Transfer and Entrepreneurship Unit
Enabling and supporting cooperation
The Transfer and Entrepreneurship Department is the first point of contact for organizations in the region interested in cooperation. We advise on possible formats and content for cooperation with our university and put you in touch with the right contacts. Conversely, we support academics from our university in transfer activities, initiate collaborations and initiate and accompany the dialog between academia and practice in the region. In short: we are the interface between science and practice.
Goals at a glance
What is transfer?
By "transfer" we mean any science-based cooperation or interaction with external third parties: representatives from business, culture, the public sector or society. The aim is to exchange technology, knowledge, services or human resources in order to learn from and with each other.
Organizationally, our department consists of five work areas:
- The work area Cooperation & Foundation is the dedicated partner for the development, support and implementation of innovative cooperation and start-up projects at Coburg University of Applied Sciences.
- The Research Initiation and Knowledge Transfer department (TraFo) supports scientists from the initiation of research projects through to project submission and also advises on the exploitation of the results.
- The CREAPOLIS Makerspace is the university's open workshop and also provides on-site support for research activities and courses.
- The work area Campus Development & Real Laboratory flanks the activities at the former Coburg University of Applied Sciences slaughterhouse until the university's STEM quarter is created and is also responsible for the Design Factory
- Our back office supports the team in all organizational matters, communication and event management.
As part of the transfer monitoring not only records and analyzes our activities, but also the university's transfer activities in the region.
The Transfer & Entrepreneurship department is currently mainly financed by the CREAPOLIS+design project as part of the federal-state initiative Innovative University.
Goals at a glance
Professionalize transfer structures
Professional external communication, clear structures and attractive cooperation offers for our external partners are important to us.
We focus on the long-term orientation of all transfer activities – from the (internal and external) initiation to the exploitation of the project results.
We implement incentive systems, build and expand strategic partnerships and develop an exploitation strategy.
Simplify access for employers
We create opportunities for regional employers to have a greater presence at the university, guarantee the employability of our students and increase their likelihood of remaining in the region.
Generating impact in the innovation triangle Coburg - Kronach - Lichtenfels
We are convinced that Coburg University of Applied Sciences has a positive impact on the region: through joint projects and partnerships. To this end, we continuously identify regional needs and address them with the help of the expertise available at the university.
Profiling research transfer
In research transfer, we focus in particular on the key research areas "Sensors & Analytics" and "Analyzing & Promoting Health", as well as the subject area of design. In this way, we contribute to raising the profile of our university in the region and beyond.
Make transfer locations more attractive
At the former slaughterhouse, we are moderating the campus development towards a STEM quarter and are further developing the CREAPOLIS Makerspace as a transfer tool.
Establishing entrepreneurship and start-up support
The new start-up support to be developed at the university includes awareness-raising, (internal) networking and entrepreneurship education. A mix of STEM, cultural and creative industries and social entrepreneurship is the unique selling point of Coburg University of Applied Sciences. We dovetail our internal activities closely with the (external) Coburg start-up network.
Communicating successes and activities
Success stories deserve to be told. That is why we communicate examples of good practice from the transfer process and show how successful collaborations can be put into practice. We want to inspire interested parties. A particularly successful example of outstanding knowledge transfer is honored annually with the CREAPOLIS Award. The CREAPOLIS Award is selected by a jury and presented by the President of Coburg University of Applied Sciences during the Dies Academicus. The award is named after the university project "CREAPOLIS" as part of the first funding phase 2018 – 2022 of the federal-state initiative Innovative University.
Head of unit
Dr. Markus Neufeld
Verena Blume
Contact persons for the "Cooperation & Foundation" area
Verena Blume
Laura Dorst
Elena Friedel
Thomas Nick
Contact persons for the CREAPOLIS Makerspace
Lorenz Raab
Dustyn Kramer
Jan Schmid
Anja Hofmann
Contact persons CREAPOLIS+design project
Sandra Pollan
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Contact persons for the area of "Research Initiation & Knowledge Transfer"
Katrin Schwuchow
Dr. Eva-Maria Wittmann
Franziska Ritz
Dr. Julia Kenzel
Sabine Schmidt
Contact persons for the "Real-world laboratory & campus development" area
Laura-Maria Konrad
Claudia Stöcklein
Back office
Janine Difour
Cindy Dötschel-Langbein
