Thuringia invests 4.8 million euros in start-ups at Thuringian institutions of higher education

The Free State of Thuringia is funding the Thuringian university start-up network StarTH, which is coordinated by Friedrich Schiller University Jena, with a further 4.8 million euros until the end of 2029. The aim of the StarTH network is to strategically develop support for start-ups at eight institutions of higher education in Thuringia and expand it across universities.

Institutions of higher education bundle start-up programmes across the state

»The renewed and longer-term funding is a strong signal for start-ups at Thuringian institutions of higher education. With StarTH, we are not building a single project, but a permanent, cross-university support system - from the initial idea to the actual start-up. The fact that the University of Jena is allowed to coordinate this network underlines the strategic importance of transfer and start-ups for our location«, says Prof. Dr Andreas Marx, President of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and chair of the StarTH advisory board.

»At the University of Jena alone, more than 60 start-up projects are supported by the K1 start-up service every year«, explains Matthias Piontek, coordinator of the StarTH network. He adds: »Through close cooperation within the network, previously unutilised potential at the university locations is to be systematically tapped and transformed into economic and social added value.«

Wide range of tenders for those interested in setting up a business

The first network meeting of the new project phase will take place on 15 January. Participants from the University of Jena, Ilmenau University of Technology, Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences, Erfurt University of Applied Sciences, the University of Erfurt, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, Bauhaus University Weimar and Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena will coordinate joint strategies to support start-ups in an even more target group-orientated manner.

Specifically, those interested in founding a company are also to be prepared for current social challenges, such as technological and social sustainability, digitalisation and artificial intelligence.