THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES AND START-UPS IN EUROPEAN REGIONAL INNOVATION STRATEGIES

THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES AND START-UPS IN EUROPEAN REGIONAL INNOVATION STRATEGIES

As a region, Saxony pursues an innovation strategy building on society, economy, science, and humans mostly without large companies Situation Restructuring after reunification still predominant Need to catch up to German economic standards still ongoing Coined by small and medium enterprises few large companies But: High density of science institutions, more patents by universities than other German states, one university labelled as excellent -1-

Start-ups and universities are a good match in Saxony as well as in many similar regions Start-ups Universities Drive innovations Unlock future business sectors for a region Able to connect competencies Necessary to provide organic growth if attracting large companies is no longer an option Create innovations Provide a pool of qualified students and staff Able to connect disciplines Necessary driver of research and development, particularly in regions with little R&D in industry -2-

dresden exists can support 20-25 successful start-ups per year plus provide substantial additional benefits in terms of research grants, technology transfer, and human resources Joint entrepreneurship support center dresden exists serving several scientific institutions Co-funded by European Social Fund Informing about entrepreneurship to close knowledge gaps with students an staff plus scouting => resulting in 70-80 ideas each year from scientists and students plus research grants acquired to prepare ideas further Education for founders of science based businesses Providing consulting support (industry experienced, multidisciplinary team) and trainings on personal and professional competencies to upcoming entrepreneurs Resulting in 20-25 start-ups each year, 50 % of them based on research results, 50 % on personal competencies Ongoing research cooperation start-up universities (commercializing upcoming research results, attracting/keeping students in the region) -3-

In detail, we provide services to interested parties and founders on three levels Information and scouting Meeting featuring presentations by entrepreneurs General education lectures on entrepreneurship Scouting at the university and at research facilities Education Business knowhow for founders of other disciplines Seminars on business development and soft skills for entrepreneurs Offerings by various external partners (e.g. law and patenting) Consulting and support Sparring partner support from concept through starting up Concrete advice provided internally and via partners Support to acquire federal and regional financial aid -4-

European policy should support ESF co-funding of university entrepreneurship support initiatives and of projects supporting sharing of best practices Support recommendations Universities tend to be driven towards maximizing publications and external funding. Consequently, supporting start-ups is at the brink of being neglected. Profitable early stage venture capital investing is difficult for anyone. Hence, start-ups do not generate revenues for universities. ESF co-funding is extremely helpful because of limited financial resources in public universities. The bureaucratic burden associated with it should be reduced as best as possible. EU-funded projects supporting sharing of best practices and establishing European-wide platforms and support networks strengthen regional possibilities and help avoid inefficiencies. -5-

Thank you very much for your attention! Who was speaking? Questions Discussion? Prof. Dr. Michael Schefczyk Born in Hamburg 1967 Master of Science in industrial engineering, studied in Hamburg and at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Doctorate in business management at RWTH Aachen Postdoc in business management at Universität Duisburg- Essen Eight years at an international management consulting firm, Düsseldorf Since 1999 Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, TU Dresden, www.gruenderlehrstuhl.de Tax advisor and advisor for international tax law, www.stb-schefczyk.de Living and working in Dresden and Düsseldorf -6-