Breach of the Civil Clause at TU Berlin
HOME ● MAIN DEMAND ● CIVIL CLAUSE BREACH ● SUPPORTERS ● STATEMENT VOLKER BECK ● STATEMENT AStA ANGRIFF
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) presented "Green Innovation" to TU Berlin, while secretly advertising it as a weapon
TU Berlin and the University of Rostock were both partners in the Modifiable Underwater Mothership (MUM) project, coordinated by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) – one of Germany’s largest arms manufacturers. While the project was publicly framed as a green civilian innovation supporting environmental research and industrial undersea operations, TKMS was simultaneously promoting military variants of the same system at international arms expos, including mine-laying and hunter-killer configurations presented as early as 2019, and again in 2023.
Scroll down to see our demands and how to support
Summary
Despite clear indications of military intent, TU Berlin joined the second phase of the project in 2021, after these weaponized versions had already been showcased. The university’s continued participation directly contradicted its own Civil Clause, which prohibits any form of military, related research, even in cases of doubt. The same applies to the University of Rostock, which is also bound by such a clause.
What’s more concerning is that this partnership received funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK): for phase two of the project, TU Berlin alone received over 914,000 Euros. TKMS pitched MUM as a green, peaceful, climate-focused initiative, while covertly preparing and marketing it to military clients, an act that can only be understood as deliberate greenwashing to gain access to academic expertise and public funds.
A 2022 legal and technical analysis by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) warned that systems like MUM, due to their modular architecture, blur the boundaries between civilian and military vessels. This ambiguity poses a risk of undermining international arms control and maritime law.
While the DLR study primarily critiques the lack of clear legal frameworks, it inadvertently underscores how easily systems like MUM can be militarized, something TKMS has already demonstrated through its public presentations.
Our Demands
This is not an isolated issue of dual-use ambiguity. It is a clear case of a defense company concealing its military agenda to gain academic support and funding. TKMS has a history of misleading public institutions, combined with its role in arming clients involved in serious human rights violations,
THIS MAKES IT A COMPLETELY UNSUITABLE PARTNER FOR TU BERLIN OR ANY UNIVERSITY COMMITTED TO PEACE. AND THEREFORE WE DEMAND:
Immediately cease all present and future cooperation with TKMS
Launch an internal investigation into why this project was approved
Reaffirm and enforce the Civil Clause to prevent further violations.
How To Support Us
If you want to support us uphold TU Berlin to its commitment to peace, you can:
prepare a short statement, a post, an article, or even just a message to the executive board of TU Berlin
Email addresses of the executive board: p@tu-berlin.de, vp-fb@tu-berlin.de, vp-sl@tu-berlin.de, vp-dn@tu-berlin.de, k@tu-berlin.delink to the report and mention "Not In Our Name TU"
Include our core demand that TU Berlin must cut all ties with TKMS, now and in the future
Contact:
demands@notinourname-tu.org