Network for Berlin and Brandenburg: BTU joins UNITE Sciences e.V.

UNITE Sciences e.V. was officially founded on Tuesday, 4 March 2025 with the ceremonial signing of the articles of association. The non-profit association brings together 19 renowned universities, colleges and non-university research institutions from Berlin and Brandenburg with the common goal of funding entrepreneurial talent, strengthening the Transfer of Knowledge and Technology and creating a dynamic innovation ecosystem for science-based start-ups in cooperation with innovation-driving companies in the capital region. The association will play a central role in the transnational Startup Factory UNITE and act as a shareholder of UNITE gGmbH.

A strong network for entrepreneurial excellence

The 19 start-up institutions contribute their scientific expertise and many years of experience in promoting innovation. The close cooperation with the Startup Factory UNITE creates a powerful platform that makes it easier for young entrepreneurs to start up and at the same time intensifies the exchange between science and business.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Michael Hübner, Full-time Vice President for Research and Transfer at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, says: "We are looking forward to working closely with partners from science and industry in the region as part of UNITE. By networking, we can provide very targeted support to researchers with start-up ideas in Berlin and Brandenburg. Only together can we meet the challenges of our time, establish a welcoming culture and support talented people on their way to a science-oriented start-up."

The board of UNITE Sciences e.V.

The founding members elected Prof. Dr Günter M. Ziegler, President of Freie Universität Berlin and spokesperson for the Berlin University Alliance, as board chairperson. He emphasises: "Today is a good day for our capital region. The founding of UNITE Sciences e. V. is a strong signal. The scientific institutions in Berlin and Brandenburg are ready to translate the enormous scientific achievements of Berlin and Brandenburg into economic performance and thus make them directly tangible." The Board of Directors is composed as follows

- Prof. Dr Susanne Buiter, Scientific Director of the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences
- Prof. Dr Günter M. Ziegler, President of Freie Universität Berlin and Spokesperson Berlin University Alliance (Chairperson of the Board)
- Prof. Dr Sabine Baumann, Vice President Research and Transfer of the Berlin School of Economics and Law (Deputy Chairperson of the Board)
- Prof. Dr. Ing.Dr.-Ing. Stephan Völker, Vice President Research and Appointments at the University of Technology Berlin (Treasurer of the Association)
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Pfriem, Vice President for Research and Transfer at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE)

List of founding members of UNITE Sciences e. V.

Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences
Berlin University of Applied Sciences
Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
CODE University of Applied Sciences
GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences
Freie Universität Berlin
Helmholtz-Centre Berlin
Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE)
Berlin University of Applied Sciences
Berlin School of Economics and Law
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI-MP)
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt
Technische Universität Berlin
Touro University Berlin
Universität der Künste
Universität Potsdam
Weissensee Kunsthochschule Berlin

Future plans: Involvement of business partners and ambassadors

UNITE Sciences e.V. is just the beginning of a comprehensive governance structure for UNITE's Startup Factory, which will be based on three pillars in the future. On 4 March 2025, the association commissioned the Executive Board to found UNITE gGmbH.

The business association, which will connect companies and foundations with the Startup Factory in the capital region, will also be founded in the coming weeks. At the same time, an ambassador association will be founded, in which experienced personalities from the innovation and startup ecosystem will be involved. All three organisations will act as shareholders of UNITE gGmbH and contribute to the success of the initiative with their respective focus and networks.

"In Berlin and Brandenburg, we have a diverse ecosystem with a large number of players. We have developed a structure for UNITE that does justice to this complexity and at the same time enables a high degree of agility," says Laura Möller, Managing Director of UNITE. "In this way, we enable innovation and entrepreneurship within the framework of a public-private partnership, which is a new and entrepreneurial structure.