Our 2x3 Future Formula: Innovation with system
To turn deep-tech innovation into real-world impact, we combine two complementary forces — Research and Industry — and focus on three future topics that define tomorrow.
We focus on 3 future topics
that fuel economic growth and societal progress.
These fields are not only essential for the transformation of the Ruhr Region — they will also shape Europe’s future competitiveness.
Each vertical offers vast potential for pioneering solutions, new business models, and technologies that address global challenges.
Within these fields, we collaborate with top industry and academic partners in dedicated innovation clusters to accelerate impactful solutions.
We move from 2 directions
Research Push unlocks entrepreneurial potential.
Industry Pull ensures relevance, adoption, and scale.
Our Research Push approach starts where future-defining ideas begin —in the labs of our partner universities: Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, and the University of Duisburg-Essen. We identify early scientific breakthroughs and develop research and application in parallel from day one.
We currently focus on three globally competitive fields shaping tomorrow’s breakthrough technologies: Secure & Intelligent Systems, Advanced Materials, and Personalised Medicine — with more to follow as our ecosystem grows.
Our Industry Pull approach starts with real-world challenges and turns them into concrete innovation opportunities. By integrating corporate and sector needs into our ecosystem, we ensure deep-tech solutions meet immediate market demand while giving industry early access to innovation.
With leading partners, we co-create innovation clusters in Water [RAG], Chemistry [Evonik], Energy [E.ON & RWE], and PropTech & Real Estate [LEG & Vivawest], and invite corporates to join or build new clusters as opportunities emerge.
Our Startup Programs
Our startup programs guide you through the key phases of venture development: Start, Build, Grow, Scale. Each format is tailored to activate talent, validate ideas, accelerate growth, and open doors to industry and capital.
In this phase, students and researchers explore real-world problems, validate early ideas, and gain the skills needed to turn deep-tech knowledge into entrepreneurial potential.
This phase focuses on validating market needs, matching research with real problems and developing early prototypes that pave the way for deep-tech venture creation.
This phase focuses on securing pilot customers, refining the product–market fit, attracting investment, and setting up scalable structures for growth.
