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We wish you a Happy New Year and all the best for 2026!
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Awards & Recognition
UoC Ranks Third in Gründungsradar 2025: The University of Cologne achieved an outstanding third rank among large German universities in the Stifterverband's Gründungsradar 2025 rankings, announced in November. Alongside Technical University of Munich, UoC demonstrated excellence in founder qualification and support. The Stifterverband particularly recognized how transfer and start-up support have been strategically integrated into university structures through the Vice-Rectorate for Transfer and specialized transfer scouts. The number of supported start-ups has grown steadily from 14 in 2020 to 38 in 2024, reflecting UoC's commitment to translating research excellence into entrepreneurial impact.
NET ZERO Focus Center Receives State Funding: The University of Cologne secured 1.5 million euros of funding over three years until 2028 for the NET ZERO Focus Center through the Start-up Fokuszentren.NRW program. As a joint activity between the Gateway Excellence Startup Center and the Sustainability office of the University, the center supports start-ups contributing to climate neutrality and develops recommendations for climate-focused entrepreneurship. It intensifies exchange and networking between universities across NRW, to bolster the regions’ competences in entrepreneurship on sustainability topics in spin-offs.
DWIH Indo-German Innovators connect 2025 – Prize Won: The DWIH Innovators Connect Tandem brings together early-career researchers and innovators from Germany and India to co-create research-based start-up ideas addressing global societal challenges in fields of healthcare, infrastructure, energy, or neurology. Through an intensive two-week journey covering some of India’s most vibrant innovation ecosystems and innovation-hubs, the Indo-German team comprising University researcher Dr. Hannah Doherty and her Indian tandem partner Dr. Shivakumar Gowda, impressed the jury with a research-based start-up concept to award their pitch. This recognition highlights the strength of cross-cultural, interdisciplinary collaboration and underlines the University of Cologne’s growing footprint in Indo-German innovation networks.
Gateway Ambassadors 2025: At a festive end-of-year dinner, the University of Cologne honoured eleven professors from all six faculties of the UoC for their outstanding commitment to transfer and start-up support. Professors Sebastian Becker-Genschow and André Bresges from MNF were the 2025 Gateway Ambassadors for their role as mentors and multipliers of Transfer for students, researchers, and founders. This recognition strengthens the bridge between excellent research, innovative applications, and societal impact. The Gateway team expressed its gratitude to Prof. Dr. Rainer Minz and Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Reinartz for their dedicated support for this initiative and broader spectrum of Transfer activities.
Upcoming Events, Workshops and Competitions
IBM Quantum Community Meetup – Join Us January 20th: Researchers, PhD candidates, postdocs, and students will discover how quantum computing can accelerate their research work across medicine, informatics, business analytics, and beyond at the IBM Quantum Community Meetup on January 20, 2026 at the IBM Office in Cologne. IBM quantum leaders, Fraunhofer experts, and innovation pioneers will talk about quantum-safe algorithms, European quantum infrastructure, and real-world quantum applications while opening networking opportunities for shaping the quantum ecosystem. To connect with the entire quantum community in German-speaking countries—register here to secure your spot!
High-Tech NRW Accelerator: Batch #8 – Call for Applications: With the deadline of January 31, 2026 this is a call for early-stage deep-tech spin-offs to apply for the intensive 12-week program that kicks off on March 5 at the DITEC/Life Science Center in Düsseldorf and culminates in a Demo Day on June 3 at TÜV NORD in Essen. Get connected to mentors and coaches across industry, participate in workshops on venture building, learn from peers, and win prizes valued up to €20,000.
Info-Webinar on Strategic Roadmapping: On 29th Jan 13:30h, we will inform you in a virtual webinar on how you, as a research group, can approach and plan your research projects in a straight-forward way. Supporting alignment within your team and between teams, this roadmapping process facilitates strategic dialogue, consensus, decision making and resource allocation. Designed by the University of Cambridge, Fast-start Roadmapping is a social, workshop-based approach used to create a visual chronology to support strategic intent for successful innovation.
Startup Your Idea Contest: Join this grand finale on 4 February 2026, 17:00–22:00, at the Aula of the University and experience eight teams from the Gateway Universities Cologne pitching their early-stage innovative ideas to win prizes worth €7,000. The event brings together founders, students, researchers, and innovation enthusiasts from all disciplines, offering a vibrant start-up market and plenty of opportunities to connect with the Cologne start-up ecosystem and explore collaborations or roles in science-based ventures. Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.
ML4Q Technology & Career Day: On February 27, 2026, University hosts the final day of the “Platforms for Quantum Technologies” course to bring participants closer to industry and real-world problems in quantum. Participants will gain insights on non-scientific skills crucial to navigate their career beyond academia. And learn about career paths, knowledge transfer, and entrepreneurship themes from the best-in-class role models in the quantum world from industry heavyweights such as IBM and Infosys, alongside in-house quantum computing start-ups like Arque Systems and more in the form of talks and panel discussions with academia.
Thank you for your continued support & interest.
Best regards,
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Transfer Team
Prof. Dr. Annette M. Schmidt (annette.schmidt
uni-koeln.de)
Dr. Dadhichi Paretkar (d.paretkargateway-unikoeln.de)