IT:U and Infineon open LearnLabs for high-tech education in Linz
IT:U and Infineon Austria have opened three new LearnLabs at Infineon’s Linz site near IT:U’s Research Campus, marking a key milestone in their strategic collaboration. Across approximately 330 square meters of cutting-edge learning and laboratory space, IT:U Master’s students will develop real-world solutions in international, interdisciplinary teams.
Prototype-driven learning across disciplines
Project-based learning and interdisciplinary collaboration are at the heart of the LearnLabs. Students work in small teams with state-of-the-art development and manufacturing technologies, turning ideas into tangible prototypes.
“Transformation is changing how we work, research, and learn, and that also reshapes the role of universities. At IT:U, we connect technology, science, business, and society to address real challenges across disciplines, today and tomorrow. The new LearnLabs with Infineon make this approach tangible: students bring together different scientific perspectives, work on projects with modern technologies, and turn knowledge into new solutions. Our collaboration with Infineon creates an environment that links academic excellence with technological and industrial reality. We need exactly these new forms of learning, research, and collaboration to enable people to actively shape transformation and develop new solutions for the economy and society.”
Stefanie Lindstaedt, IT:U Founding President
Smart Electronics, Prototyping, and Space Tech
The Smart Electronics Lab (ELVIS) enables the use of Infineon hardware and software to develop AI models on microcontrollers, for example, for digital health applications. The Digital Prototyping Lab (HELGA) provides digital fabrication capabilities such as 3D printing. The Space Technology Lab (SPOK) focuses on satellite research, including applications in environmental monitoring. The LearnLabs will be available to approximately 60 students in the Interdisciplinary Computing Master’s program in the 2026/27 winter semester.
“Upper Austria is strongest where business, research, and education work together on the future. The LearnLabs by IT:U and Infineon bring students, academia, and industry together directly. It is precisely these kinds of partnerships that strengthen our region, drive innovation, and help us train tomorrow’s specialists in key technologies such as artificial intelligence, digitalization, and microelectronics.”
Markus Achleitner, Regional Minister for Economic Affairs and Research
Strengthening the regional innovation ecosystem
Digitalization and decarbonization demand new modes of collaboration and knowledge transfer. The LearnLabs operationalize this shift by connecting students from diverse fields with practitioners, enabling them to tackle real-world problems while building future-critical capabilities such as project organization, communication, and purposeful interdisciplinary teamwork. The collaboration strengthens the region’s education and business landscape and supports the emergence of future-ready professions.
“Linz is of strategic importance to us as one of Austria’s most research‑intensive industrial companies. This is where we develop future technologies for automated and autonomous driving, sensing, and robotics. As the global market leader in power semiconductors, we rely on highly skilled professionals, that’s why we have long worked closely with education partners. Our goal is to enable people not only to understand technology, but to apply it in practice. Our collaboration with IT:U delivers exactly that: hands-on, interdisciplinary learning in international teams. This combination of technological excellence and application focus is crucial in the AI era. In doing so, we are strengthening Upper Austria as an education and innovation hub and investing in the next generation of top talent.”
Sabine Herlitschka, CEO, Infineon Austria
Project-based learning: Learn by building the future
At IT:U, project-based learning is central. From the outset, students work on projects that address real questions from business, society, and research. They take active ownership of their learning and develop practical solutions to current challenges. Collaboration happens in small, diverse teams. Students from engineering, computer science, and design to medicine and other fields bring their perspectives to jointly tackle complex problems.
“Artificial intelligence is not only driving a profound transformation in industry; it is also challenging education and training. That is why the Federation of Austrian Industries in Upper Austria has developed an AI Excellence Strategy, which emphasizes close collaboration between companies and universities to jointly research developments of industrial relevance. We strongly welcome Infineon’s cooperation with IT:U, which will further strengthen Infineon’s Linz site.”
Thomas Bründl, President, IV Upper Austria (Federation of Austrian Industries)
Education engineered for a changing world
LearnLabs are the core learning, research, and collaboration environments that enable this, preparing graduates for the demands of digital transformation in industry and society. An interdisciplinary team of professors, coaches, and lab experts connects scientific theory with practical application, building not only strong subject knowledge but also future competencies such as project management, intercultural communication, and confident use of AI. Through sustained, real-world project work, students build a personal portfolio that documents technical and transferable skills and prepares them for a rapidly evolving world of work.
About the collaboration
The LearnLabs are a flagship of the strategic partnership between IT:U and Infineon Austria, aligning talent development with high-impact research and industrial needs. The joint infrastructure in Linz creates an innovation and networking hub where academia and industry co-develop solutions and accelerate technology transfer.