445,000 additional startups within the next ten years, nine trillion euros in potential enterprise value and 13 million new jobs: The figures from the new “Redstone University Startup Index 2026” illustrate the economic potential that lies dormant in Europe’s universities. At the same time, the study reveals significant differences between individual countries and institutions.
445,000 additional startups possible
For the index, the authors analyzed more than 1,000 universities and research institutions in the EU, the European Economic Area, the UK, and Switzerland. The central question: How efficiently do universities convert their resources into business startups?
The results are clear. If all universities achieved the efficiency of the top ten percent of their respective peer group, around 445,000 additional startups could be created across Europe. This could result in enterprise values of around nine trillion euros and additional economic output of five trillion euros.
According to the study authors, Europe’s primary challenge is not a lack of financial resources. Rather, there are significant differences in fostering entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and support for spin-offs.
Germany ranks only in the middle field
The analysis is sobering for Germany. In the country comparison, the Federal Republic achieves only a middle-field ranking. Measured against the university budgets deployed, Germany produces fewer startups than several other European innovation hubs.
The Baltic states and France stand out as particularly successful. There, universities are significantly better at converting research results and entrepreneurial ideas into new businesses.
The study authors see this as an indication that successful startup ecosystems do not depend solely on research strength or financial resources. Instead, what matters are functioning startup structures, entrepreneurial education, and access to networks and capital.
TUM ranks among Europe’s best entrepreneurial universities
An important exception is Technische Universität München. The TUM achieves top rankings among large universities across Europe and is thus among the most successful entrepreneurial universities on the continent.
According to the study, a total of 38 startups emerged from researchers alone in 2025, with an additional 235 companies founded by students and alumni. This makes the Munich university one of the most important engines of the German startup ecosystem.
Why universities are becoming increasingly important for startup ecosystems
The study also shows that successful entrepreneurial universities do far more than research. They create networks between science, business, and capital providers, foster entrepreneurial thinking, and support founding teams from their first idea to company launch.
Especially in technology-intensive areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, and space travel, many of Europe’s most successful startups now emerge directly from university environments.
For innovation hubs like Munich, universities are thus becoming an increasingly decisive competitive factor.
Europe’s greatest untapped innovation potential?
Another finding of the study is particularly noteworthy: While public research institutions have enormous budgets, they produce relatively few business startups in proportion to that.
The authors see this as one of Europe’s greatest untapped innovation potentials. If research results can be converted into market-ready products and companies more quickly, universities and research institutions could play an even more important role in growth and competitiveness in the future.
