The Innovation Office (AFO)

The Innovation Office (AFO) was established at the University of Münster in 1984 to represent the numerous working units devoted to the University’s third performance dimension: transfer. The AFO now plays an integral role in the University of Münster’s Transfer Strategy which was approved and issued by the Rectorate in summer 2022.

University transfer, widely regarded as the sum of all knowledge and technology transfer activities at the university level, is now firmly anchored in the academic system as the “third performance dimension” after research and teaching. The University of Münster defines transfer as the communication and exchange of scientifically generated knowledge, as cooperation and communication between the academic community, society and business, and on a more general level, as a “demonstration of civic responsibility to which it aims to do justice in all sectors of society” (Transfer Strategy of the University of Münster, 2022, p. 2).

In addition to its dual role as a creative partner and service centre, the AFO is devoted to the objectives of university transfer in four central areas of activity: “Citizen Science and Knowledge Transfer”, “Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer”, “Communication and Public Relations” and the “Transfer School”.

The AFO – Your creative partner

The AFO advances the notion of university transfer with real-world content. In this way, the AFO serves as your creative partner to help you develop and implement your own transfer projects and formats, specifically:

to develop and implement a wide variety of theme-based and target-group-specific transfer projects for society, especially in the areas of citizen science and knowledge transfer
to present transfer projects within the confines of the University of Münster (developing them for and in cooperation with researchers, institutions and, to some extent, students), as well as outwardly to the city of Münster, the region and beyond (planning them for and in cooperation with the public)
to establish partnerships with University and non-university stakeholders

The AFO – Your service centre

The AFO supports researchers of the University of Münster, as well as transfer units that operate at the University. In this regard, the AFO provides in-house services within the University, specifically:

to promote networking between various transfer representatives within the University’s central and decentralised units, as well as with University and non-university stakeholders, local and regional transfer offices and cooperation partners
to provide advisory and support services to researchers and members of the University with respect to higher education knowledge and technology transfer
to initiate contact with other institutionalised transfer offices
to develop and carry out transfer-related training seminars

The AFO thus contributes to furthering the visibility, development and implementation of (practical) university transfer activities by creating theme-based and target-group-specific transfer programmes. Furthermore, it aims to improve, strengthen and enhance the systematic framework conditions of university (research) transfer in all shapes and sizes. In this way, the AFO significantly contributes to strengthening and improving university (research) transfer at the University of Münster through conceptual, strategic and structural measures.