Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is part of the new NXTGN Startup Factory - a government-funded platform for technology-driven startups. As the partner with the most successful startup track record of the initiative, KIT seeks to trigger a new wave of startups together with universities and companies from Baden-Württemberg. The aim is to translate research results into marketable products more quickly and to create more than 10,000 new jobs by 2030. The government and industry support the Startup Factory with up to EUR 20 million.
"With the NXTGN Startup Factory, we are writing a new chapter in the history of innovation in our state. Baden-Württemberg does not think about future technologies on a small scale, but systemically. We combine cutting-edge research, courageous founders, and responsible companies to ensure sustainable prosperity and quality of life for future generations," says Baden-Württemberg's Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann.
KIT as a Catalyst for High-Tech Startups
KIT is the partner with the most successful startup track record and wants to share its experience in supporting startups. It is involved in more than 40 spin-offs every year, currently holds 13 stakes in companies founded out of KIT that develop or offer technological products or services, and has a strong network of research partners, companies, and investors, making it one of the leading startup universities in Germany. Since 2013, the KIT Founders Forge has supported more than 400 founding teams - especially in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, medical technology, environmental technology, energy transition, and sustainable mobility.
More Innovation for Industry and Society
The NXTGN Startup Factory aims to help set up more than 300 deep-tech startups in five years - in other words, young companies based on groundbreaking scientific or technological innovations. In addition, at least 1,000 collaborations with SMEs are planned. Physical hubs and digital offerings will promote talent, accelerate the founding process, and facilitate the transfer of research results into practice.
Strong Alliance for the Center of Innovation
"Startups are central drivers of innovation, transfer, and economic dynamics in Baden-Württemberg. The success of NXTGN in the lighthouse competition is impressive proof of how closely and effectively our universities, companies, and the startup community work together," says Petra Olschowski, Baden-Württemberg Minister for Science, Research, and the Arts. "By linking the Startup Factory with the INSPIRE BW Hubs, we're creating a strong nationwide ecosystem that promotes talent, accelerates startups, and makes Baden-Württemberg a center of innovation for the future."
"NXTGN allows us to generate economic value from scientific excellence. Especially the close interaction with industrial SMEs makes this model so promising. This turns the NXTGN Startup Factory into an important cornerstone of the innovation and founding culture in Baden-Württemberg, which we have systematically developed since 2017 under the umbrella of the Startup BW state campaign," says Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Baden-Württemberg Minister of Economic Affairs.
KIT Focuses on Deep Tech and SMEs
"The NXTGN Startup Factory is a lighthouse project for KIT and Germany as a center of innovation. A joint platform, which brings together deep-tech spinoffs from research with SMEs, is fully in line with our transfer philosophy of building a bridge between knowledge and application through innovation," says Thomas Hirth, Vice President Transfer and International Affairs at KIT.
NXTGN Startup Factory
The NXTGN consortium consists of KIT, the University of Stuttgart, the University of Heidelberg, the University of Ulm, Stuttgart Media University (HdM), as well as NXTGN Management GmbH, IPAI (Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence), and Campus Founders. (mex)
