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Official Opening of the Raw Materials Innovation Centre (IZR) Print
After only a year of construction work, the new Raw Materials Innovation Centre (IZR) was officially opened on May 20th, 2011. More than 100 guests, among them State Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Christian Buchmann and Rector Wolfhard Wegscheider, joined the ceremony. The guests not only enjoyed the unique architecture of the building, but also toured the excellent research facilities.

Within the seven-storey building, two storeys are completely subsurface and are home to a number of state-of-the-art laboratories. From the lowest floor, the building descends even deeper, as an experimental well leads further 10 metres into the ground.

The surface of the new Innovation Center refers to raw materials and can be seen from afar: it is made of specially coated aluminum-compound panels which mirror their surroundings and tint them in various shades, depending on the viewing angle. From blue to grey and green to orange when the sun sets, the surface is a kaleidoscope of colours.

With an investment of 5.5 million euros, the Economics Department of Styria has opened its first Innovation Centre on a university campus, further promoting the close cooperation between the Montanuniversitaet Leoben and innovative companies of the region which will also move into the building.



(from left to right): Rector Wolfhard Wegscheider, State Minister Dr. Christian Buchmann, Head of Department Univ.Prof. Dr. Helmut Flachberger, SFG Executive Manager Dr. Burghard Kaltenbeck