Group photo of BIP participants and teachers at REACH – Euregio Start-up Center
© Lea Kipper - Universität Münster

University of Münster hosts Ulysseus programme on inclusive entrepreneurship

Twenty-two students from across the Ulysseus European University alliance spent a week in Münster exploring inclusive entrepreneurship through critical, interdisciplinary work.

The University of Münster recently hosted the Ulysseus Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) – a short, credit-bearing format combining online preparation with an on-site week – titled "Entrepreneurship in Context: Empowerment and Co-creation." Organised together with Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, MCI – Management Center Innsbruck , and the Technical University of Košice (TUKE), the programme ran on-site in Münster from 14 to 18 September 2026. Participants examined structural barriers and power dynamics in entrepreneurship and innovation systems, spending part of the week at the REACH – EUREGIO Start-up Center, before developing and pitching their own small-scale inclusive innovation projects.

„The students were very creative, open to learning and willing to explore new perspectives. I was especially impressed by how innovative their ideas were and how they developed them through discussion and collaboration.“ – Namrata Sethi, BIP Teacher, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences

More on the BIP "Entrepreneurship in Context: Empowerment and Co-creation".
 

Photos

© Barbara von Groote-Gotzes
  • © Barbara von Groote-Gotzes
  • © Barbara von Groote-Gotzes

Münster delegation visits Université Côte d'Azur to strengthen research cooperation

From 6 to 8 July 2026, a delegation from the University of Münster visited Université Côte d'Azur (UniCA) in Nice to advance bilateral research cooperation within the Ulysseus European University Alliance. The delegation was led by Johannes Wessels and Monika Stoll, and hosted by Prof. Stéphane Ngo Mai, Vice-President for Ulysseus and International Partnerships.

The programme centred on UniCA's research infrastructure and its links to the alliance's Innovation Hubs. The delegation visited IMREDD, the Mediterranean Institute of Risk, Environment and Sustainable Development, where Prof. Paula Pousinha presented the Ulysseus Innovation Hub "Ageing and Well-being". Further visits took the delegation to the physics laboratory INPHYNI, to the historic Campus Valrose, and to the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (IPMC), a joint unit of UniCA, CNRS and INSERM.

Discussions with President Jeanick Brisswalter, Vice-President for Research Prof. Laurent Counillon, Vice-President IDEX Prof. Sylvain Antoniotti and Prof. Pascal Barbry addressed joint research profiling, doctoral training, joint applications for European funding.

The visit underlines the role of direct exchange at leadership level in translating the alliance's strategic agenda into concrete research cooperation.

© Thomas Steinlechner

Ulysseus Annual Summit 2026 in Innsbruck: Setting the Course for the Next Funding Phase

From 11 to 12 June 2026, the partner universities of the Ulysseus European University Alliance gathered for this year's Annual Summit, hosted by the Management Center Innsbruck (MCI). The University of Münster was represented by a delegation and actively contributed to the thematic working sessions.

The two-day summit focused on laying the strategic foundations for the alliance's next funding phase. Together, the eight partner universities agreed on an updated assessment of the alliance's current position, refined the overarching vision of Ulysseus, and established strategic guidelines for future collaboration. These outcomes will serve as the basis for the upcoming funding application, in which the shared objectives will be translated into a concrete work plan and implementation framework.

Across the key areas of education, research, and innovation, the partner universities further strengthened their cooperation. The summit also provided valuable opportunities for personal exchange among the participating teams, reinforcing the cross-institutional collaboration that will underpin the next project phase. For the University of Münster, the event offered an important opportunity to contribute its strategic perspective within the alliance and to deepen bilateral cooperation with its partner institutions.

Special thanks go to MCI for its warm hospitality and the excellent organization of the summit against the impressive backdrop of Innsbruck.

