article is part of the FAU magazine

Innovation, diversity and passion: Those are the three guiding principles of our FAU, as stated in our mission statement. At FAU, we live these guiding principles every day in all that we do – in research, in teaching and when it comes to sharing the knowledge created at our university with society.

This, the second issue of our FAU magazine, underlines all of the above: It shows researchers who tirelessly keep pushing the boundaries of what has been believed to be possible. It introduces students who work together to achieve outstanding results for their FAU, talks about teaching staff who pass on their knowledge with infectious enthusiasm and creativity. And it reports back on members of staff with foresight and a talent for getting to the crux of the matter who are dedicated to improving the (research) infrastructure at FAU as well as people in key positions who are there for their university and are committed to its research location.