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A key objective of the KTUR² project is to improve access to financing for early-stage innovation in the Upper Rhine by mapping existing funding instruments, identifying on-the-ground needs, and building sustainable, cross-border networks.
Prof. Dr. Dennis Steininger (Chair of Entrepreneurship, RPTU) and Dr. Alessandro Mazzetti (Head of Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Deputy Managing Director, Innovation Office, University of Basel), members of Work Package 4 dedicated to financing and innovation networks, share their insights on the region’s challenges, good practices, and the path toward a future trinational innovation fund.

Question 1. Mapping what already exists

How do you approach the diversity of funding instruments in such a complex, cross-border region?

Dennis:
« We have now finished the mapping for all three countries. A wide mix of instruments shows up: public grants, regional programmes, private venture capital pools, etc. France’s funding landscape is highly centralised, whereas Germany is fragmented into many small, sometimes competing hubs. The biggest barrier is access: warm introductions are still needed to get past the information asymmetry. »

Alessandro:
« Fragmentation and strong asymmetries (e.g. public funding in FR/DE vs. private funding in CH) are indeed very evident, and create a gap that is much less present in non-cross-boundary ecosystems (e.g. Silicon Valley in the US, Golden Triangle in the UK). »

Question 2. Identifying needs and good practices

How do you gather input from stakeholders and identify what’s truly needed on the ground?

Dennis:
« We have conducted several interviews with key actors from the KTUR ecosystem: funders, innovators and university researchers. Best practice examples are mentioned only sporadically; recurring pain points are tax and legal differences, lack of cross-border networks and entry barriers. The clear demand is for structured networks that can deliver real contacts and hands-on support. »

Question 3. Creating targeted networks

You’ve planned to set up three trinational networks focused on different funding types. What progress has been made so far?

Dennis:
« The three trinational networks — venture capital, public funding and open innovation — are still being assembled. The majority of interested people are investors. We are planning regular meetings to exchange best practices, validate needs and involve partners such as banks, business angels, research institutes and regional development agencies. »

Alessandro:
« We started planning and we have some ideas we believe can be quite interesting. We wish to implement exchange formats where similar stakeholders can interact with each other, creating synergies, but also where silos can be broken and different types of stakeholders will be able to talk to each other – to possibly find out how to complement each other. »

Question 4. Designing concrete matchmaking formats

A trinational investor speed-dating event has already been organized and will take place again. Can you tell us more about it?

Dennis:
« Our trinational investor speed dating aims to link innovative ideas with the right capital and enable cross-border deals. Preparation is complete: many startups applied, and a few will even be postponed to the next round because of oversubscription. At present the event is sector agnostic; future editions will potentially feature industry-specific tracks. »

Question 5. Toward a cross-border innovation fund

You're working on a roadmap for setting up a trinational innovation fund. What’s the vision behind it?

Dennis:
« The roadmap for a trinational innovation fund is taking shape. Initial analyses confirm a strong need, but the exact model will be refined within the networks and the work package. »

Alessandro:
« The landscape of knowledge and technology transfer is shifting, and the methodologies are changing – and startup creation is becoming the vehicle for this. In the Upper Rhine, similarly to the general continental Europe situation, there is a strong gap in early-stage funding to translate scientific discoveries from the lab to the market, and a trinational fund, regardless of the model, would bring the Upper Rhine to the level of the global best. »

The LabVisits are a series of events organised by the KTUR², in collaboration with the Pillar Economy / Säule Wirtschaft. They offer companies and researchers a direct immersion into leading-edge laboratories in the Upper Rhine region, to discover emerging technologies, exchange with R&D teams and identify concrete paths for collaboration around major industrial and technological challenges.

• 1st LabVisit – Industry of the Future 5.0 at ICAM Strasbourg
  On 18 June 2025, the first visit led participants to the “Industry of the Future 5.0” R&D platform of ICAM Strasbourg, the first of its kind in the Grand East region.

The discussions highlighted the strength of ICAM’s collaborative model and the possibility for companies to experiment with tomorrow’s technologies alongside them.

And afterwards?

– A discovery day for executive teams, to understand the strategic stakes of 5.0;
– A sharing-experience day for industrialisation managers and project leaders;
– Specialisation days around themes such as predictive maintenance, cybersecurity or digital twins;
– And personalised support to concretely deploy 5.0 bricks within their organisation.

• 2nd LabVisit – Laser innovation and advanced technologies at IREPA LASER
  On 23 September 2025, the second LabVisit brought participants into IREPA LASER for an immersion into industrial innovation and laser processes.

