idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
The “hoi" start-up factory aims to sustainably increase competitiveness in the northwest through close collaboration between science and industry. It brought together more than 150 entrepreneurs, pioneers, committed individuals, and start-ups for a sponsor event at the Weser Stadium in Bremen.
The region of Bremen/Northwestern Lower Saxony has been shortlisted in the “Startup Factories” competition organized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection under the leadership of the universities of Bremen and Oldenburg, and is leading the way with a unique concept. The private “hoi” start-up factory will provide customized services for founders who want to turn an idea from academia into reality by setting up a company. The Bremen/Northwest Lower Saxony region offers an excellent basis for this, with its strong links between business and science and a vibrant start-up scene. This mix of agile players makes the region unique and a perfect breeding ground for the hoi start-up factory.
Goals of the hoi Start-Up Factory
The regional framework conditions for visionaries are excellent: The factory relies on a broad network based on excellent science at universities and a high density of non-university research institutes that is unique in Germany, a traditionally cosmopolitan entrepreneurial community, and extensive public support for start-ups. The aim is to achieve a paradigm shift. All start-up-supporting stakeholders see themselves as a regional, cross-institutional team and share the mission of establishing a holistic entrepreneurial journey in the region and putting founders at the center of their activities. A committee consisting of the universities of Bremen and Oldenburg, the chambers of industry and commerce of Bremen and Oldenburg, as well as company representatives, established start-ups, start-up ecosystem stakeholders, and the project coordinator are currently steering the strategic decisions of the hoi startup factory. The goal is to be among the top five German locations for science-based startups with international appeal by 2030.
The name hoi is an abbreviation of the North German word for “Ahoy,” namely “ahoi,” and can be understood as an abbreviation for “harbor of ideas” or “home of innovation” and is intended to focus attention on innovative start-ups and their founders.
Science and Industry in Harmony – Creative Visionaries Meet Brave Sponsors
“We can clearly see how strong the will is in the region to jointly advance science and business and to strengthen the region's economic and innovative power by significantly increasing the number of start-ups. With excellent science, we have an ideal breeding ground for new companies in the region. In the medium and long term, it is also important to make the area a center of attraction for trans-regional and international start-ups – everyone has to pull together on this. We are very pleased about the excellent and close cooperation with industry and are focusing on the common goal of promoting start-ups from the academic world,” explains Professor Jutta Günther, President of the University of Bremen. This is also confirmed by Professor Ralph Bruder, President of the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg: “The hoi startup factory brings our regions even closer together and opens up new ways of working across borders with science and industry.”
Benefits for the Economy
A collaboration between academia, start-ups, and established companies offers many advantages. For example, existing processes can be made more innovative, agile, and sustainable. In addition, the hoi start-up factory offers early access to new ideas and technologies through collaborations with young companies. Through ongoing contact with innovation drivers and talents, transformation processes can be jointly designed. André Grobien, President of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce, confirms this assessment: “The start-up factory opens up a new opportunity for the economy in Bremen, Bremerhaven, and the region to gain direct access to new companies, innovation drivers, and talent. We have the chance to build a network that is effective beyond the region, to combine economic power for the start-up sector, and to successfully position the northwest in the competition between locations.”
The Start-up Factory Competition
A viable and innovative business model for a start-up factory is being developed in the current concept phase. This model is then to be supported by the federal government with up to 10 million euros over a period of five years. The second half of the funding must come from private sources in the business community. After the funding period, the factory should be self-sustaining and permanently available to the region. The current concept phase will run until April 30, 2025. By then, the hoi start-up factory will submit an application to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection as a new entity. A total of 5 to 10 start-up factories will be supported nationwide by the 15 currently ongoing concept regions.
Start-up Support at Universities
The support for start-ups at the leading locations of Bremen and Oldenburg is a success story.
Since its opening in 2012, the Start-up and Innovation Center (GIZ) of the University of Oldenburg has supervised more than 600 start-up projects, from which 148 new companies have been founded – many of which have received prestigious awards.
BRIDGE – Foundations from Bremen Universities is a network of Bremen universities with the Bremen Aufbau-Bank that has existed for over 20 years. BRIDGE, located in the Uni Transfer unit, is the central point of contact for students, alumni, and members of Bremen universities on the subject of business start-ups. Three modules are offered to support all phases of the start-up: practical events, counseling, and the CAMPUSiDEEN competition. The BRIDGE network registers around 20 start-ups a year from Bremen's universities.
In addition to the Universities of Bremen and Oldenburg, the project is supported by the Bremen City University of Applied Sciences, the Jade University of Applied Sciences Wilhelmshaven/Oldenburg/Elsfleth, the University of Emden/Leer, the University of Vechta, the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences, the Constructor University Bremen, and Bremen University of the Arts.
Anne-Kathrin Guder
UniTransfer
University of Bremen
T +49 +421 218-60330
E-mail: anne-kathrin.guder@vw.uni-bremen.de
https://bridge-online.de/en/
https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/cooperation/industry-liaison
https://uol.de/en/giz
Dr. Mandy Boehnke, Benjamin Piel, André Grobien
Criteria of this press release:
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Dr. Mandy Boehnke, Benjamin Piel, André Grobien
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