Thuringia strengthens university start-ups: 4.2 million euros for the Thuringian University Start-up Network StarTH

The funding will further strengthen the role of Thuringia's universities as drivers of innovation. Universities are the central locations for knowledge-based start-ups, where research, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit come together. This creates new prospects for young talent and innovative companies in Thuringia. Prof. Dr. Andreas Marx:

Those who study, research and found companies in Thuringia create innovations where they can have an immediate impact. University spin-offs not only strengthen the economy, but also Thuringia's attractiveness as a place to live and work in the future.

Universities as places of innovation and future skills

With the StarTH network, Thuringia's universities are working together to anchor entrepreneurial teaching, transfer and start-up support in the university landscape in the long term. The aim is to support students, researchers and graduates at an early stage in developing ideas and turning innovative projects into social or economic applications.

"Today more than ever, universities are combining research and teaching with transfer, innovation and social responsibility. Supporting start-ups is not an add-on, but part of a modern understanding of universities that actively transfers scientific knowledge to society and the economy," continued Prof. Marx.

University incubators and start-up centers in particular are developing into practical learning and experimentation spaces in which innovative ideas can be tested, prototypes developed and interdisciplinary collaborations established.

Promoting start-ups as a future task for Thuringia

With a view to securing skilled workers, demographic change and international competition for talent, the promotion of academic spin-offs is becoming increasingly strategically important. University start-ups create qualified jobs, strengthen regional value creation and increase the loyalty of young skilled workers to Thuringia.

Thuringia's universities therefore see the long-term safeguarding of existing start-up and transfer structures as a crucial task for the future. Over the past few years, university-related support services have been established that now provide many people interested in starting a business with access to advice, networks and funding programs.

Programs such as EXIST-Women or formats in the field of creative entrepreneurship also show that start-up support can also make an important contribution to equal opportunities, diversity and social participation.

StarTH connects Thuringian universities

The Thuringian university start-up network StarTH connects the start-up advice centers of Thuringian universities and creates a joint platform for students, academics and graduates interested in starting a business. The participating universities pool their expertise to provide comprehensive support to those interested in starting a business, from the initial idea to its implementation.

Represented in the StarTH network are

• Erfurt University of Applied Sciences
• University of Erfurt
• Ilmenau University of Technology
• Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena
• Friedrich Schiller University Jena
• Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences
• Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences
• Bauhaus University Weimar

The close cooperation between the universities gives founders access to interdisciplinary expert knowledge, innovative research facilities and a strong network of science, business, culture and society.

The university start-up network StarTH is part of the Thuringian Start-up Initiative (ThGI) and is funded by the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

Role of the TU Ilmenau in StarTH

Thanks to the funding, TU Ilmenau will play a central role in the Thuringian university start-up network in the areas of Technology & Deep Tech as well as Generative AI, Digitization and Digital Business Models and coordinate team matching. Dr. Dörte Gerhardt, Head of the Research Service and Transfer Department, explains:

'The success of technology-oriented spin-offs depends not only on a good idea, but also on the right skills in the team. That's why we bring people, technologies and entrepreneurial know-how together within the framework of StarTH+ and thus strengthen the start-up culture in Thuringia in a targeted manner.