Millions for entrepreneurial culture: University of Kassel is now a "university for entrepreneurs

On Wednesday evening in Berlin, Federal Minister of Economics Philipp Rösler honored the University of Kassel as one of three winners of the competition "EXIST-Gründungskultur - die Gründerhochschule". The jury primarily evaluated strategies for developing a culture of entrepreneurial thinking and action; these strategies should not be limited to an advisory institution, but should permeate the entire university. For the further implementation of its concept, the university will now receive around two million euros from the federal government over the next three years; an extension to five years and a further 800,000 euros in funding are possible. The investment sum is further increased by funds from the state of Hesse and the university's own funds, to 2.5 million euros in a three-year term and over 4.1 million euros in a five-year term.

A total of 41 universities applied in the current round of the EXIST program. In the end, twelve universities received funding. Three of them were also awarded the official title of "university for start-ups"; in addition to Kassel, these are Lübeck University and Saarland University. In the future, these three universities will serve as role models in dealing with the issue of university spin-offs, as jury chairman Prof. Dr. Thierry Volery from the University of St. Gallen explained. 

"For us, this success is a gratifying confirmation of our previous efforts to promote entrepreneurial thinking and action among our students and scientists," said a delighted University President Prof. Dr. Rolf-Dieter Postlep, who had traveled to Berlin for the award ceremony. "For us, entrepreneurship is not only manifested in the founding of companies. We understand entrepreneurial spirit as a comprehensive competence to develop ideas and to work out energetically - under consideration of chances and risks - ways to implement them. In Kassel, we see this as an important task for all areas of the university. Spin-offs have played an essential role in the upswing of the North Hesse region in recent years. The funding from Berlin will enable us to further expand our infrastructure for promoting start-ups. This will have an additional positive impact on the region. Spin-offs also tend to remain close partners in research and teaching, so we also expect constant positive repercussions for our core tasks."

Implementation of the concept will begin as early as the summer semester of 2013, with the money being invested in three areas:

• Development of an interdisciplinary teaching-learning concept "Entrepreneurial Thinking and Acting." Two additional professorships for "Entrepreneurship Education" and for "Psychology of Entrepreneurial Action" will be established and, together with the professorships for business didactics and business psychology, will form the core of a competence center. Entrepreneurship and key entrepreneurial skills are to be taught to students in all departments. The goal is that in five years, half of all students will attend corresponding courses.
• No idea should be lost: A network of idea scouts is being established. They identify and support students and scientists in the departments with promising product and business ideas; they are given the opportunity to discuss and test their ideas and develop prototypes. By strengthening the culture of ideas and exploitation, the university expects to receive up to 150 start-up ideas per year in the future as part of the Unikat university competition (44 ideas were submitted in 2012).
• In cooperation with the Beteiligungsgesellschaft des Landes Hessen and the Kasseler Sparkasse, an instrument for start-up financing of start-ups is offered. Start-up advice on financing and capital acquisition, business model development and organizational development is being expanded.

"EXIST" is a funding program of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology with the aim of improving the start-up climate at universities and research institutions. The "EXIST Start-up Culture" program line supports universities in formulating and implementing a university-wide strategy. Representatives from science and industry sit on the international jury.

The "EXIST-Gründungskultur - die Gründerhochschule" competition was held for the second time in 2012/2013. 41 universities and colleges took part and submitted sketches of ideas in the first round; 20 universities were then asked to develop and present a comprehensive strategy from these. In addition, eight universities that narrowly failed in the first competition in 2010/2011 were given a second chance. From 27 finalists (one university withdrew during the course of the competition), the jury selected ten for funding on Wednesday. Three of them were also awarded the title of "university for start-ups".

The University of Kassel also scored points with the jurors of the EXIST competition with its track record. Since the university was founded 40 years ago, more than 300 companies have been founded out of the university. Around 10,000 jobs in the region are provided directly or indirectly by spin-offs. In terms of the number of students, the University of Kassel is one of the five universities in Germany with the highest number of start-ups, not least because start-up advice has already been institutionalized in the UniKasselTransfer facility. The Science Park Kassel, which is scheduled for completion at the end of 2014, will further strengthen the promotion of company spin-offs. There, founders will receive advice and support, events will be offered to train entrepreneurial skills, and space will be provided for start-ups, research, development and cooperation between the university and industry.

For more information, visit www.exist.de and www.uni-kassel.de/transfer

Dr. Oliver Fromm
University of Kassel
Managing Director UniKasselTransfer
Tel.: +49 561 804-2734
E-mail: ofromm[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Dr. Guido Rijkhoek
University of Kassel
Communication, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: 0561/804-2217
E-mail: rijkhoek@uni-kassel.de