Why we are doing this
Our methodology grew out of research, and that is where we want it to keep growing. TUM Project Studies bring us closer to chairs and students. We develop our methods together and test them on questions that everyday project work leaves no time for.
We have posted three such questions. For many manufacturers, verifying an EPD now costs more than the life cycle assessment itself. Published EPDs are scattered across the databases of dozens of program operators. And companies can hardly measure the footprint of their AI use today.
Along the way, we get to know people early who want to keep working with us after the project.
What TUM Project Studies are
Project Studies are joint projects of students, companies and chairs of the TUM School of Management. A team of two to five students works for three months full-time or six months part-time on a real question from the company, with academic supervision from a chair. The format includes a kick-off, an interim review, a final presentation and a written report. The project title appears on the final transcript.
Companies have two routes: they propose a topic to a chair, which posts it, or they publish it on the Student Council job board, and the selected team finds a supervising chair. We use both. More on the format is on the TUM School of Management website.
Three project studies
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EPD Verification · Venture Business Plan
Design a new business around third-party verification of LCAs and EPDs.
TUM Entrepreneurship Research Institute (ERI)
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Green AI · Go-to-Market Strategy
Make the carbon footprint of corporate AI use measurable and market-ready.
Center for Energy Markets (CEM)
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EPD-Finder · Platform Build & Launch
Build and deploy a public search tool that covers every EPD published in Europe.
Chair of Technology and Innovation Management
The institutes we work with
The TUM Entrepreneurship Research Institute supervises EPD Verification. Supervision is confirmed, and the ERI has published the project study on its website.
The Chair of Technology and Innovation Management has accepted the EPD-Finder and published it on its website. The project is also possible as an interdisciplinary project (IDP).
The Center for Energy Markets (CEM) at TUM School of Management supervises Green AI. Supervision is confirmed, and the CEM publishes the project study on its website.
What happens next
The projects start in October or November 2026, in February 2027 at the latest. Applications are open until 20 March 2027. Work is remote by default, and anyone who likes can join us on site in Zurich.
The project does not have to be the end: a working student position or a long-term role with us is explicitly possible.