The notion of high student numbers has marked the German university landscape for decades now. More than 2.2 million students were registered at the start of 2011, and new student registrations are as high as ever, with nearly 414,000 new students registered in the fall of 2011. The reasons: a double dose of high school graduates due to policy changes in Bavaria and Lower Saxony, and the suspension of military service requirements.

However, the situation will be turning around very shortly: Germany's standing conference of state education ministers (KMK) forecasts continued high numbers of students arriving in the lecture halls until 2013, when 425,000 new students are expected. After that, student numbers are expected to fall: in 2020 the KMK anticipates only 373,800 new students will be entering university. For its part, the Berlin Institute for Education and Socio-Economic Research in Consulting estimates a drop to 407,000 new students in 2020.

In many areas in Germany's new eastern states, this future has already arrived. While universities in the west can barely keep up with the wave of students, some schools in the east are already dealing with a lack of student numbers. An appearance at the world's largest industry event is just what is needed for a school to show its education potential. Magdeburg University has therefore "discovered the trade show as an important platform for reaching its goals," as seen on its website: "HANNOVER MESSE and CeBIT Hannover stand out as two of the most important trade shows for universities." University participation was used primarily "to find project partners and recruit third party resources, but also to recruit new students for the courses offered at the university."

The perfect platform for joint technology and university marketing is the Research & Technology trade show in Hall 2 at HANNOVER MESSE. This is where science and industry come together to build cooperation and promote technology transfer. Some 400 universities, institutes and companies present their skills at Research & Technology. "Cutting-edge research can only be recognized and used efficiently if we build bridges between science and business," explained Prof. Anette Schavan, German Education and Research Minister and patron of Research & Technology, adding: "Researchers and developers, builders and executives have the opportunity to discover innovations, network and become active across disciplines and industries."

The focus areas of Research & Technology include adaptronics, bionics, energy and environmental research, material research, organic electronics, industrial textiles, mobility research and nanotechnology. A highlight of the show is the "tech transfer – Gateway2Innovation" forum for suppliers and users of technological expertise. On the Monday evening of the trade show is show-time in Hall 2: the Night of Innovations offers visitors and exhibitors the opportunity to take a look into the future with inspiring shows and presentations.