IT incubator to commercialize research results of computer science in Saarbrücken

March 10, 2015
The ideas and inventions arising from research projects of the joint venture between Max Planck Society and Saarland University’s computer science department will in future to be further developed on campus and then marketed for application. Scientists can either set up their own companies or develop the technology to the stage where established businesses can purchase these licenses. In support of these scientists, Max Planck Society and Saarland University co-founded the IT Inkubator GmbH to create structures, which inventors and young entrepreneurs need in order to bring new technologies to market.

The official start of the IT incubator was on March 4, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. at the University auditorium (building A 3.3). The Prime Minister of Saarland, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Professor Martin Stratmann, President of the Max Planck Society, and Professor Volker Linneweber, University President, jointly introduced the new facility to the public and to the media.

"The IT incubator will provide scientists with innovative projects in the field of information technology with facilities, infrastructure and technology, and will help them make new contacts in the industry and with potential customers," said University President Volker Linneweber. They will also receive professional advice in project management, and, in conjunction with the technology transfer departments of the Max Planck Society and Saarland University, the IT incubator will be in charge of marketing the new technologies. The IT Inkubator GmbH was founded as a joint venture between the WuT GmbH, a subsidiary of the Saarland University, and the Max Planck Innovation GmbH, Max Planck Society’s technology transfer organization.

The State of Saarland supports the incubator concept with state funds to unlock the economic potential of inventions in information technology emerging from Saarland University’s research institutions. "Saarland is known far beyond its borders for its expertise in computer science. The targeted communication of outstanding research results has greatly increased this awareness. By creating an IT incubator in Saarbrücken, this work will not only be continued. It will also be significantly expanded so that the excellent computer science research in Saarland can be further embedded into the regional economy," explains Saarland Prime Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

As Martin Stratmann, President of the Max Planck Society, notes: "Great breakthrough innovations are not conceivable without solid basic research. However, to transform scientific knowledge into innovation, we need to bring science and entrepreneurship together. That is the idea behind incubators—and when it comes to computer science, Saarbrücken is Max Planck Society’s first choice. Two outstanding Max Planck Institutes, the Saarland University with its very visible emphasis on computer science, the cluster of excellence for multimodal computing, and other strong players in the region show: this is the right place for the IT incubator."

The Saarland Computer Science Competence Center will assist the Departments of Computer Science at both the Saarland University and the University of Technology and Economics in using IT Inkubator GmbH’s services and to network with the industry. The center will also be involved in making computer science research in Saarland more visible to the public to attract young talent to computer sciences and scientific research.

 

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