Academia and Industry in the Ruhr Region Join Forces to Support Start-ups

The University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) is joining forces with industry players in the German government's EXIST lighthouse competition Startup Factories. Behind the application by the “BRYCK Startup Alliance” is a joint venture between Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, and the University of Duisburg-Essen, together with BRYCK, the innovation and startup center initiated by the foundation RAG-Stiftung, the RAG-Stiftung itself, and the Initiativkreis Ruhr, an association of 70 leading companies and institutions in the region. The partners will cooperate to promote knowledge- and technology-based start-ups and attract talent from across Europe. They have applied for 10 million euros in funding from the federal government. If the application is successful, the RAG-Stiftung will provide up to 10 million euros in additional funding as a private-sector partner.

The BRYCK Startup Alliance focuses on deep tech startups and aims to help them achieve market success. Thanks to the dense network of universities and research institutions in the Ruhr region, there are already a large number of spin-offs of this kind, but the vast majority have so far failed to enter the market. Closer cooperation with industry and investors is intended to bridge this gap in the future. The alliance aims to support around 1,000 spin-offs in the first five years, with one in four scaling up. After this initial phase, output is to be doubled again, with the prospect of up to 50,000 jobs being created by 2035.

The BRYCK Startup Alliance wants to specifically promote the three business areas of Future Industry, Future Life Science, and Future Cities. These include, for example, developments for intelligent systems in production and logistics, renewable raw materials, personalized medicine, and smart cities. The three universities want to continuously raise awareness of entrepreneurship among their 100,000 students and 14,000 scientists and jointly expand their range of courses and continuing education programs. In addition, leave of absence for founders will be made possible and patent transfer processes will be accelerated. The alumni networks will also be activated to identify role models, advisors, and potential customers. The partners from industry, in turn, will provide support in market analysis, product improvement, and access to capital.

Transfer GmbH founded

“The universities in the Ruhr region are a rich source of ideas and innovations that are valuable for future markets. To enable this potential to be fully realized, we have founded the UA Ruhr Transfer GmbH and joined forces with experienced partners from the regional economy across city boundaries,” says Prof. Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University.

In addition to the BRYCK Startup Alliance, 14 other consortia nationwide were invited to submit a concept to the EXIST lighthouse competition Startup Factories by 30 April 2025. The federal government has announced that it will fund five to ten of the finalists with 10 million euros each for five years. The selection will be made by a jury consisting of experts in the start-up economy, particularly from the scientific community. They will meet on 16 June. Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, and the University of Duisburg-Essen have founded the UA Ruhr Transfer GmbH in order to participate as partners in the BRYCK Startup Alliance GmbH.

BRYCK Startup Alliance

Startup Factories

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