The visit highlighted three key players:
– IREPA LASER, with a demonstration of laser-erosion micro-machining, a high-precision process for aeronautical and space applications;
– The labcom LASERSURF (IREPA LASER / ICube Strasbourg), where AI and robotics are transforming laser-process control;
– And the centre AERIAL, which presented FEERIX, a unique irradiation platform in Europe.

And afterwards? Companies interested can contact IREPA LASER to deepen a theme, organise a targeted technical visit or initiate an R&D collaboration project.

• Upcoming – 3rd LabVisit!

  On 20 November 2025 at 14:00, experience a unique visit at the laboratory IRIS – ICube Strasbourg, at the IHU Strasbourg! Explore surgical robots and tomorrow’s technologies, and attend live demos at the heart of medical innovation.

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The fifth edition of the trinational KTUR Summer School Entrepreneurship brought together 36 students from 12 universities and 17 different nationalities.

Organised by FHNW, the University of Fribourg, and the University of Strasbourg, the 2025 programme took a significant step towards greater internationalization.
For the first time, students from partner universities outside the Upper Rhine region joined, including participants from Latvia, China, and Morocco.

Throughout the week, students received diverse inputs covering topics such as business models, market analysis, market entry strategies, pitching, financing, and testing. They then applied these insights in teams working on pre-selected business ideas. The atmosphere was dynamic and highly interactive, filled with questions and lively discussions.

The programme was hosted across three cities: Freiburg (first two days), Basel (next two days), and Strasbourg (final day).
Besides the academic sessions, participants enjoyed city tours in Freiburg, a memorable dinner in the dark in Basel, and social drinks in Strasbourg.

On the last day, students presented their business models to a jury and received constructive feedback.

Two standout teams were awarded: Best Project went to TT-Stats, a platform designed to help sports associations manage tournaments and players more efficiently, while Best Team was awarded to Al-G, an innovative algae farming initiative that utilises space between wind turbines to cultivate algae for diverse customers.

The KTUR Summer School 2025 was a vibrant and enriching experience, fostering entrepreneurship and cross-cultural collaboration across borders.

One of the objectives of the KTUR² project is to improve companies, especially SMEs access to cross-border research resources by identifying existing infrastructures, promoting cooperation with universities, and building sustainable R&D collaborations. 

Danièle Schmitt (CCI Alsace Eurométropole) and Jean Pacevicius (Offenburg University of Applied Sciences), both members of KTUR Working Group 1 on R&D and research infrastructures, share their vision of the challenges and opportunities with the 15 partners of the trinational consortium.

Question 1. Understanding the current landscape
Where do you begin with such an ambitious mission?
 
Danièle Schmitt: To launch such an ambitious mission as improving access to research in the Upper Rhine, you first need to establish clear foundations.
That starts by defining what we mean by "research infrastructure" (labs, platforms, fablabs, databases, etc.) and identifying existing resources. This work has already started in two priority areas: robotics and materials, with case studies led by Offenburg University of applied sciences and Cooperative State University Lörrach. In Alsace, around sixty infrastructures have already been identified.
The next step is to analyze access conditions, identify cross-border commonalities, and explore legal and economic aspects (contract models, costs, operations).
The scope will then be expanded to include additional topics and the Swiss partners.
To sum up: we start by identifying, analyzing, and harmonizing in order to make infrastructures more visible and accessible to companies.

Question 2. Building bridges through expertise
What is the role of the “expert pool” in this process?

Jean Pacevicius: The expert pool has been set up. Researchers from the Offenburg University of applied sciences and the Cooperative State University Lörrach will carry out case studies in the coming weeks based on the infrastructures identified by the consortium members. We expect initial feedback in the fall.

Question 3. Testing cooperation in practice
Where do things stand at the end of KTUR’s first year?

Danièle Schmitt: We are currently preparing the two practical cooperation cases. A list of available infrastructures has been shared with the researchers, who are now in the process of selecting the ones they would like to work with. This selection phase is ongoing and is key to launching field tests.

Question 4. Toward a cross-border cooperation model
What kind of cooperation model are you aiming to build?

Jean Pacevicius: We are aiming for a model based on concrete synergies around shared access to infrastructures in the Upper Rhine. To do so, we first need to conduct case studies to identify potential cooperation opportunities and better understand the recurring needs of companies.

Question 5. Coordination and handling requests
And in terms of organization, how will you manage company requests?

Danièle Schmitt: A coordination procedure has been established within the KTUR² network: if one partner cannot respond to an R&D request, it is redirected to another member with the relevant expertise, based on a thematic mapping of each university or Hochschule, while ensuring confidentiality. This procedure is currently being tested with real company cases.
At the same time, lab visits are being organized to showcase the resources available in the Upper Rhine, promote cross-border collaboration, and spark joint projects. The goal is to build a structured regional innovation ecosystem, designed as a network rather than isolated entities, and accessible to businesses.