German universities are increasingly striving to provide support for entrepreneurs. As a result, the number of university startups is steadily increasing. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Along with Lüneburg and Leipzig, Munich offers some of the best conditions for young entrepreneurs.
It's still a long way to Stanford
The world's shining example of entrepreneurship is located, where else, in the land of unlimited opportunity, the USA. The secret to Silicon Valley's success lies in the combination of three crucial forces: knowledge, money, and infrastructure. New, innovative ideas and additional know-how come from young people who are well and successfully educated, especially at Stanford University.
In contrast, Germany still lags significantly behind the American model in all respects, lacking dynamism in the startup sector. However, local universities have now recognized this problem and are trying to make entrepreneurial thinking understandable to their students, thus making entrepreneurship more appealing.
The Stifterverband für deutsche Wirtschaft (Donors' Association for German Business) has now conducted a second study on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology to examine the details of the support provided to universities and which universities are particularly outstanding in this regard. The startup radar provides an indication of how the situation in Germany is developing: In 2013, the universities surveyed reported 1,766 startups. While that's not a particularly large number, it's at least a good 600 more than the previous year.
Economics usually forms the basis
In terms of financial support, capital funding increased by an impressive 28 percent to €63 million. When compared with other major universities, TUM ranks first. The report states: "Institutional anchoring, awareness-raising, support, advice, and concrete activities are all exemplary." In 2012, Munich University of Applied Sciences/SCE was still ahead.
As in the previous year, Leuphana University of Lüneburg tops the list of medium-sized universities. Among the small universities, HHL Leipzig is pleased to take the lead. Founding companies by individuals are relatively rare. Teams of at least two founders are the norm, with an average of three involved. One-third of startups utilize current research findings from the respective university, and one in ten is based on intellectual property rights such as patents.
Economics is at the heart of start-up support. The report states: "At nine out of ten universities, entrepreneurship awareness training is conducted with the involvement of law, economics, and social sciences." In contrast, "natural and technical sciences are included in the start-up-relevant courses offered at only less than half of the universities."
