innovate! Centers
How can the transfer of basic research be increased in order to accelerate knowledge- and technology-based innovation? With our "innovate! Centers", we show how research at universities can be systemically transferred to application and society through appropriate structures.
Background and vision
In an international comparison, Germany is not yet sufficiently successful in putting scientific findings into practice and making them commercially viable. The "Valley of Death" in the innovation chain is particularly dramatic when it comes to transferring promising findings to actual commercialization: German universities, most of which are public institutions, reach their limits due to budgetary and collective bargaining constraints. The sensitive transition in the innovation chain requires specific methods and tools that are compatible with the structures of commercial exploitation of innovations, but often do not correspond to the public-law conditions. The potential for usable knowledge is enormous, as is the need for funding in transfer-oriented research.
"The time of pure research in science is over, yet Germany lags far behind in the utilization of research results. In view of the pressing challenges of our time, we can no longer afford this gap in the system. Foundations can act as a bridge here, as they operate outside the limitations of state funding and can act flexibly. In the best-case scenario, our new format will establish successful pioneers for the institutional funding of transfer and innovation at German universities, which the Joachim Herz Foundation has helped to develop and establish."
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. Sabine Kunst, Chairwoman of the Executive Board
The "innovate! Centers" are central components of the Foundation's new strategic orientation. The structural funding format aims to overcome systemic barriers in the transfer process while creating efficient structures at universities to accelerate knowledge- and technology-based innovation. The centers are intended to offer excellent top researchers an ideal environment to realize their projects, make the results usable and promote the entrepreneurial spirit in science. This independence enables them to act more flexibly and react more quickly - without bureaucratic hurdles.
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