How do laser beams get the right shape? A question that occupies not just some fantasy heroes, but also physicists at the University of Bonn. In the course of their research, three of them have found a solution to the problem that is so practical that it has aroused the interest not only of the scientific community, but now also of industry experts: The start-up project "Midel Photonics" by Dr. David Dung, Dr. Christian Wahl and Frederik Wolf is one of twelve start-ups selected this year for the state-wide "HIGH-TECH.NRW" program.

The Transfer Center enaCom of the University of Bonn is slowly filling up: Two of the start-up teams that emerged from the university have recently settled in the co-working space. The start-ups neuro11 and kiresult, supported by enaCom's start-up consultancy, are the first teams to use the new office space at Brühler Straße 7.

Someone else orders expensive things on the Internet in someone else's name - and at someone else's expense. An unknown person has access to private photos in a cloud. Digital identity crime has many faces and causes not only financial but also psychological and social damage to those affected. It is often based on a leak, i.e. the publication of stolen data. Two worldwide action days will soon be drawing attention to the problem: "Check your Password Day" on February 1 and "Safer Internet Day" on February 9. Researchers at the University of Bonn are also working intensively on the issue: a team from the computer science department has developed a "leak checker" that allows users to protect themselves and easily check whether personal data is contained in a stolen record.