The start-up culture at OTH Regensburg is gaining nationwide recognition: Prof. Dr Sean Patrick Saßmannshausen, Professor of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship and Head of the Start-up Centre at OTH Regensburg, was honoured with the prestigious UNIPRENEURS award in Berlin on Tuesday 22 September 2026. The UNIPRENEURS initiative forms part of the German Government’s start-up strategy and, every three years, honours individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to entrepreneurship, innovation transfer and spin-offs at universities.
UNIPRENEURS is held under the patronage of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. At the award ceremony, Federal Minister for Research Dorothee Bär emphasised the important role played by the honoured professors in fostering a start-up culture at German universities and paid tribute to them as driving forces behind Germany’s innovative strength and future viability. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katharina Reiche also highlighted the close link between scientific excellence and entrepreneurial activity, of which the UNIPRENEURS initiative is a prime example.
Selected from more than 800 nominations
The award winners can only be nominated by founders. Over 10,000 of them submitted proposals. These proposals resulted in more than 800 nominations, from which 20 particularly deserving individuals were selected as the 2026 award winners.
“This award means a great deal to me. It makes me proud and is, at the same time, a tribute to my team, to the many students, founders, staff and partners who, through their commitment, uphold and further develop the start-up culture at OTH Regensburg,” said Prof. Dr Sean Patrick Saßmannshausen. “I am particularly pleased that so many entrepreneurs from OTH Regensburg nominated me. Expanding the field of entrepreneurship was hard work, but it was worth it and is now being recognised – that’s a wonderful thank you from our start-up community.”
Building a vibrant start-up landscape in Eastern Bavaria
“When people talk today about a vibrant start-up landscape in Eastern Bavaria, OTH Regensburg – and Professor Saßmannshausen in particular – have played a decisive role in this. With great perseverance and passion, he has established structures and activities at our university that encourage people to turn ideas into businesses. The UNIPRENEUR award is a well-deserved recognition of this,” said Prof. Dr Ralph Schneider, President of OTH Regensburg.
Prof. Dr Sean Patrick Saßmannshausen was appointed to OTH Regensburg in 2014. Since then, he has consistently expanded start-up support at the university and secured funding for numerous projects. Under his leadership, the OTH Regensburg Start-up Centre has developed into a central point of contact for those interested in starting a business. Thanks to the Start-up Lab at the Prüfening campus – funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) – entrepreneurs now have access to a makerspace covering more than 700 square metres, which combines modern workshops, prototyping facilities and co-working areas. Saßmannshausen is also the spokesperson for the GründungsHUB Ostbayern, which coordinates and further expands start-up support at the six state universities in Eastern Bavaria, with the support of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts.
Many successful start-ups with roots at OTH Regensburg
Another important milestone was the launch of the ‘Digital Entrepreneurship’ Master’s programme in 2016. Together with his interdisciplinary team, Prof. Saßmannshausen supports start-up projects from the initial idea right through to the company’s foundation. Numerous successful start-ups have emerged from this environment in recent years, including 2Lock, anybill, brainjo, Calypso Commodities, dissecto, Evanium Healthcare, HANS Brainfood, Nuviox, Pendura, Qwicklane and Urnfold.
His own entrepreneurial experience continues to shape his work to this day. As early as the 1990s, Prof. Dr Sean-Patrick Saßmannshausen founded two companies himself in the field of biotechnology. This was followed by roles in establishing start-up support programmes at the University of Wuppertal, international visiting and acting professorships, and the leadership of an institute for start-up and innovation research. The experience gained from these diverse start-up ecosystems was incorporated into the development of Regensburg’s start-up support programmes.
The fact that this work is having an impact is demonstrated by numerous successes in recent years. OTH Regensburg is consistently ranked amongst the leading universities in Germany for start-up support. In the Stifterverband’s latest ‘Start-up Radar’ – which analyses and evaluates the start-up activities of all German higher education institutions – OTH Regensburg ranks first amongst medium-sized universities of applied sciences (HAW). At the same time, Regensburg has developed into one of Bavaria’s most dynamic start-up hubs. Through a wide range of services, partnerships and programmes, the university makes a significant contribution to regional innovation.
About UNIPRENEURS
UNIPRENEURS is an initiative aimed at strengthening spin-offs at German universities. This joint initiative is organised and run by the Stifterverband. Its partners are the German Start-up Association, Bitkom and AddedVal.io. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) act as patrons. The award is presented every three years to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to entrepreneurship, knowledge transfer and spin-offs in the higher education and research sectors. To be considered, nominees must be put forward by founders from universities. The other professors who have received the award are listed on the UNIPRENEURS website.
