Samstag, 12.04.2014

Universität

The Universität zu Lübeck is Recognised as “The Founders’ University”

And ranked as one of three best universities under the EXIST sponsorship programme run by the Federal Ministry of Economics & Technology.

The Universität zu Lübeck is the Founders’ University. It won this coveted title, as one of the three best universities, for its overall strategy to support start-ups. This was the outcome of the “EXIST Start-Up Culture – The Founders’ University” competition run by the Federal Ministry of Economics & Technology. The Federal Minister, Dr. Philipp Rösler, conferred the accolade at a celebration held on 9 January 2013 in Berlin.

This distinction comes with a monetary award of roughly €3 million. These funds will go towards transforming the BioMedTec Science Campus in Lübeck, initiated about a year ago, into a founders’ campus. The presentation at the ceremony in Berlin was held jointly by BioMedTec staff from the Universität zu Lübeck and the Lübeck University of Applied Sciences, the Lübeck Chamber of Industry & Commerce (“IHK”), and the Lübeck Technical Centre (“TZL”).

The primary message conveyed by the team in the final round of the competition was that so far only the surface of the potential for high-tech start-ups has been scratched at the BioMedTec campus. Since over 10,000 individuals are involved in the burgeoning medical biotech field in metropolitan Lübeck alone, the critical mass has clearly been achieved for this high-tech start-up initiative in the region.

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Buzug, Vice-President of the Universität zu Lübeck and Head of the Founders’ University project, said, “In order to ignite this potential, we must ensure that today’s singular activities – like those of the successful Univ. Founders’ Centre and the established Centre of Excellence for Start-Ups and Management of the University of Applied Sciences – are integrated into the new Founders’ Institute for start-ups.”

The endowment professorship for start-up research is also a key to the success of this project, funded by the IHK and TZL. Dr. Sabine Hackenjos (IHK) and Dr. Raimund Mildner (TZL) highlighted this issue at the function in Berlin. They underscored the involvement of the industry in the BioMedTec founders’ campus, whereby the campus curriculum includes courses for start-ups, devised jointly with the Centre of Excellence for Start-Ups and Management at the Universität zu Lübeck.

The new Founders’ Cube, funded by the Lübeck Sparkasse Foundation and Lübeck Possehl Foundation, is now right next to the multifunction centre for start-up and research transfer projects. The Cube itself is situated in the middle of the campus and serves as the main coordination and guidance centre for start-up related aspects for students, staff, and teachers at the BioMedTec campus. Plans call for setting up a Founders’ Institute here for start-ups along with a field office of the IHK.

Prof. Dr. Peter Dominiak, President of the Universität zu Lübeck and Prof. Dr. Stefan Bartels, President of the University of Applied Sciences, also graced the function to present and underpin the significance of this concept for universities. Prof. Dominiak commented, “A start-up culture is a necessary precondition to achieve our goal. That’s why we have incorporated the essence of university start-ups into our organisational and development plan, and integrated spin-offs as a fixed element of university activities into the mission of the BioMedTec campus.”

Prof. Bartels added: “Our Lübeck University of Applied Sciences stands behind the Universität zu Lübeck on its path towards a Founders’ University. We’ll be a part of the formalised funding of start-ups through our organisations for entrepreneurship and start-up excellence, which we set up in recent years. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Klein, in particular, has been active in facets of business start-ups for many years at our university and will contribute his start-up expertise as the director of a founders’ institute for entrepreneurship.”

Of the 49 applicants, the University of Saarland and the University of Kassel were the other two winners of the Founders’ University awards. From 1998 through 2012, the federal funding program, “EXIST - Start-Ups from the Sciences” has pumped about €104 million into start-up related activities at universities.

According to a competition guideline, a start-up culture at a university is defined not just by pertinent courses, guidance programmes, or intensive start-up research. Such a culture demands a pervasive presence of entrepreneurship – across all departments, campuses, and the university administration. The distinguishing feature of an academic start-up culture is its constant readiness to recognise entrepreneurship, assess it, and put it into action as appropriate.

 

Press release from Wednesday, 9 Jan 2013