Innovation-driven territorial transformation

REACH – EUREGIO Start-up Center leads the Work Package Innovation-driven territorial transformation at the University of Münster. It aims to strengthen Ulysseus as a driver of innovation (not only technological but also social) and to promote knowledge and technology transfer in the innovation ecosystem.

The aim is to bring together the transfer and innovation offices of the individual partner universities in cooperation with the Innovation Hubs to form a sustainable, international, interdisciplinary and multi-professional innovation and knowledge transfer network within the Alliance, which is closely linked to the stakeholders in the regions. In a co-creation process, the Alliance will establish a coordinated and sustainable joint process for transfer, spin-offs and start-ups within the Ulysseus network and in cooperation with its associated partners. Innovation monitoring will be an integral part of the programme. A series of events for regional research, innovation and transfer networks, involving regional companies, governments and institutions, will provide opportunities for exchange and development, among other things, to reducing the innovation gap between the different Ulysseus regions. In a pilot project, Ulysseus will also support the five Ulysseus cities participating in the EU Mission for Climate Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 (Cities Mission for short).

Fostering innovative and growth-oriented thinking and innovation skills is a key economic and societal challenge. The Ulysseus Coach the Coach programme, which is part of this Work Package, therefore aims to support lecturers/teachers of all disciplines to recognize and use these competences in their own work and to promote them among their students.

Furthermore, the empowerment of women in entrepreneurship and the promotion of social and intersectional entrepreneurship is key to sustainable economic development and therefore also an objective of this Work Package.