Future Engineering and Startup Ecosystems: The Innovation Potential of Technical Universities

On July 16, 2026, as part of celebrating its anniversary year, the TU9 Alliance welcomed the Board of Directors of TU Austria in Berlin. The meeting took place at Berlin Institute for the Foundations of Learning and Data (BIFOLD) at Technische Universität Berlin. The two alliances represent leading universities in the fields of engineering and the natural sciences in Germany and Austria. The conference focused on exchanges with STEM students, future engineering and AI as well as innovation and startup ecosystems at the Technical Universities in both countries. Future prospects and opportunities for collaboration were discussed with students and entrepreneurs from both alliances.

The TU9 Co-Presidents, President Angela Ittel and Rector Peter Middendorf, emphasize: “The strategic exchange of perspectives and experiences across national borders greatly enriches the European research area. The constructive dialogue with partners and guests on current challenges provides valuable insights for the future direction of our universities. This was also evident during the discussion on startups and innovation with entrepreneurs from our universities who traveled here specifically for this event and shared their experiences and perspectives as founders. We will discuss these insights with the members of the TU9 Alliance and pursue them further in cooperation with TU Austria.”

TU Austria President Rector Horst Bischof and -Vice President Rector Jens Schneider conclude unanimously: “The exchange with colleagues on topics such as the changes brought about by AI in science, business and society, current issues in STEM studies, and the shortage of skilled workers in the STEM field – especially in light of looming budget cuts at universities – proved to be of enormous value. We greatly appreciate that the student representatives from Austria and Germany traveled here to bring their concerns into the discussion on STEM studies. We would like to thank them and especially the colleagues of the TU9 Alliance and of TU Berlin for their hospitality. We congratulate the TU9 Alliance warmly on its 20th anniversary and look forward to meeting again in Austria soon!”

The discussion on STEM-students, future engineering and AI was opened with impulses by Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Heiß, former Vice President for Education, Digitalization and Sustainability at TU Berlin and Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Horst Bischof, President of TU Austria and Rector of Graz University of Technology. The student perspective was presented by Astrid Albrecht-Kramreiter (Vienna University of Technology), Lucie Bierstedt (Technische Universität Braunschweig), Moritz Jahn (TUD Dresden University of Technology), and Lucia Logar (BOKU University). Everyone agreed that this successful start to the mutual exchange should definitely be continued. AI is changing not only learning but also teaching and challenging traditional teaching formats. This is precisely why cross-disciplinary skills are becoming increasingly important. The students also advocated for general content to be taught collaboratively across disciplinary boundaries, particularly during the undergraduate phase. 

The second session focused on the potential of innovation and startup ecosystems at Technical Universities. Introductory remarks by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Schneider, Vice President of TU Austria and Rector of TU Wien, and Prof. Dr. Arno Kwade, Vice President for Innovation and Transfer at TU Braunschweig, were followed by a discussion with representatives from various spin-offs of the Technical Universities: Dipl.-Ing. Lukas Helminger, CEO of TACEO, Michele Buttazzoni, CTO of inSilico Physics, Dr. Rhea Machado, CEO of Porelio, and Christopher Kebschull, CTO of Okapi Orbits, shared their experiences and perspectives from startups founded by researchers with the support of Technical Universities. The next step will be to exchange best-practice models and further strengthen the connections between the startup ecosystems of the two alliances.

TU9 – German Universities of Technology and TU Austria have been engaging in regular exchange since 2015. Networking meetings and joint events have already taken place in Darmstadt in 2015, in Vienna in 2016, and in Vienna in 2022. In early March 2026, the two alliances organized a high-profile panel discussion in Brussels on the EU‘s next multiannual financial framework (MFF).

About TU9

TU9 is the Alliance of leading Universities of Technology in Germany: RWTH Aachen University, Technische Universität Berlin, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Technical University of Darmstadt, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Leibniz University Hannover, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Technical University of Munich, and University of Stuttgart.

TU9 Universities take special responsibility for the productive and innovative strength of our society and economy. We help shape the future by contributing to digitization and the energy and sustainability transition, to name a few. To this end, we combine our specific expertise in basic research, especially in the natural sciences and engineering, with applied research and innovation. TU9 Universities enjoy an outstanding reputation around the world as renowned research and teaching institutions. As such, they train exceptional young academics for careers in science, business, and administration and assume social responsibility. TU9 Universities foster top-class international networks and diverse cooperation with industry, making them a key element of Germany as a location of science and innovation.

About TU Austria

TU Austria is the Alliance of the three Austrian Universities of Technology – the TU Wien, the Graz University of Technology and the TU Leoben – founded in 2010. Since 2025, the BOKU University, the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences of Johannes Kepler University Linz and the Faculty of Engineering Sciences at the University of Innsbruck are strengthening TU Austria as associate members. 

Under the motto “feel. tech. europe.”, the TU Austria-Universities join forces and use synergy effects in order to accomplish more in research, teaching and higher-education policy and to be convincing as a strong partner in the industrial and economic sectors with their cumulative expertise. TU Austria is a strong, internationally networked forum that stands for excellent science, economic relevance, and sustainable development in Austria.