Refuge-Team Meeting at the Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster. From left to right: Paolo Giordani (Genua), Lena Neuenkamp (Bielefeld), Theresa Klein-Raufhake (Münster), María Teresa Domínguez Núñez (Sevilla), Ute Hamer (Münster), Lourdes Morillas Viñuales (Sevilla)
© Ute Hamer

Research Meeting on the Refuge Project: Progress and New Directions

In May 2026, researchers from the universities of Seville, Genoa, Münster, and Bielefeld met in person for the second time—this time in Münster—to discuss the progress of the Refuge project and develop new research ideas. Following the successful launch of the Ulysseus Consortium in November 2025 in Seville, joint activities continued (Homepage: https://sites.google.com/view/refugeforests-de/projekt). Following the Bioblitz event in Seville—a citizen science initiative in which more than 300 citizens and students were actively involved in the research—another event is planned for end of June in Münster. What makes the Münster event unique is that it will be led by master’s students in landscape ecology - under the guidance of Nadja Pernat. Already during the preparation phase, a video message from Genoa by Paolo Giordani, the lichen specialist of the team, greatly inspired the students in Münster. | Read on

Photos

© Maxime Kops
  • © Maxime Kops
  • © Maxime Kops

Photos

© Johannes Ueberfeldt @ REACH – EUREGIO Start-up Center
  • © Johannes Ueberfeldt @ REACH – EUREGIO Start-up Center
  • © Johannes Ueberfeldt @ REACH – EUREGIO Start-up Center

CURATE Incubator: Final Bootcamp in Münster Marks a Milestone in European Co-Creation

With the second international bootcamp, held mid-September at the University of Münster—and also at the REACH EUREGIO Start-up Center—the CURATE Incubator Program reached its final phase. What began in the spring at the Technical University of Košice (TUKE) in Slovakia evolved over five months into a unique experience in cross-border collaboration, uniting students, universities, and companies from across Europe in a shared mission: innovation through co-creation. | Read on

Košice
© Constantina Rokos

Technical University of Košice Hosts Third Coach the Coach Workshop of Ulysseus in Synergy with CURATE Bootcamp

The Ulysseus Coach the Coach workshop series includes five cross-functional, multi-professional, and interdisciplinary workshops and meetings for start-up coaches and technology transfer officers from partner universities. The goal is to foster knowledge transfer within the Ulysseus, to create support structures for coaches within partner universities’ start-up centres, incubators, and entrepreneurial education initiatives. The first two workshops took place in Münster (April 2024) and Nice (October 2024), while the current one was held in Košice (7–9 April 2025). The workshop was hosted by the Technical University of Košice and held in the University Science Park TECHNICOM. | Read on

© Constantina Rokos

Ulysseus Innovation Hub Health, Ageing & Well-Being launches transnational start-up funding programme

Author: Julia Völker

European funding concept for start-ups in the healthcare sector

From 12 to 14 March 2025, the official launch of the Ulysseus Innovation Hubs Health, Ageing & Well-Being start-up programme took place at the Université Côte d'Azur in Nice. As part of the event, an innovative, Europe-wide support concept was presented, which aims to promote young companies in the healthcare sector through targeted support, mentoring and international networking. A special item on the programme was a practice-oriented workshop in which Dr Constantina Rokos - REACH employee and Ulysseus Work Package Manager - emphasised the importance of empathy in the development of human-centric healthcare solutions. | Read on

© Gesa Niessen

Ulysseus Days at the University of Münster 

From 28 to 30 October 2024, the Ulysseus Days took place in Münster under the title ‘Navigating Pathways to a Sustainable Future’. On October 28 and 29, the Münster Innovation Hub officially launched within the Ulysseus University Alliance with the event “Explore and Connect: Meet the Innovation Hub of Socio-Ecological Sustainability.” Additionally, the Research & Innovation (R&I) conference “Sustainable Innovations” was held on October 30, focusing on promoting sustainable ideas and solutions. | Read on

 

© Gesa Niessen

Barbara von Groote-Gotzes talks about the "Ulysseus Days"

The first network meeting, entitled ‘Ulysseus Days’, will take place in Münster from 28 to 30 October. Project coordinator Barbara von Groote-Gotzes spoke with Kathrin Kottke about the aims and content of the event, and who stands to benefit from the Ulysseus network. You can read the full interview here