- The federal Startup Factories competition aims to establish five to ten Startup Factories throughout Germany as central contact points for innovations.
- From Baden-Württemberg, a newly formed association consisting of leading institutions from science and industry is moving on to the next round of the competition.
- The alliance, which will be called NXTGN in future, consists of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the University of Stuttgart, the University of Heidelberg, Ulm University, the Hochschule der Medien, Gründermotor GmbH and IPAI (Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence).
The world is changing. Rapid technological change, demographic developments and the challenges of decarbonisation are just some of the challenges facing our society. Innovative solutions are needed to meet these changes and thus proactively shape a prosperous future worth living.
The BMWK's Startup Factories lighthouse competition
To promote innovation in Germany, the federal government launched the Startup Factories lighthouse competition in 2023. The competition aims to utilise and strengthen existing potential in the promotion of start-ups. Five to ten so-called Startup Factories are to be created that offer a central point of contact for startups and innovators. The speciality: In order to enable the successful transfer of scientific knowledge to the economy, these alliances will consist of both public and private sector institutions, thus combining the best of both worlds.
The competition will go through several phases: The aim of the recently completed activation phase was to raise awareness of the Startup Factories project. In the course of this phase, startup promotion stakeholders joined forces to form alliances. In the upcoming concept phase, 15 of these alliances will receive funding of 150,000 euros each for project conceptualisation. The five to ten most promising alliances will receive funding of up to ten million euros each over a period of five years from summer 2025.
The federal competition is seen as a great opportunity by many players in Baden-Württemberg's start-up landscape. For example, Dr Helmut Schelling, founder of Vector Informatik GmbH and shareholder of Gründermotor GmbH, emphasises: "In recent years, it has become clear that many start-ups lack a central point of contact that combines the potential of science and business. I am delighted that the Startup Factories project is addressing precisely this issue."
Network from Baden-Württemberg as concept phase winner
As part of the EXIST Congress 2024 organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) in Berlin, it was announced which of the consortia that had applied were awarded the contract for the concept phase. The Baden-Württemberg consortium consisting of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the University of Stuttgart, the University of Heidelberg, Ulm University, the Hochschule der Medien, Gründermotor GmbH and IPAI (Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence) is one of the finalists.
"By focussing on the research activities of its partners, the alliance has succeeded in ensuring the necessary thematic breadth. This allows innovative start-ups from these areas to gain access to the necessary resources," says Professor Michael Kühl, Vice President Outreach at Ulm University. In recent years, Ulm University has restructured the area of spin-offs and founded the Entrepreneurs Campus as the university's central institution. "We are delighted that we are involved in the NXGTN application with this centre as a bridgehead for the academic start-up ecosystem in the Ulm region," continues Kühl.
"We are proud that a new, strong network has formed here in the south-west, bringing together the strongest start-up institutions. Together, we are striving to take technology transfer to the next level and develop innovative solutions for the challenges of our time," says Professor Peter Middendorf, Vice-Rector for Knowledge and Technology Transfer at the University of Stuttgart.
Announcement of the new name NXTGN
The new name of the network was also announced with the award of the concept phase of the lighthouse competition. "From this summer, our joint name will be NXTGN - derived from Next Generation. It emphasises the goal we are all working towards: a successful, innovative and closely networked next generation of companies and their contribution to a sustainable society," says Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice President Transfer and International Affairs at KIT. In order to support this vision of a next generation of companies, the NXTGN programme brings together start-ups, science and established companies in the economy.
About Gründermotor
Gründermotor is the innovation platform from Baden-Württemberg. It connects start-ups, science and business - because the development of a sustainable society can only succeed with a lively innovation network. Its services enable start-ups to achieve sustainable growth and transform the economy. The goal: a next generation mid-tier. From summer 2024, the public-private partnership Gründermotor, which has existed since 2021, will become part of the newly formed NXTGN network. (Source: Gründermotor)
Text and press contact: Hannah Boltze, Gründermotor
Media contact Ulm University: Press and Public Relations, Ulm University