The six INSPIRE BW Hubs formed last year represent and unite the regional start-up ecosystems of the universities in Baden-Württemberg. Supported by the Ministry of Science, synergetic networks are being established to accelerate start-ups even more efficiently.
Image: Dr Raoul Haschke (University of Heidelberg), head of the INSPIRE BW Hub platform, at the kick-off workshop, © NXTGN
What's behind the INSPIRE BW Hubs
The INSPIRE BW Hubs (Incubation Hubs for New Startups, Products and Innovative Research based Enterprises in Baden-Württemberg) are centralised networks with the intention of providing targeted support to founders from universities. Among other things, the aim is to bring together the talent pools in order to set up interdisciplinary start-up teams, create joint event formats for better networking of founders and allow stakeholders at universities to learn with and from each other.
A total of 28 universities are organised in the six hubs, which jointly design and offer programmes and support for start-ups. The hubs are each coordinated by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Universities of Stuttgart, Freiburg, Tübingen and Ulm and the HTWG Konstanz. The INSPIRE BW Hub Platform, based at the University of Heidelberg, serves as the overarching coordinating body. In particular, it will support the networking of the six hubs and provide an overarching infrastructure. All hubs will work closely with the NXTGN Startup Factory in the future. The services offered by the universities, the hubs and the Factory will be interwoven in order to organise the Startup Journey as efficiently and effectively as possible.
One of the priorities of the hub's funding programme is to focus on the visibility of start-ups and spin-offs founded or managed by women in Baden-Württemberg. The topics of female entrepreneurship and female foundership aim to encourage even more women to take the plunge into the start-up world.
These are the six INSPIRE BW Hubs
DeepTechHub
- Participating universities: KIT (lead), Heidelberg University, University of Mannheim, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences and Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences
- Focus on deep tech
- 87,464 students
- Learn more
TriAS
- Participating universities: University of Tübingen (lead), Stuttgart Media University and Reutlingen University
- Focus on life sciences and artificial intelligence
- 38,903 students
- Learn more
Black Forest entrepreneurial spirit
- Participating universities: University of Freiburg (lead), Furtwangen University and Offenburg University of Applied Sciences
- Open to all sectors
- 32,626 students
INSPIRE2Start
- Participating universities: University of Stuttgart (lead), University of Hohenheim, Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences and Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences
- Focus on impact and female entrepreneurship
- 44,055 students
- Learn more
StartupSÜD 
- Participating universities: Ulm University (lead), Ulm University of Applied Sciences, Biberach University of Applied Sciences, Aalen University of Applied Sciences, Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Applied Sciences and the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (Heidenheim site)
- Focus on combination technologies in the deep tech sector
- 24,642 students
- Learn more
Kilometres1
- Participating universities: Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (lead), University of Konstanz, Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences and Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences
- Open to all sectors
- 20,905 students
- Learn more
Extract from the Delta Report '24
This article first appeared in our Delta Report 2024. Here you can download the Delta Report as PDF (6MB) in full length.
