The Knowledge Week kicked off with an exchange with industry partners. In an exclusive setting, members of the KIT Business Club discussed current developments in quantum technologies from quantum computing to quantum communication.

In the afternoon, the program was open to all interested parties: In his lecture “When Innovation Flops”, Prof. Dr. Reinhold Bauer from the University of Stuttgart impressively demonstrated that even failed innovations can provide valuable insights. The NEULAND Innovation Awards 2025, an award for outstanding ideas and transfer projects at KIT, were then presented at a ceremony.

A special highlight was the evening keynote speech by Markus Ziegler, Global Director of Operational Marketing at Bruker BioSpin. He covered everything from the shared history of KIT and Bruker to current challenges and success factors of regional innovation ecosystems. The subsequent panel discussion delved deeper into these questions with voices from science and industry.

The second day focused on the transfer from research to application. During an all-day open house, researchers were able to talk to KIT innovation managers in person, find out about funding opportunities and take advantage of individual advice.

At lunchtime, the Brain Bites format provided condensed insights into transfer strategies and success factors for new mobility technologies from the laboratory to application. The maKeIT HAPPEN format then made projects and personalities from the transfer visible: in short, pointed talks, transfer players from science and practice reported on their experiences, challenges and success factors in bridging the gap between research and application - inspiring, open and approachable.

International perspectives complemented the program: a keynote speech on EU.fficient focused on how creative and cross-border collaboration can inspire innovation. 

In the evening, Kronenplatz was transformed into an open-air cinema: the screening of The Imitation Game focused on the connection between science, technology and society. In the subsequent film discussion, Prof. Dr. Björn Müller Quade from KIT and Mirkos Ross from asvin reflected together with the audience on the historical background and current references to cyber security.

The third day was dedicated to the topic of founding. At the open start-up consultation of the KIT-Gründerschmiede in K26, interested parties could learn more about first steps, funding opportunities and business model development.

In the morning, students presented their ideas and financial strategies in the pitching session of the “Business Planning for Founders” seminar. The participants impressed with their creative concepts, solid know-how and plenty of entrepreneurial spirit.

In the early evening, the focus was on the successful path from lab to startup: in the panel discussion “From Lab to Startup: Success Factor Tech Transfer”, experts from science, start-up funding and industry discussed how technological innovations can be successfully transferred to application - with a view to opportunities, challenges and specific success factors.

The week ended with another highlight: the start-up barbecue meets KTUR. The start-up scene met in a relaxed atmosphere on Kronenplatz, accompanied by music, cool drinks and a lively exchange about DeepTech, transfer and entrepreneurship.

The fourth day was all about creativity, a spirit of research and innovative ideas. It started in the morning with the Female Founders Brunch. Dr. Gerda Frank, co-founder of the KIT spin-off Prio Optics, spoke in her keynote speech about the path from research to a market-ready product. With her many years of experience as a startup mentor at KIT, she provided valuable insights into the reality of startups and motivated budding female entrepreneurs to boldly break new ground.

Afterwards, teams from the HAFIS and EXIST Women programs presented their projects at the maKeIT Pitch Bite. The ideas ranged from technological innovations to socially relevant solutions and impressively demonstrated how diverse and practical entrepreneurship is at KIT.

In the afternoon, things got playful: in the Innovation Board Game Competition, students competed against each other to develop creative solutions to randomly posed challenges. Innovative strength, teamwork and presentation were evaluated in a lively atmosphere full of ideas and competitive spirit.

The fifth day invited young and old to experience science up close. The interactive student program of the Karlsruhe Student Academy started in the morning. Under the title “The secret role of soils in climate change”, pupils explored the hidden connections between soil life and climate: vividly, practically and with a lot of curiosity.

The hands-on stations for the whole family opened at 12 noon. Whether experimenting, inventing or marveling - visitors were able to touch and experience science in the truest sense of the word at numerous stations. The central question was: How do new ideas actually come about - and how can they be put into practice? 

The last item on the program was the late night show “STULLE - scientifically proven" on the production of meat substitutes. With exciting interviews, an interactive quiz and musical highlights, it was a successful conclusion to the diverse NEULAND Knowledge Week.

Knowledge Week 2025 showed how diverse and lively transfer can be at KIT. Whether industry, research, start-ups or society: the exchange between the areas needs formats in which knowledge is shared, ideas are networked and new paths are initiated. At this point, a big thank you to all contributors, partners, speakers and participants.

Images: KIT