The Technical University of Dresden (TUD) and the University of Leipzig (UL) are coordinating the programme already announced in the "Startup Campus Alliance" and the Central German universities involved in "boOst": Chemnitz University of Technology, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Dresden University of Applied Sciences, Leipzig University of Applied Sciences, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences and HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management as well as Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Ernst Abbe University Jena.
With a clear focus on areas such as semiconductor technology and chip design, photonics and health tech, "boOst" is laying the foundations for the next generation of high-tech companies "Made in Germany".
Dirk Panter, Minister of State at the Saxon State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, Energy and Climate Protection: "With around 700 active start-ups, over one billion euros in investment since 2020 and two unicorns, Saxony is on the upswing as a start-up location. There are great opportunities in the areas of deep tech and B2B in particular. The successful application of the Saxon-Thuringian network boOst is a further booster for Central Germany and the entire Eastern business location. The boOst initiative brings together the various innovation ecosystems such as microelectronics, medical technology, optics and photonics and thus sets a new start-up dynamic in motion. With the tailwind from the successful application, Saxony will be decisively strengthened in its ability to position itself more internationally, attract skilled workers and start-ups nationwide and provide new impetus for growth."
Prof.in Ursula Staudinger, Rector of TUD: "The federal government's decision in favour of our Startup Factory boOst is a great success for TU Dresden and our partners in Central Germany. Following TUD's outstanding performance in the current THE Impact Ranking in the areas of transfer, start-up funding and cooperation with industry, this is further impressive confirmation that our efforts to promote a start-up spirit and innovation are bearing fruit. With the newly founded TUD|excite Centre of Excellence and the intensified partnerships with the semiconductor industry in Dresden, Taiwan and beyond, we have created a strong foundation for this. boOst now enables us to further develop this potential and, in particular, to raise start-ups in the deep-tech sector to an internationally competitive level. We want to continue along this path together with our partners - and establish TU Dresden as a driving force for sustainable regional development and the expansion of regional innovation ecosystems."
Prof.in Eva Inés Obergfell, Rector of Leipzig University: "Today's success is very pleasing and valuable. By founding the Startup Campus Alliance in Leipzig in April, we have created a basis for significantly increasing the number of new startups in Central Germany as part of the Startup Factory boOst. Our alliance aims to strategically combine the strengths of the universities in Saxony and Thuringia in the area of start-up support and to establish innovative support programmes for talented people and teams interested in founding a company together with boOst through joint teaching formats, shared infrastructure and interdisciplinary collaboration. In this way, we are also helping to strengthen the business location in challenging times when, for example, plant closures are being announced."
Prof. Andreas Marx, President of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU Jena):
"Friedrich Schiller University Jena is fully committed to the Startup Factory boOst - because we have excellent research approaches in the deep-tech sector in particular that have great start-up potential. This lighthouse project is a huge opportunity to turn scientific innovations from Jena and Central Germany into successful start-ups even faster. boOst brings together strong partners and bright minds - and starts exactly where science, business and entrepreneurial spirit need to work together to ensure value creation and future viability."
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Prof. Andreas Pinkwart, Director of the TUD|Excellence Center for Innovation, Transfer and Entrepreneurship (TUD|excite) and TUD-side project coordinator: "boOst gives us the great opportunity to better exploit the start-up potential of the unique scientific landscape of Dresden and Central Germany with strong partners from industry and SMEs, to raise the start-ups to a new level of quality and growth and to produce the first unicorns in the future."
Prof. Utz Dornberger, Director of the SMILE start-up initiative at Leipzig University and Chairman of the Startup Campus Alliance e.V.: "As part of the Startup Factory boOst, we will primarily strengthen cooperation between the start-up initiatives of universities and the private sector in Central Germany in order to jointly initiate start-up projects and enable their growth."
Ambitious goals: Double the number of start-ups in the coming years
The "boOst" initiative aims to double the number of knowledge-based start-ups in Saxony and Thuringia from currently around 100 to 200 start-ups per year by 2030 - at least 50 of them with a deep-tech focus.
In addition to the universities, Infineon, ZEISS, Bosch, ESMC and X-Fab companies with top European production sites for microelectronics in Central Saxony are participating in the Startup Factory. Other high-calibre partners include Volkswagen and the MADSACK media group. The shareholders of boOst Ecosystem gGmbH include, among others TUDAG, SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator and Stiftung Thomas Kirchner (YETI), which together with TUD and UL form the management team of boOst Ecosystem gGmbH based in Dresden under the leadership of Marco Weicholdt (CEO), Juliane Elsner and Felix Hagleitner.
Marco Weicholdt, Managing Director of boOst Startup Ecosystem GmbH: We want to establish a new start-up culture in eastern Germany. By joining forces with the Startup Factory, we are empowering people to translate their own ideas and technologies into marketable products, facilitating access to industry and capital, building powerful interdisciplinary teams and promoting the founding of high-growth technology companies. Our aim is to build start-ups that excel in international competition and keep value creation in the region in the long term.
Background: EXIST lighthouse competition "Startup Factories"
The EXIST Lighthouse Competition organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) promotes the establishment of ten privately funded startup factories at university locations in Germany. The aim is to create regional innovation centres with international appeal that systematically support technology-oriented start-ups - from research to global market success. The funded projects were selected by an independent jury in summer 2025 and implementation is scheduled to start on 1 October 2025.
Contact:
Technische Universität Dresden
Matthias Fejes
Press spokesperson
Tel. +49 351 463-32882
Email: matthias.fejes@?tu-dresden.de
University of Leipzig
Carsten Heckmann
Press spokesperson
Tel.: +49 341 97-35025
Email: presse@uni-leipzig.de
News of "Leipzig University" from 10 July 2025
