Start-up HUB East Bavaria: Initiative for entrepreneurial talents launched!

Start-up HUB East Bavaria: Initiative for entrepreneurial talents launched!

The first boot camp of the founding HUB Ostbayern took place in Tännesberg from June 5th to 7th, 2025. Over 30 students from six East Bavarian universities took part in this innovative event. The aim was to develop ideas, promote the exchange of knowledge and strengthen the start-up culture in the region. The boot camp offered a variety of workshops on topics such as international networking, strategic personal branding, team building and product-market fit.

Dr. Maria Diekmann, Program Director PATEC, emphasized the importance of networking between different teams and business models. She emphasized that such initiatives are crucial for the success of a start-up and strengthen cooperation among students. An example of creative exchange is the “mycoach” project, which was presented by a team from the University of Passau and took part in the 5-euro business competition.

Establishment and promotion of the start-up HUB Ostbayern

The initiative for the start-up HUB East Bavaria, which was founded by the six state universities and colleges in Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate, is led by Prof. Dr. Carolin Häussler and Prof. Dr. Dirk Totzek from the University of Passau led. Other parties involved are the University of Regensburg, OTH Regensburg, OTH Amberg-Weiden, TH Deggendorf and Landshut University of Applied Sciences. The aim of the hub is to qualify entrepreneurial talent and improve networking at universities in order to make the start-up process easier.

The new structure is intended to make existing offers accessible to founders and expand them through innovative measures. These are based on the entrepreneurial process from the idea to market readiness and financing. Prof. Dr. Sean Patrick Saßmannshausen from OTH Regensburg coordinates the network, while the Eastern Bavaria start-up hub is supported by the High-Tech Agenda Bavaria.

A look at future events

The next bootcamp is planned for December 2025, and those interested can apply now. The long-term vision of the GründerHUB Ostbayern is to give the University of Passau the opportunity to expand its offerings in the field of entrepreneurship through interdisciplinary approaches and the creation of multiple start-up opportunities. The hub will be funded by the Free State of Bavaria with 1.84 million euros for five years from December 2023, which represents significant support for the development of the start-up scene in Eastern Bavaria.

This step is being implemented by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art as part of the “Hightech Transfer Bavaria” offensive, with the option of perpetuating the start-up hub after a positive evaluation of the measures within five years. During this time, the Entrepreneurship Day will also play an important role as a central networking event between the University of Passau and participants from the partner universities.

How uni-passau.de, wiwi.uni-passau.de and oth-aw.de report, such events not only offer valuable experience, but also the opportunity to strengthen self-confidence in one's own entrepreneurial skills and thus lay the foundation for future success.