Munich, September 20, 2023 - In order for Bavaria to remain successful as a business location, it needs innovative strength and a spirit of entrepreneurship. Universities in particular play a central role in terms of promoting and imparting entrepreneurial skills and in start-up activity. The Bavarian University Innovation Act emphasizes the importance of business start-ups at universities and promotes entrepreneurship through various measures such as start-up centers and start-up free semesters for professors. The university prize "MöglichMacher", which is being awarded for the first time, honors special achievements by teachers and academic staff who are highly committed to strengthening entrepreneurial thinking among students and promoting active start-ups at universities.
"You make it happen! The winners of our Bavarian University Award for Entrepreneurship 'MöglichMacher' advise and inspire! They are forward thinkers and live entrepreneurial spirit," said Bavaria's Minister of Science Markus Blume, MdL. "In great best practice examples, they show how successful start-ups from and with our universities succeed. Many thanks and congratulations! Bavaria is the number one state for patents and start-ups. There is a very special spirit at our universities in particular: they are at the forefront of start-ups!"
Prof. Dr. Klaus Sailer, Managing Director of the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship at Munich University of Applied Sciences, was honored as an outstanding entrepreneurship personality who has played a key role in transforming HM Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences into an entrepreneurial university.
In his laudation, Minister of Science Markus Blume recognized Prof. Dr. Klaus Sailer as an outstanding entrepreneurship personality: "His work has shaped the subject of entrepreneurship not only at his university, but clearly beyond it in Bavaria, Germany and internationally."
"The Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship at Munich University of Applied Sciences is a beacon institution with a model character. We look forward to many successful Munich start-ups and graduates who start their professional lives with entrepreneurial thinking and a founding spirit. In line with the Strascheg Center's motto: Responsible entrepreneurs are shaping a future worth living," continued Minister Blume.
Award winner Prof. Dr. Klaus Sailer expressed his thanks: "I am very proud of this recognition, which is of course a team effort. Therefore, it is the award of the entire team of the Strascheg Center and the university, and I would like to express my sincere thanks to the university management, which helped set the strategic course and has always supported us to the best of its ability over all these years."
"Entrepreneurship should be linked to a positive vision. We want to live in a livable society and future, that is what we are working for. That is why we understand entrepreneurship as a systemic issue that should be broadly and democratically anchored. That is why the topic is so important, especially in universities. If entrepreneurship is broadly anchored in teaching and research, great start-ups and valuable transfer from the university to society will emerge in the end," said Klaus Sailer when accepting the award.
HM President Prof. Dr. Martin Leitner emphasized the significance of this award for HM: "We see entrepreneurship as an important contribution to actively securing the future and are one of Europe's leading universities in this field. I am extremely pleased about today's award for our achievements in this regard."
A five-member jury headed by Hochschule Bayern e.V. and consisting of representatives from science, business, politics and the startup scene, selected individuals and projects that promote entrepreneurship and startup culture at their universities to a special degree.
The jury evaluated the submitted projects based on various criteria such as strategic fit, success in the startup scene, sustainability of the project and degree of practical transfer. The prize money totaled €30,000.
Dr. Christof Prechtl, Deputy Managing Director of the vbw, emphasized: "To ensure the competitiveness and future viability of our business location, we need young entrepreneurs with innovative ideas and a spirit of entrepreneurship. Bavarian universities and their dedicated teaching staff play a key role in promoting and imparting the skills needed to start a business. The Bavarian University Award for Entrepreneurship honors those universities that make entrepreneurial thinking the focus of their teaching and thus create the basis for Bavaria's continued economic success. That's why we are very happy to support the prize as a sponsor."
The award ceremony took place in the midst of Munich's startup community, at Werk1 in the Werksviertel Mitte in Munich, a place for digital startups, startup coaching and coworking. The event was accompanied by workshops, exchange rounds and lectures on entrepreneurship in teaching at BayZiel - Bavarian Center for Innovative Teaching.
"Since the founding of BayZiel, one of our tasks has been to bring an entrepreneurial mindset to universities and to sensitize and qualify teachers," said Prof. Dr. Robert Ott, scientific director of the Practice and Transfer division at BayZiel. "The MöglichMacher makes already successful projects visible and motivates universities to take on this important task for the future."
More information on the award ceremony is available on the BayZiel website.
Contact SCE: Dirk Hoppe at T 089 1265-3237 or by mail.
ContactHM: Ralf Kastner under T 089 1265-1922 or by Mail
ContactBayZiel: Martina Bischoff T 089-2020540-32 or by mail
With over 500 professors, 820 lecturers and more than 18,500 students, HM Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest universities for applied sciences in Germany. It offers around 100 bachelor's and master's degree programs in the fields of technology, business, social sciences and design. Excellently networked in Munich as a business location, it works closely with companies and institutions and is committed to practice-oriented teaching and application-oriented research. In the Stifterverband's start-up radar, HM once again ranked first among large colleges and universities in Germany. In addition to technical skills, it teaches its students to think and act in an entrepreneurial and sustainable manner. Trained in interdisciplinary work and intercultural thinking, its graduates help shape a digitally and internationally networked working world. In rankings, they are among the most sought-after by employers throughout Germany.
The Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE) at Munich University of Applied Sciences offers educational and research programs in the field of entrepreneurship, promotes start-ups, innovation processes and the development of entrepreneurial personalities. The internationally networked SCE supports start-ups from science and accompanies young companies from idea development to marketable innovation. In addition, it supports companies in breaking new ground and cooperating strategically with start-ups. With its activities, the SCE contributes to actively shaping the future of our society and to establishing a comprehensive start-up culture . www.sce.de
BayZiel is a joint institution sponsored by the Bavarian universities of applied sciences and technical universities. BayZiel bundles activities of the universities in the areas of "qualification and didactics", "teaching and learning research" and "practice and transfer". It is geared toward long-term institutionalized cooperation between the universities in the area of innovative teaching and, with its approximately 20 employees, supports about 6,000 teachers.