“We are constantly developing new programs to help young researchers translate their results into practical applications. The potential here at the University of Excellence in Bonn is enormous. Together with our partner YES, we offer targeted initiatives for aspiring sciencepreneurs,” says Sandra Speer, Head of the Transfer Center enaCom.
Doctoral candidates and postdocs can take part in a wide range of workshops to explore start-up opportunities. They learn how to take the first steps toward founding their own company by developing business plans, ideas, or prototypes based on their research. In this way, early-career scientists discover during and beyond their doctoral studies how their findings can be commercially applied — and what new career paths this opens up for them.
In addition to workshops, enaCom’s start-up advisory service provides one-on-one coaching to address individual challenges and find practical solutions for research-based ideas. A key tool here is the Research2UseCase Canvas, developed jointly with YES to specifically meet the needs of researchers.
To receive the YES certificate, universities must fulfill several criteria, including adhering to defined quality standards in their work with scientists. The Young Entrepreneurs in Science continuing education program is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Next Event
As part of the YES cooperation, the upcoming workshop “Unlocking Research Potential” will take place on July 9–10, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There, researchers interested in entrepreneurship can develop their first ideas for commercializing research results — and present them in short pitches.