Paderborn University and its cooperation partners have made it into the top 15 in the "EXIST-Startup Factories" lighthouse competition. Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck presented the university's representatives with the certificate for the concept phase funding at the EXIST Congress in Berlin at the beginning of June. EXIST is a funding programme of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) with the aim of supporting start-ups from science, primarily by awarding grants.
Paderborn University is working together with Bielefeld University, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, OWL University of Applied Sciences and someventure GmbH as "StartupFactoryOWL" on its concept to reach the next round of the competition. The aim of the "EXIST Startup Factories" is to develop Germany into a leading start-up nation by bringing together scientific institutions, private partners and companies to promote innovative start-ups.
The 15 selected "Startup Factories" now have eight months to prepare a full proposal and consolidate their structures and cooperation agreements. The final submission deadline is 28 February 2025, with only five to ten factories moving on to the project phase.
With the recently opened Start-up Campus OWL and the start-up centres of the participating universities, StartupFactoryOWL is well prepared. The East Westphalia-Lippe region is to be developed into a hotspot for start-ups in Germany in order to serve as an innovative beacon for B2B start-ups in the digital transformation. As one of six Excellence Start-up Centres in NRW, the consortium around Paderborn University has already proven that there is great potential for innovation in the region, both through science-based start-ups and through cooperation with the regional economy.
In the coming months, the focus will be on strengthening competitiveness and further establishing Ostwestfalen-Lippe as a leading economic and scientific region. The involvement of regional economic players and the promotion of corporate entrepreneurship are key elements in supporting sustainable and innovative start-ups.
