TIER IV and TUM bring Autoware-based research to autonomous city bus development in Munich

TUM Autoware Research Center by TIER IV applies experience from Japan to a full-size European city bus

TOKYO, Nov. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TIER IV, the pioneering force behind Autoware, the world's leading open-source software for autonomous driving, and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) announced that the recently established TUM Autoware Research Center by TIER IV will support TUM's development of an Autoware-based autonomous driving system for a full-size city bus at the German Center for Future Mobility (DZM) Munich site.

Project overview

The initiative marks an early real-world application of the multi-year strategic research collaboration launched by TIER IV and TUM in October 2026. Through the research center, TUM will draw on experience from Autoware-based autonomous bus deployments in Japan to adapt the software stack to a new vehicle platform and Munich's urban operating environment.

The work forms part of RISE, a consortium project led by TUM that is laying the scientific, technical, organization and regulatory groundwork for autonomous buses and shuttles to enter regular public-transport operation. MAN Truck & Bus (MAN) is equipping the city bus with autonomous-driving actuation and low-level software, while TUM is providing the sensor setup and developing the Autoware-based autonomous driving system. Following controlled testing, real-world operations are planned on MVG service routes with safety personnel on board.

Supporting quotes

"The research center was established to help TUM connect open research with real-world deployment," said Shinpei Kato, founder and CEO of TIER IV. "By making experience from Autoware-based bus services in Japan available to this work, we aim to support TUM in advancing open, safe and scalable autonomous public transport in Europe."

"The German Federal Ministry of Transport has supported the German Center for Future Mobility  (DZM) Munich project, with a project volume of €20 million for three years to develop an automated city bus with MAN and MVG," said Prof. Dr. Markus Lienkamp of TUM. "Through the TUM Autoware Research Center by TIER IV, we are drawing on software already used in Autoware-based bus deployments in Japan and adapting it to a new vehicle and operating environment. This will support TUM's work with MAN and MVG to advance automated public transport in Munich."

"Autonomous shuttles and buses can make Munich's public-transport system more attractive and improve connections to underserved areas," said Dominik Krause, Mayor of Munich. "Developing and deploying these mobility innovations in Munich further strengthens the city's position as a leading European technology hub."

"Autonomous mobility can contribute to public transport that is efficient, affordable and attractive," said Dr. Florian Bieberbach, Chairman of the Executive Board of SWM and Managing Director of MVG. "By bringing together research, industry and operational expertise, RISE is laying the foundation for safe integration into everyday service and a system that continues to meet passengers' needs."

"Autonomous driving can raise the performance and efficiency of public transport," said Dr. Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN. "By combining safe vehicle technology with operators' requirements, RISE can help translate Germany's industrial strengths into scalable applications and reinforce technological expertise in Europe."

From research collaboration to real-world deployment

The bus initiative will advance the research center's work in safety, evaluation and scalability. Findings from system integration and real-world testing will inform Autoware and related evaluation methods, with outcomes contributed to the open-source ecosystem where appropriate.

By connecting TIER IV's deployment experience with TUM's research capabilities, the partners aim to establish a repeatable path for adapting Autoware to European vehicle platforms and practical mobility applications.

About the TUM Autoware Research Center by TIER IV

Established in October 2026, the TUM Autoware Research Center by TIER IV brings together TUM's Chair of Automotive Technology, Professorship of Cyber-Physical Systems and Professorship of Autonomous Vehicle Systems. Supported through strategic research funding from TIER IV, the center advances safe and scalable autonomous driving systems based on Autoware, open-source software development and graduate student training.

About the Technical University of Munich

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of the world's leading universities in terms of research, teaching and innovation, with around 700 professorships, 52,000 students and 13,000 staff. TUM's range of subjects includes computer sciences, engineering, natural and life sciences, medicine, economics and social sciences. As an entrepreneurial university, TUM envisages itself as a global hub of knowledge exchange, open to society. Every year, around 100 start-ups are founded at TUM, which acts as a key player in Munich's high-tech ecosystem. The university is represented around the world by its TUM Asia campus in Singapore along with offices in Beijing, Brussels, Mumbai, San Francisco, São Paulo and Shenzhen. Nobel Prize laureates and inventors such as Rudolf Diesel, Carl von Linde and Rudolf Mößbauer have conducted research at TUM, which was awarded the title of University of Excellence in 2006, 2012, 2019 and 2026. International rankings regularly cite TUM as the best university in the European Union.

About TIER IV

TIER IV stands at the forefront of deep tech innovation, pioneering Autoware, open-source software for autonomous driving. With a comprehensive suite of platforms and services built around Autoware, TIER IV provides everything from software development and vehicle procurement to operational support. Through the Autoware ecosystem, TIER IV works with partners worldwide to shape the future of intelligent vehicles with open-source software, aiming to create mobility that is safer, more sustainable, and accessible to all.

Media contacts
TIER IV
[email protected]
Technical University of Munich
PR contact  Mr. Moritz Müller [email protected] 

*Autoware is a registered trademark of the Autoware Foundation.

SOURCE TIER IV, Inc.