The Stuttgart Clusters of Excellence launch the “EXC – Start-up Series” for doctoral researchers
In November 2020, “Entrepreneurship at the University of Stuttgart” was the first event in the field of start-ups for both of the Clusters of Excellence at the University of Stuttgart. Invited by the Vice Rector for Knowledge and Technology Transfer Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Middendorf and the Vice Rector for Research Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Knippers, Philipp Häßler (ENI) and Marcel Werle (ENI) provided information on how to start your own company, how to protect your ideas and where to seek advice. In January 2021, this topic was then continued with a panel discussion on “How to combine first founding activities with your role as a researcher”.
Due to the success of the events and the interest in the topic, the idea arose to establish a corresponding start-up series for the doctoral researchers in both Clusters of Excellence: The EXC – Start-Up Series was born. The newly launched series aims to promote the founding of start-ups from research and its results. Jointly organised by the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Science (ENI), the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC and the Cluster of Excellence SimTech, the EXC – Start-up Series comprises the following components:
EXC – Start-up Talks
The EXC – Start-up Talks will feature discussions on current start-up topics with active and successful founders from the respective areas of the clusters. Topics will include such as success factors, collaborations and the path from research to market. The discussions, which are organised and moderated by Marcel Werle and Philipp Häßler, involve other experts from the University of Stuttgart's start-up network.
EXC – Start-up Lectures
The EXC – Start-up Lectures are designed to introduce researchers to topics that are necessary for starting their own business. These include legal aspects, IP, financing and market analysis. The lectures are given by experts from within the University and from Stuttgart's ecosystem.
EXC – Start-up Workshops
The EXC – Start-up Workshops provide an interactive opportunity for researchers to develop a commercial perspective on their own research and potentially advance initial business ideas based on their research findings. The workshops will apply state-of-the-art start-up methodologies such as lean start-up.
EXC – Start-up Q&A
Once a month, the EXC – Start-up Q&A takes place. Here, PhD researchers have the opportunity to ask Marcel Werle and Philipp Häßler their questions about starting a business.
About the ENI organisers
Marcel Werle is a start-up coach at the University of Stuttgart and supports students and scientists on their way to founding their own company with expertise in the areas of business models and market analysis. He is currently pursuing his PhD at the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Science at the University of Stuttgart and deals with experimentation in the context of start-ups.
Philipp Häßler is a technology scout at the University of Stuttgart and aims to identify commercially viable research results and scientists interested in founding a company. He is also the contact person for all IP issues related to start-ups. Academically, he is interested in the topic of technology commercialisation and emerging technologies. He is currently pursuing his PhD at the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Science.