As Germany’s leading materials and high-tech region, North Rhine-Westphalia makes a significant contribution to the competitiveness of the entire European Union in all key markets. However, this can only be achieved if business and academia in North Rhine-Westphalia continuously work hand in hand to develop new, innovative technologies, products, and services that not only secure and improve our future but also make a valuable contribution to addressing major global challenges, such as climate change and societal transformation. This requires perseverance, however, as high-tech innovations are often associated with high risk, significant effort, and substantial capital investment. When I develop something completely new, the market for it often doesn’t exist yet—because there’s nothing comparable available. Accordingly, it’s often startups that lay the foundation for such innovations, where their founders are driven by idealism and creativity to turn their ideas into success. For them, the (further) development of the innovation is the absolute priority.
The NanoMikroWerkstoffePhotonik.NRW state cluster recognized early on the valuable contribution that founders make to the competitiveness and growth of North Rhine-Westphalia’s economy and has been specifically committed to supporting high-tech startups from the very beginning. The focus here is not primarily on financial support or the provision of technical infrastructure, as young entrepreneurs already receive this through specialized funding programs such as Exist, startup grants, or START-UP TRANSFER.NRW, or through access to technical infrastructure provided by universities. What these creative minds often lack, however, is access to markets and experience in establishing market-ready production processes. Open dialogue with mentors and seasoned entrepreneurs in the high-tech sector, access to pilot customers, and contact with potential investors open up entirely new perspectives—and a new world in which one must first find one’s bearings. These first steps into the business world are often the most important—they are largely responsible for the success or failure of the young company. For this very reason, the NMWP.NRW cluster specializes in providing support during this phase of startup development.
So even though this topic is nothing new to us, it was the PilotAction of the Interreg Europe project “STEPHANIE” that took these activities to a new level with the “HIGH-TECH.NRW” accelerator—with great success. The feedback from the business, academic, and political communities, as well as from the participating startups, was extremely positive, so we’ve decided to give you a glimpse into the accelerator in this issue of NMWP Magazine—and, above all, to introduce you to these highly innovative young companies.