Thuringia Supports University Startups: Grant Awarded to »StarTH«
The symbolic presentation of the grant to the Thuringian »StarTH« university startup network is a clear sign from the State of Thuringia in support of innovation, entrepreneurship, and Thuringia’s future as a hub for science and business.
As part of an event at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Thuringia’s Minister of »Bildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur«, Christian Tischner, announced the funding decision to representatives from the eight Thuringian university locations. The grant was accepted by Prof. Andreas Marx, President of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Chair of the »StarTH« Advisory Committee.
This funding will increase long-term multi-university startup support in Thuringia. The goal is to support students, researchers, and alumni with transforming innovative ideas into successful startups and translating scientific findings into social and economic solutions.
»The funding shows that, in our opinion, higher education institutions are among the most important innovation drivers in the state«, Minister Tischner said during the presentation. This involves so much more than just supporting individual startups: »It’s part of something even bigger that we want to promote and support; it’s a structural transformation that begins during studies and dives head first into entrepreneurial culture.«
StarTH connects the startup centres at all eight Thuringian universities and provides support for aspiring entrepreneurs from the first ideas through to implementation. Through this close collaboration, cross-university offers, new educational formats, and valuable networking between academia, businesses, and society can be established.
»We want to broaden the range even more, to show what’s possible, and push productivity forward«, explains StarTH coordinator Matthias Piontek. »We offer support for all levels of the university community – from Bachelor and Master’s students, to doctoral candidates, professors, and even alumni. We bridge the gap between academia and industry.«
The Startup Hub »neudeli« at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is also part of the StarTH network and brings its many years of experience in supporting innovative and creative startup projects to the table. Together, the eight Thuringian universities are working to highlight startup potential, support talent, and sustainably strengthen Thuringia as a hub for innovation.
We are looking forward to a future of collaboration and to helping even more startup ideas make their way into practice.