Nationwide Ranking

UA Ruhr Strong in Start-up Support

© TU/RUB/UDE

In the category “Large Universities”, TU Dortmund University and Ruhr University Bochum are among Germany’s ten strongest in the “Gründungsradar 2025” (Start-Up Radar) ranking compiled by the Stifterverband, a joint initiative aimed at promoting improvements in education, science and innovation. The University of Duisburg-Essen advanced to 20th place, meaning that the three partners of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) have improved significantly in comparison to the last nationwide ranking in 2022 and occupy a very good position.

The Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft e. V. published its “Gründungsradar 2025” ranking on 3 March. It evaluates how universities support start-ups on the basis of seven factors. In the latest edition, TU Dortmund University ranks 8th out of a total of 48 large universities in Germany (higher education institutions with over 15,000 students). Three years ago, it occupied 13th place. Ruhr University Bochum rose from 9th to 6th place, and the University of Duisburg-Essen moved up 18 places and now ranks 20th. This means that the three UA Ruhr partners, when taken together, have moved up a total of 26 places. Overall, 227 universities took part in the voluntary survey, which compares start-up activity and start-up support at German universities approximately every two to three years.

Tailwind for the national “Startup Factories” competition

The management at all three universities in the UA Ruhr is highly satisfied with the result: “Our excellent performance confirms that our strategic support for start-ups is on the right track. Our very good rankings in the ‘Gründungsradar’ are giving us further tailwind for our joint application in the ‘Startup Factories’ lighthouse competition, where we as the BRYCK Startup Alliance, together with the RAG-Stiftung, the Initiativkreis Ruhr and the BRYCK Startup Initiative, are already among Germany’s top 15 alliances in the race,” say Professor Barbara Albert, President of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Professor Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University, and Professor Martin Paul, President of Ruhr University Bochum. To further strengthen the alliance, the partners established the joint UA Ruhr Transfer GmbH at the beginning of the year. “This will enable us to make even better use of the potential offered by excellent research and to continue bundling our strengths,” said Albert, Bayer and Paul.

According to the “Gründungsradar 2025” ranking, both the number of start-ups and start-up projects as well as the number of people working in start-up support at universities in Germany continues to rise overall. At the three UA Ruhr universities, individuals interested in setting up a business and those already in the process of doing so can expect to find competent partners:

  • In Dortmund, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Transfer (CET), which has been funded by the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia as an “Exzellenz Start-up Center.NRW” since 2019
  • In Bochum, the WORLDFACTORY Start-up Center (WSC), which also has been funded as an “Exzellenz Start-up Center.NRW” since 2019
  • In Duisburg and Essen, GUIDE, the Zentrum für Gründungen und Innopreneurship, which has functioned as a central contact point for all potential start-up entrepreneurs at the University of Duisburg-Essen since 2020 and was expanded with funding from the “Exzellenz Start-up Center.NRW” initiative

For more information, see also here.