Startups on the rise: TU Freiberg leads innovation offensive!

Startups on the rise: TU Freiberg leads innovation offensive!

In the reference year 2023, the SAXEED start-up program at the Technical University of Bergakademie Freiberg has achieved remarkable development. A total of 30 start-up projects were supported, with seven start-ups, including retria GmbH, successfully emerging from these activities. retria GmbH is a spin-off of the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Business Taxation and thus represents the university's commitment to supporting innovative startups. TU Freiberg reports that despite a nationwide decline in the number of start-ups at universities, a positive trend can be observed, which underlines the central role of universities in the startup landscape.

The Startup Radar 2025 shows that universities are essential players in supporting startups. With a total of 2,927 start-ups supported at German universities in 2023, an increase was registered compared to 2021. What is particularly noteworthy is that 1,184 of these start-ups are based on knowledge and technology transfer, which accounts for more than a third of the total. This represents a crucial development, supported by the university's collaboration with experienced consultants. The founding radar also shows how important sustainable basic financing is for transfer activities, which was also emphasized by Prof. Dr. Tobias Fieback emphasizes.

Challenges and successes in start-up support

Despite the positive developments, the strong dependence of start-up support on third-party funding remains a challenge. Sustainable financing is essential to further expand our successes. SAXEED, the central facility at the Vice President's Office for Research, International Affairs and Transfer at TU Freiberg, offers a wide range of networking and teaching events to support founders. This includes support in evaluating the business idea and developing the business model.

In addition, the startup radar highlights the successes of TUBAF startups, including MiViA GmbH, plasmotion GmbH and Additive Drives GmbH. These companies are an expression of the creativity and innovative strength that is encouraged at the university. The importance of these initiatives is reflected in the increasing numbers, which show that the number of start-ups with knowledge and technology transfer has more than doubled since 2012.

Cooperation with the federal government

In order to further strengthen start-up support, the federal government is launching the “Startup Factories Lighthouse Competition” as part of its start-up strategy. The aim is to increase the number and quality of knowledge-based spin-offs and to establish supra-regional and internationally visible startup factories. This initiative includes close cooperation with universities and, if necessary, with non-university research institutions. Sustainable financing and integration into the regional startup ecosystem are crucial here. Exist emphasizes that the entrepreneurial orientation of the organizations, which require over 50% private financing, as well as a sustainable business model are prerequisites for the funding process.

Overall, the current situation of start-up funding at universities shows that, despite challenging conditions, innovative approaches and programs like SAXEED have the potential to sustainably change the startup landscape in Germany.