During a visit by Science Minister Markus Blume to the Start-up Lab at the Prüfeninger Straße site, OTH Regensburg demonstrated how ideas can be turned into concrete applications and ultimately successful start-ups. Today, the listed buildings house rooms in which historical substance and modern innovation culture are brought together in a targeted manner and enable short paths from the initial idea to the marketable product.
Science Minister Markus Blume: "Here, the future is not just thought about, it is made: Within historic walls, ideas for the world of tomorrow are created in the OTH Regensburg Start-up Lab - from artificial intelligence to new applications for industry and society. This is exactly the kind of entrepreneurial spirit that Bavaria needs: bold, creative and application-orientated. OTH Regensburg impressively demonstrates how science turns into entrepreneurship and ideas into concrete innovations that secure our future prosperity."
An innovation process anchored in the university's DNA
Prof. Dr Ralph Schneider, President of OTH Regensburg, emphasised the strategic importance of this approach: "We are consciously combining two worlds here: the history of this location and the future of innovation. From the initial impulse to the prototype to the spin-off, we are creating an end-to-end innovation process at OTH Regensburg. This is firmly anchored in our university development plan and characterises our self-image as a university."
The short pitches from selected start-ups showed how this aspiration is realised in practice: the spectrum of business ideas presented ranged from voice AI solutions for SMEs to plant-based active ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry and virtual reality applications in therapy. Other teams presented solutions in the fields of cyber security, medical technology and defence. This emphasised the thematic breadth and the high application relevance of the start-up activities.
During the subsequent tour of the MakerSpace, the transfer concept was brought to life: prototypes are created in the 3D printer, workpieces are potted and fired from clay and ideas are further developed at the workbench. The Minister was given a vivid insight into the practical realisation: among other things, he was able to test a neuroactive training system with powerful boxing punches and try out an intelligent cushion for wheelchair users.
OTH Regensburg's Start-up Lab is the place for making things happen
"The Start-up Lab is our central place for making things happen, for our founding teams and their start-ups. This is where we bring students, researchers and start-up teams together and create the conditions for entrepreneurial solutions to emerge from scientific findings. With around 22 start-ups per year, we show that this approach works," explained Prof. Dr Sean Patrick Saßmannshausen, Head of the Start-up Centre at OTH Regensburg.
One particular component is the targeted support of female founders: With the Female Founders Programme, Prof. Dr. Sevim Süzeroglu-Melchiors supports women on their path to self-employment and thus sustainably strengthens diversity in the start-up scene.
Independent assessments also confirm that OTH Regensburg is successfully pursuing this path: In the Stifterverband's Start-up Radar 2025, it is ranked first among medium-sized universities of applied sciences nationwide. As coordinator of the Eastern Bavaria Start-up Hub, it also plays a key role in promoting networking between science, business and the start-up ecosystem in the region.
With the Start-up Centre and the Start-up Lab, OTH Regensburg not only creates spaces for ideas, but also a structured environment in which innovation is systematically promoted, transfer is lived and entrepreneurship is actively developed.
