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This page was translated automatically using artificial intelligence (DeepL). The German version is binding. More information about automatic translation
On 9 April 2025, eight universities in Saxony and two in Thuringia founded the ‘Startup Campus Alliance’ at the University of Leipzig. Through this association, they aim to promote entrepreneurship and a start-up culture in the long term, and to establish Saxony and Thuringia as a leading deep-tech start-up region in Germany.
Deep Tech (short for ‘Deep Technology’) refers to technologies and companies that offer solutions based on significant scientific or technical innovations. The founding members of the “Startup Campus Alliance” are, alongside Mittweida University of Applied Sciences: the Saxon universities in Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Freiberg; HTW Dresden and HTWK Leipzig; and HHL in Leipzig. In Jena, Thuringia, the Friedrich Schiller University and the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences are also involved.
Mittweida’s unique innovation ecosystem
“Mittweida is already a prime example of an ecosystem that fosters innovation and start-ups, in which the university, the town and regional partners work together to break down barriers,” says Professor Volker Tolkmitt, Rector of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. “Through our involvement in the Startup Campus Alliance, we are extending our successful commitment to a region’s economic development across the whole of Saxony and Thuringia. With its extensive network, the Alliance acts as a catalyst that systematically challenges and nurtures innovative talent.”
Joining forces and showcasing our achievements
The “Startup Campus Alliance” aims to strategically pool the resources of universities in Saxony and Thuringia in the field of start-up support, thereby creating effective synergies. Through joint teaching formats, shared infrastructure and interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative support services are being developed for talented individuals and teams interested in setting up a start-up. A key component of the alliance is to highlight successes in the field of university spin-offs, thereby strengthening the public perception of Saxony and Thuringia as start-up hubs – both nationally and internationally. “Furthermore, this cross-university cooperation makes a significant contribution to the further development of the regional start-up ecosystem. After all, most start-up ideas already originate from universities,” says Leipzig University professor Utz Dornberger, who was elected chairman of the association. In Saxony, there were just under 100 new start-ups in 2023, more than 60 of which were attributable to start-up projects originating from universities and research institutions.
The organisational framework for this collaboration is the non-profit association ‘Startup Campus Alliance’. The association serves as a coordinating platform through which the diverse activities of university start-up support can be efficiently consolidated and strategically aligned. Furthermore, the association’s structure enables joint representation of interests within Business Opportunities Ost (boOst) Ecosystem gGmbH, which is currently being set up in parallel with the establishment of the alliance. In addition to the savings banks in Saxony, SpinLab in Leipzig and TUDAG, discussions are currently underway with further private investors. This strong partnership is intended to support the creation of innovative start-ups originating from universities.
boOst gGmbH is applying to take part in the ‘Startup Factories’ competition organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, which supports selected German start-up ecosystems in establishing knowledge-based spin-offs. The aim is to develop a model for a thematically or regionally focused ‘Startup Factory’ that operates as a private-law organisation outside the university framework.