Future Innovators – A Helmholtz Transfer Academy
The DLR_Startup Factory team and the DESY Start-up Office are launching their ‘Future Innovators – A Helmholtz Transfer Academy’ programme. Are you a scientist working on exciting research projects and want to find out how much application potential they have? Do you want your ideas to help shape the world of tomorrow? Would setting up a company interest you? What does it all mean? Find the answers in Future Innovators.
In the three Future Innovators modules, we will introduce you to the entrepreneurial mindset and show you which entrepreneurial skills you can develop with us. Make more of your own ideas – for example, through transfer projects, spin-offs or collaborations with the business community.
Module 1: About Innovators and Innovation
In the first module, you will learn to better assess your personality and skills through self-analysis. Our workshop will introduce you to the entrepreneurial mindset and the user-centric innovation process, enabling you to develop and evaluate your own visions. You will also analyse your own research work for its entrepreneurial potential.
Module 2: Become an Innovator – High-Tech Design Sprint
Module 2 shows you how to find a technology in an existing application to solve a problem (‘application seeks technology’). At the core of the module is the High-Tech Design Sprint, based on the Biodesign method developed at Stanford. In the sprint, you will experience inspiring collaboration in interdisciplinary teams and go through a three-step process together. First, existing problems and deep-tech needs are identified, then potential solutions are developed and subjected to an evaluation process. Finally, an implementation plan is drawn up for the most promising ideas. All of this is done in the shortest time possible, in a sprint. Mastering this structured process and the experience of working in interdisciplinary teams will help you in your future career – both as a sciencepreneur and in the field of research. The High-Tech Design Sprint expands your knowledge in just one week, while other formats take months. The workshop is face-to-face so you can easily share ideas with each other.
Module 3: Find Your Business Idea
In the third module, we look for an application for your technology (‘technology seeks application’). The aim is to apply the knowledge you have gained to your own ideas. What potential do they have? How can I find out? Based on your research, we will look specifically at the topic of ‘idea transfer’. Using your example, we will analyse stakeholders, potential customers and users and then create initial use cases.
We will also look for possible applications based on existing technologies. Finally, we look at how to address market participants in a way that is appropriate for the target group.
The DLR_Startup Factory team and the DESY Start-up Office are supported by leading experts in the field of entrepreneurship education. These include Associate Professor Peter Keinz from the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Professor Jeroen Bergmann from the University of Oxford, Imke Rajamani from Young Entrepreneurs in Science, Professor Alexander Bassen from the University of Hamburg and Marc Kley, Director of the Gateway Excellence Start-up Centre Cologne.
Connect
In parallel to the three modules, we host networking events to promote connections among all participants. These events will introduce you to experienced founders who will share their journeys towards becoming sciencepreneurs and offer valuable insights. Our social programme welcomes all interested individuals.