Work Priority 3 is focused on exploring and promoting entrepreneurship in the Upper Rhine region, which spans across Germany, France, and Switzerland. The working group have designed eight interconnected initiatives to support future founders, strengthen startup networks, and increase the region’s innovative capacity.

Interview of Frauke Lorenzen, Projectmanager of "Start-ups at the Upper Rhine" at Freiburg im Breisgau University (on the right) and Océane Marie, Project Manager for KTUR² Cross-Border Entrepreneurship at the University of Strasbourg (on the left)

Question 1. Analysis and visibility
How do you analyze entrepreneurship in such a diverse region?

Océane Marie: We’re conducting a comprehensive study of the entrepreneurial mindset among students at the 12 KTUR² partner universities. It’s based on the international GUESSS survey, which we’ve run twice during the project. The data gives us valuable insights and helps guide the development of the other activities. It also allows for international comparisons.

Question 2. Inspiration and knowledge transfer
Once you have the data, how do you use it to inspire people?

Frauke Lorenzen: One way is through the KTUR² Startup Talks - our podcast series. We share real entrepreneurial stories from across the three countries. It’s inspired by KIT’s successful podcast channel, and we cover practical topics like funding, networking, and marketing. The idea is to make entrepreneurship feel real and relatable.

Question 3. Qualification and exchange
Do you offer any training for future entrepreneurs?

Océane Marie: Absolutely. We have several initiatives:

• The KTUR² Summer School brings together students, PhD candidates, and international partners to co-create project ideas in diverse teams.
• Our advanced training program helps early-stage founders build key management skills.
• And our VC Workshops give students the chance to experience startup investment scenarios alongside real venture capitalists.

Question 4. Networking and collaboration
Networking is crucial. How do you help startups make connections?

Frauke Lorenzen: We organize a Startup Fair, which gives young companies visibility and connects them with potential partners or employees, even in hybrid formats.
There’s also our Innovation Challenges, where student teams work on real-life problems from regional SMEs. It’s a win-win: students learn, and companies get fresh ideas.
Lastly, our Soft Landing Program supports international researchers and early-stage founders exploring the region’s startup scene. We help them with pitch events, introductions, and onboarding support.

Question 5. That sounds like a very comprehensive approach.
What’s the big picture here?

Océane Marie: In short, Work Priority 3 brings together research, education, international exchange, and entrepreneurship. Together, these measures form a vibrant, cross-border network that helps strengthen the entrepreneurial spirit throughout the Upper Rhine region.

Thank you to Frauke Lorenzen and Océane Marie for sharing with us their vision and passion for a more collaborative, international and accessible form of entrepreneurship.

Visit LinkedIn to follow all our latest news.

After hosting 10 events and enjoying a well-deserved summer break, the KTUR² team is back with an ambitious program to connect innovation actors across the Upper Rhine region. Startups, investors, researchers, students, and companies will have multiple opportunities to meet, collaborate, and engage in meaningful initiatives.

A Fall Season Dedicated to Collaborative Innovation

Here are two major events not to miss:

🔹 LabVisit – Immersion at the Heart of Industrial Innovation | September 23 in Strasbourg
Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of key players in applied technological innovation at the Strasbourg-Illkirch Innovation Park. ICube, IREPA LASER and Aerial-CRT open their doors—from advanced research to real-world industrial production.
👉 Learn more: Event link

🔹 Venture Dates – November 4 in Landau
A must-attend event for founders, investors, and innovation enthusiasts. Expect bold ideas, genuine conversations, and powerful partnership opportunities.
👉 Learn more: Event link

A packed agenda through the end of the year

More events are coming soon, with diverse formats designed to spark creativity, entrepreneurship, and cross-border collaboration:

🔸 Startup Fair
A trinational startup job fair helping young innovative companies boost their visibility and attract top talent.

🔸 Open Innovation Challenge
Students from across the Upper Rhine region tackle real-life challenges submitted by regional SMEs, in a spirit of open innovation.

🔸 Lab Visits
Immersive visits to cutting-edge labs and industrial environments to foster collaboration between research and business.

🔸 Venture Capital Seminar
A deep dive into startup financing, featuring VC experts. Refine your pitch and understand investor expectations.

🔸 Soft-Landing Program
International exchange programs to showcase the KTUR ecosystem to global startups—while bringing fresh perspectives back home.

🔸 KTUR Summer School
An intensive entrepreneurship program where students develop their own startup ideas—from concept to pitch.

A Year-Round Cross-Border Innovation Dynamic

In addition to these flagship events, KTUR² keeps the regional ecosystem alive with:

• Local innovation events
• Cross-border networking opportunities
• Continuous training programs tailored to the trinational context

KTUR² is more than a network—it’s a living platform for shared innovation across France, Germany, and Switzerland.
👉 Stay tuned and don’t miss what’s coming next!

Innovation in Action: Recap of KTUR’s Summer Highlights

This summer, KTUR proudly participated in and hosted a series of impactful events across the Upper Rhine region. From cutting-edge industrial visits to startup forums, investor bootcamps, and sustainability-focused congresses, each event was a testament to KTUR’s commitment to cross-border innovation, collaboration, and knowledge transfer.

Here’s a look back at six key moments that made this summer unforgettable.

• LabVisit: Discovering Industry of the Future 5.0

📍 ICAM Strasbourg-Europe | June 18, 2025

ICAM also offers custom workshops in French, German, and English for companies exploring Industry 5.0.

