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lecture hall with a lot of students © Jürgen Huhn​/​TU Dortmund
Annual meeting

UNIPRENEURS Convene in Dortmund

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Vier Personen sitzen im Halbkreis vor einer Leinwand und unterhalten sich. © Stifterverband​/​Damian Gorczany
At the UNIPRENEURS annual meeting in Dortmund, local startup entrepreneurs exchanged ideas in a panel discussion.
On 17 and 18 September, the second annual meeting of the UNIPRENEURS initiative took place in Dortmund. It was hosted by Professor Tessa Flatten from the Department of Business and Economics at TU Dortmund University, who in 2023 was one of twenty university lecturers across Germany to be commended by the Stifterverband as a UNIPRENEUR for her commitment to startup support. After the kick-off at Wilo, a local Dortmund company, she welcomed the guests to the campus for a deeper discussion, together with Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University.

Participants included UNIPRENEURS who have received awards in the past, investors, startup entrepreneurs, and representatives from politics, university management and the business community, who together discussed how excellent startup ecosystems can develop and grow. Their conclusion was that the full potential of academic research can only have an economic and social impact via strong networks between universities, companies, investors, foundations and politics.

The local startup entrepreneurs on the panel described which support had been particularly helpful for their companies’ success. Represented were Ianus Simulation, vGreens, MotionMiners and BauGPT, which have all experienced growth in recent years in Dortmund’s startup ecosystem. In addition, Philippa Köhnk presented the latest project for supporting deep-tech startups throughout the Ruhr region: BRYCK Startup Alliance GmbH, in which the RAG-Stiftung (one of Germany’s largest foundations), the Initiativkreis Ruhr (a regional business alliance) and the three partners of the University Alliance Ruhr are joining forces in the shape of the BRYCK innovation and startup center.

Universities as the key to the startup ecosystem

“Excellent startup ecosystems develop where there is close interaction between universities, startups, investors and companies. The UNIPRENEURS initiative shows the pivotal role that dedicated professors play in this,” said Marte Sybil Kessler, Senior Director Collaborative Science and Innovation at the Stifterverband, which is responsible for organizing the UNIPRENEURS initiative. Matthias Hilpert, one of the initiators of UNIPRENEURS, added: “The great startup potential at universities is far from exhausted. Entrepreneurship at universities is a driver of innovation and competitiveness. The UNIPRENEURS set the example: They encourage and inspire others.”

In a video message, Minister-President Hendrik Wüst praised the initiative’s work. In his address, he highlighted the importance of entrepreneurial thinking, networking and innovation performance for making Germany future-proof: “Networking is at the heart of UNIPRENEURS. It is precisely these networks that are one of the keys to success. The annual meeting is an ideal backdrop for creating and expanding these networks. It is this hands-on mentality that we need again now and which over the past 200 years of industrial history has made North Rhine-Westphalia what it is today: a strong, innovative state that is open to the world. With bold women and men who have always seen challenges as opportunities as well and seized those opportunities. The UNIPRENEURS show what that means today and how it can be done today.”

Successful startup support in Dortmund

The network meeting took place in Dortmund at two venues important for innovation: Wilopark and the campus of TU Dortmund University. Manfred Bayer, the university’s president, said: “TU Dortmund University has its strong networks to thank for its success in supporting startups. We do this locally through close cooperation with TechnologieZentrumDortmund, which has meanwhile grown into Germany’s largest technology park. In the Ruhr region, we are now taking cooperation to a new level with the BRYCK Startup Alliance, which the Federal Government is funding as a Startup Factory.” Georg Weber, Global CTO of the Wilo Group, added: “Innovation occurs where science and business challenge and inspire each other.” In his view, that is exactly what this network stands for.


About UNIPRENEURS
UNIPRENEURS is a joint initiative to support spin-offs from German universities, initiated and organized by Matthias Hilpert and the Stifterverband. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) are joint patrons of the initiative. UNIPRENEURS awards the highest recognition in Germany for outstanding commitment to entrepreneurship at universities. The first UNIPRENEURS were commended in 2023. They are distinguished professors from throughout Germany who have shown exemplary commitment to spin-offs. They were selected from over 700 nominations.

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