THI Drives Innovation in the Upper Bavaria Start-up Hub

As a driver of innovation for the region, THI is focussing on knowledge transfer and supporting start-ups. ‘The Upper Bavaria Start-up Hub provides students and academic staff at THI with an even better infrastructure to realise their innovative ideas,’ emphasises Professor Elke Feifel, THI Vice President for Sustainability, Transfer and Entrepreneurship. ‘We are creating a dynamic environment here that promotes entrepreneurship and further develops the potential of our region.’

The offer includes practical workshops, mentoring programmes and easier access to existing funding opportunities and entrepreneurship services. In the future, external people interested in starting a business should also benefit from the measures in order to sustainably strengthen the innovative power of the entire Ingolstadt region.

The initiative is intended to create long-term, sustainable structures for start-up support. After a five-year evaluation phase, the programme is to be made permanent. Science Minister Markus Blume emphasises: ‘With the start-up hubs, we are creating a real transfer turbo for Bavaria. Students and researchers receive targeted support to bring their visions to market maturity.’

The Upper Bavaria Start-up Hub is part of the Bavarian High-Tech Transfer Offensive and is being funded with 930,000 euros over five years. In addition to the THI, the Technical University of Rosenheim - as the coordinating institution - as well as the University of Music and Theatre Munich, the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt are also involved.