Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences has been recognised in the BMWi’s EXIST-Potentiale competition for its proposal to establish a start-up culture. The aim is to facilitate and support the joint economic and social development of the region and the university.
Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences has achieved a major success in the BMWi’s EXIST-Potentiale competition. Its application for the project “StartGlocal – Global Spirit for Local Start-ups” has now been awarded funding. The project views internationalisation as an opportunity for regional start-up culture and development and aims to unlock potential in the field of start-ups and entrepreneurship. The aim is to sustainably harness the innovative potential seen particularly, though not exclusively, in international students who are especially keen to start their own businesses. The project is set to begin in spring 2020. The funding amounts to approximately two million euros over a four-year period. The project is organised under the Centre for Research, Innovation and Transfer (ZFIT).
Given that knowledge transfer is ultimately intended to serve innovation-driven regional development, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences intends to develop into a genuine laboratory for the internationalisation of a region that tends to be predominantly rural or characterised by small and medium-sized enterprises. Thus, start-up culture is not an end in itself, but rather a response to the needs of the international student body on the one hand, and a measure to foster an entrepreneurial spirit in a region less inclined towards start-ups on the other.
Building on the international nature of the student body as the university’s unique selling point, the aim is to increasingly promote international start-ups in the region. This requires specialised, innovative approaches and measures, which are to be developed and implemented in collaboration with regional partners. At the same time, care will be taken to ensure that the start-up culture is embedded in the university’s strategy and that the region’s innovative strength is sustainably enhanced. The starting points are the university’s two campuses. In the medium term, the entire region is to be involved and transformed into a vibrant and visible start-up and innovation culture.
“This is a tremendous success and an important step for the university. On the one hand, our concept proved successful in a nationwide competition involving more than 220 applications; on the other hand, this now marks the starting point for intensively driving forward spin-offs from the university. In doing so, we are relying on the innovative potential of our staff, but in particular on that of our many creative students. This makes our concept unique in Germany and in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. With the support of the entire region and our partners, we will generate a new wave of innovation in the region,” says President Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, expressing his delight at the university’s award.
EXIST potential
Start-ups are of great strategic importance to Germany as a business location: they drive innovation, are the engine of structural change and create the jobs of the future. Universities play a crucial role in this as think tanks for innovative start-up projects. That is why the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), through the EXIST-Potentiale funding scheme, supports universities that have submitted compelling project proposals for the sustainable expansion of their start-up activities.
The ‘StartGlocal – Global Spirit for Local Start-ups’ project is funded under the EXIST programme by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the European Social Fund.
