The University of Bonn Transfer Network

Transfer is about co-operation. Fostering knowledge transfer with its project partners, University of Bonn closely engages in many regional and supra-regional networks and initiatives in order to promote the exchange of knowledge in all areas with a variety of stakeholders.

Regional Start-Up Network

University of Bonn participates in the regional start-up network, therefore offers access to many interesting partners and information offered in the area of start-ups and entrepreneurship.

Digital Hub Region Bonn helps promoting the digital economy by networking with companies, the scientific community, institutions, associations and start-ups. The Economic Development Agency of the City of Bonn and Sparkasse KölnBonn are project partners of the BonnProfits initiative, which is aimed at providing targeted advice to company founders in the knowledge-intensive services sector. The Economic Development Agency of the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district and Kreissparkasse Köln offer a comprehensive qualification program for company founders and small and medium-sized companies through the Rhein-Sieg Start-Up Academy (Gründungsakademie). The Starter Center Bonn/Rhein-Sieg offers information on networking and co-operations. The Bonn Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) co-ordinates the consultant network of the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg Start-Up Initiative (Gründungsoffensive GO NRW). The NRW Start-Up Initiative (Gründungsoffensive) provides information on general questions. Women entrepreneurs and women in management positions joined together to form the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg Women's Consultant Network (BeraterinnenNetzwerk). BIO.NRW, the North Rhine-Westphalia Biotechnology Cluster, offers special assistance for company founders in the biotechnology sector. The life Life Science Inkubator (LSI) offers many tools for projects in the life sciences. Joint transfer and start-up activities are performed with the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences and its CENTIM institute.

A group of founders sitting together discussing.

Transfer to Business

The fast, smooth transfer of knowledge and technology from the University to business is a key success factor for the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg region.

University of Bonn is a member of the NRW-Hochschul-IP for technology transfer and IP management. It is one of the shareholders of PROvendis GmbH, the intellectual property service provider for 28 NRW universities. LIFE & BRAIN GmbH offers research services along the preclinical value chain, thereby complementing the broad translational landscape of the Faculty of Medicine. A long-standing co-operation exists with the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) that is aimed at promoting research, science and teaching through economic and entrepreneurial engagement and the promotion of knowledge transfer between the University and Bonn/Rhein-Sieg knowledge region. A co-operation exists with the Cologne Chamber of Crafts (Handwerkskammer) for the exchange of knowledge on career orientation, training and advanced training, technology and innovation. The Cologne Transfer Round (Kölner Transferrunde) of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) promotes technology transfer in the city. enaCom is a co-operation partner of ChemCologne's Chemtelligenc. Chemical companies use the platform to network with start-ups, students and researchers.

Cooperation with student initiatives

Students at the University of Bonn are involved in numerous projects, initiatives and associations. They try to find solutions for economic and social challenges and expand their knowledge gained from their studies through concrete application in practice. In order to support these goals, the University of Bonn makes an essential contribution and supports student initiatives at a very early stage.

The Transfer Center enaCom regularly exchanges ideas with entrepreneurially oriented university initiatives such as Science to Startup Bonn e.V., Marc Aurel e.V. and Enactus Team Bonn in order to be able to provide advice and support at an early stage, from the founding of the initiative to the establishment of concrete business models and business plans, as well as concrete projects.

The Transfer Center enaCom is an important link between the university and the student initiatives themselves.

The initiative Science to Startup e.V. (s2s) was founded with the advising support of the Transfer Center enaCom in 2019. The university group would like to provide a platform for other students to share their scientific knowledge gained through their studies with society in the form of start-ups.

The Transfer Center enaCom has also supported the Enactus Bonn Team from the moment of its foundation. It is part of the Enactus network, which has over 72,000 members. In voluntary work, the members found social start-ups and contribute to a sustainable development of Bonn and the whole region.

Also the student consultancy MarcAurelConsult e.V. was founded by students from various study fields in order to provide management consulting services with comparatively lower prices than traditional consulting services in Bonn can.

Here too, the Transfer Center enaCom is the link between students and the university as well as entrepreneurially oriented initiatives.