The NXTGN network will be one of 10 Startup Factories in Germany. The University of Stuttgart is collaborating with four other universities from Baden-Württemberg to establish the NXTGN Startup Factory as a central innovation platform for startups in the southwest of Germany. The aim is to trigger a new wave of startups, accelerate the development of marketable products from research findings and create over 10,000 new jobs by 2030. The NXTGN Startup Factory will receive up to 20 million euros in funding from the federal government and industry sponsors.
The “NXTGN Startup Factory” successfully participated in the competition organized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Universities of Stuttgart, Heidelberg and Ulm and Stuttgart Media University (HdM) are working on developing NXTGN as a globally oriented innovation platform for technology-driven startups. Minister President Winfried Kretschmann on this success: “The NXTGN Startup Factory rings in a new era of innovation in our state. Instead of getting lost in the details, Baden-Württemberg takes a systemic approach to future technologies: We combine cutting-edge research, courageous entrepreneurs and responsible companies to ensure sustainable prosperity and quality of life for future generations.”
Strong alliance to promote innovation hub
“Startups are key drivers of innovation, knowledge transfer and economic development in Baden-Württemberg. NXTGN’s success in the lighthouse competition impressively demonstrates how closely and effectively our universities, companies and the startup community work together. By linking the Startup Factory with the INSPIRE BW Hubs, we are creating a strong state-wide ecosystem that promotes talent, accelerates startups and future-proofs Baden-Württemberg as a location for innovation,” says Petra Olschowski, State Minister of Science. “With NXTGN, we are able to focus efforts towards generating economic value from scientific excellence. What makes this model so promising is its close integration with industrial SMEs. This will make the NXTGN Startup Factory an important cornerstone of Baden-Württemberg’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, which we have been systematically developing since 2017 under the umbrella of the Start-up BW state campaign,” says State Minister of Economic Affairs Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut.
Strengthening startup culture in Southwest Germany
The NXTGN Startup Factory aims to create over 300 deep-tech startups in five years – young companies based on groundbreaking scientific or technological innovations. The project also envisions setting up at least 1,000 collaborative projects between startups and SMEs. Physical hubs and digital offerings will be available to promote talented individuals, accelerate startups and facilitate the transfer of research results into practical applications.
“Our aim is to kickstart a new wave of startups – with strong academic partners, responsible and future-oriented SMEs and a clear mission: Applied Deep Tech for the Next Generation Mittelstand. We can only succeed in our goals if we work together. That's why we are delighted to have new partners join our movement,” says Adrian Thoma, Managing Director of NXTGN Management GmbH.
The University of Stuttgart as a reliable partner for startups
Researchers and students at the University of Stuttgart acquire first-class expertise and develop pioneering technologies for societal challenges. With its closely interconnected system for knowledge transfer, the university supports and advises startup founders all the way from the concept stage to the founding of a spin-off. The University of Stuttgart focuses especially on deep-tech startups, sustainability and the promotion of female entrepreneurs.
“It is great to see what has grown from where we began five years ago with the small-scale Gründermotor Landesinitiative. We are delighted to be working with strong partners from Baden-Württemberg to take knowledge-based start-ups to the next level,” says Prof. Alexander Brem, Vice Rector for Science Transfer and International Affairs at the University of Stuttgart.
About the “Startup Factories” lighthouse competition
The “Startup Factories” lighthouse competition is part of the federal government’s startup strategy. The competition aims to build and establish new central players in the startup ecosystem in Germany, which should be anchored in the private sector and focused on entrepreneurship and international visibility. Up to ten nationally and internationally visible startup factories will be selected throughout Germany as lighthouse projects. The prerequisite is a strong connection to one or more entrepreneurial universities and, where applicable, non-university research institutions with a high potential for innovation and talent promotion.
About the NXTGN innovation platform
The network behind NXTGN consists of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the University of Stuttgart, the University of Heidelberg, the University of Ulm, HdM Stuttgart, the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) and Campus Founders. With the addition of NXTGN Management GmbH, the network is expanded by private-sector anchor partners and the anchor VC, Mätch VC. NXTGN promotes talented individuals in the field of innovation and helps entrepreneurs implement their startup ideas and accelerate growth. NXTGN also supports companies in their journey towards sustainability through customized collaboration offers and provides a platform for profitable science transfer through startups. Business and community partners include ADS-Tec Industrial IT, Balluff, Festo, Koehler Group, L-Bank, Scharr, Schwarz Digits, Vector Informatik, Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, VfB Stuttgart, Campus Schwarzwald, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) and Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart as strategic partners as well as over 30 companies as corporate members.