• Venture Dates

📍 SIAK, Kaiserslautern | June 25, 2025

Held at SIAK in Kaiserslautern, Venture Dates brought together over 90 participants for a high-energy matchmaking event connecting startups, investors, and aspiring co-founders.

The event successfully fostered new connections, energized the trinational startup ecosystem, and sparked numerous follow-up collaborations.

• Venture Capital Seminar

📍 Online (Zoom) | June 25–26, 2025

Running in parallel with Venture Dates, the Venture Capital Seminar offered a two-day online bootcamp tailored for early-stage entrepreneurs, researchers, and students. Over 250 participants joined to gain practical insights into startup funding and investor expectations.

The agenda included:
– VC fundamentals and impact investing
– Funding stages from pre-seed to scale-up
– Team-building and pitching strategies
– Public funding in the Upper Rhine region
– Practical workshops on pitch decks and business models

Featured speakers included:
Dr. Christin Eckerle (KIT), Julian Faber (D11Z. Ventures), Arnas Bräutigam (AddedVal.io), Jessica Matta (Bpifrance), Claire Weiss (Phitrust), Leon Huck (LBBW VC), and Emilia Neuwirt (EMUNO Therapeutics), among others.

“A successful pitch deck convinces not only with numbers but especially through trust in the team and the vision.” – Arnas Bräutigam

Beyond theory, the seminar emphasized networking and mentorship to better prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs.

• Panel Talk "From the Lab to the Startup: Tech Transfer as a Success Factor"

📍 Karlsruhe | July 3, 2025

How does excellent research become a scalable company? What makes tech transfer work in deep tech?

On July 3, KTUR brought these questions to the forefront during a panel discussion in Karlsruhe featuring experts from science, industry, and academia.

The event welcomed a diverse audience committed to turning research into real-world solutions. A heartfelt thank-you to all contributors for their valuable insights and engagement.

• KTUR at the “Economy and Sustainability” Congress

📍 Johanniskreuz | June 17, 2025

KTUR was present at the opening of the "Wissen³" event series, focused on sustainability and co-organized by Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences, htw saar, and Trier University of Applied Sciences.

Held at the House of Sustainability in Johanniskreuz, the congress brought together participants from science, business, and civil society.

🎤 Representing KTUR:
Peter Starke, Vice President for Transfer at Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences, and PD Dr. Christian Joerg, KTUR² project coordinator.
Both emphasized the value of trinational cooperation in advancing sustainability efforts throughout the Upper Rhine region.

• KTUR at the Company Contact Fair

📍 Zweibrücken Campus | June 24, 2025

KTUR also took part in the Company Contact Fair hosted by Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences at its Zweibrücken campus.

With 40+ companies and numerous students in attendance, the fair offered a prime opportunity to showcase KTUR’s mission: connecting universities, industry, and society across borders to foster innovation and talent mobility.

The KTUR booth served as a hub for meaningful exchange and new collaborations between students, startups, and industry players.

In Summary

From digital transformation and startup growth to sustainability and venture funding, this summer’s events brought KTUR’s cross-border mission to life. Through workshops, panels, and fairs, hundreds of participants engaged with KTUR’s vision for a connected, innovative Upper Rhine region.

Want to be part of the next KTUR initiative?
Stay tuned — more knowledge-driven, innovation-focused events are coming soon!

🎙️ Is networking essential for founders?

That’s exactly what we explore in the very first episode of Rhinepreneurs – the
new podcast series presented by KTUR- Knowledge Transfer Upper Rhine.
Host of the podcast Sandra Schöttelndreier is head of the project at KIT and
works for the KIT-Gründerschmiede.

In the first episode she speaks with Rick Lindner, an experienced founder and
startup ecosystem expert. With a background in accelerators and a strong
presence across multiple innovation hubs, Rick shares his take on how networks
shape entrepreneurial journeys – and why building bridges between ecosystems
matters.

The conversation is in German, but after each section Océane Marie provides a
French summary, making the episode valuable for both German and Frenchspeaking
audiences.

Curious?

🎧 Listen to the episode here

You can also find an English article about the talk here

Innovation needs financing to exist. Yet 80% of start-ups fail, and only one idea in 58 becomes a commercial success. This observation lies at the heart of Axis 4 of the KTUR² “Financing” project, which aims to structure a trinational financing ecosystem linking capital and innovation in the Upper Rhine.

In this cross-border region, innovation potential is high, but investment opportunities are unevenly distributed. On the one hand, strong ideas struggle to find financing. On the other, capital exists, but without access to viable projects. KTUR²'s ambition is therefore clear: to connect the right players across the three countries and bridge the financing gap to accelerate technology transfer and bring innovations to market.

As Dennis Steininger put it at the KTUR launch conference,

The working group is deploying several flagship actions:

• Mapping of financing instruments (public and private) in the region;
• Organization of roundtables between investors, public institutions and innovation players;
• Creation of a trinational “speed dating” event, enabling targeted meetings between start-ups and financiers;
• Development of a roadmap towards a trinational innovation fund, inspired by European models such as those of the Bodensee and Meuse-Rhine regions.

The first editions of the KTUR Investor Speed-Dating, on June 25 in Kaiserslautern and November 4 in Landau, will enable project promoters to meet public and private investors directly, in a spirit of concrete impact and cross-border cooperation.

By building a coordinated financing network, KTUR² aims to reduce risks, strengthen cooperation and sustainably support the growth of start-ups in the Upper Rhine region.