UNITE Sciences E. v. Officially Founded – 19 Scientific Institutions from Berlin and Brandenburg Sign Articles of Association

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 will create a powerful platform that will make it easier for young entrepreneurs to start their own business and at the same time intensify the exchange between science and business.

The founding members elected Prof. Dr. Günter M. Ziegler, President of Freie Universität Berlin and spokesperson for the Berlin University Alliance, as Chairman of the Board. He emphasized: “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. I would like to thank the founding members for the trust they have placed in me.”

Prof. Dr. Sabine Baumann, Vice President of Research and Transfer at the Berlin School of Economics and Law, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Völker, Vice President of Research and Appointments at the Technische Universität Berlin, Prof. Dr. Susanne Buiter, Scientific Director of the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Pfriem, Vice President of Research and Transfer at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE), were elected as further board members.

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. Yesterday, on March 4, 2025, the association commissioned the Board of Directors to found UNITE gGmbH.

In the coming weeks, the business association will also be founded, which will connect companies and foundations with the Startup Factory in the capital region. 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 associations 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 UNITE. “In this way, we enable innovation and entrepreneurship within the framework of a public-private partnership, which is emerging as a new and entrepreneurial structure with a strong science base in the capital region,” Möller continues.

The University of Potsdam is also one of the founding members. “As a young university with a strong focus on the transfer of science to the economy, we see the University of Potsdam’s task not only in training excellent entrepreneurial talent, but also in our role as a driver of innovation for the region. Together with scientific institutions, start-ups and investors, we are already shaping a dynamic ecosystem that promotes start-ups, transforms cutting-edge research into marketable solutions and enables sustainable growth. The transnational initiative of the universities and colleges in Brandenburg and Berlin within the framework of UNITE is a further step towards pooling existing expertise more strongly, making it more visible internationally and simplifying access to industry, venture capital and expertise in the start-up environment through professional networking,” says University President Prof. Oliver Günther, PhD.

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 – University Medicine Berlin
• CODE University of Applied Sciences
• GFZ Helmholtz Center for Geosciences
• Freie University of Berlin
• Helmholtz Center Berlin
• Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE)
• Berlin University of Applied Sciences
• Berlin School of Economics and Law
• Humboldt University of Berlin
• Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI-MP)
• Federal Institute of Physics and Technology
• Berlin University of Technology
• Touro University Berlin
• Berlin University of the Arts
• University of Potsdam
• Weissensee School of Art Berlin

About UNITE

With UNITE, partners from science, business and society jointly operate a transnational, internationally leading innovation and start-up center. A high degree of digitalization ensures the resource-efficient mobilization of entrepreneurial talent, innovation and start-up potential of the partners, efficient networking of ecosystem stakeholders and data-driven further development of the center.

Entrepreneurial structures underpin the demand for speed, a willingness to take risks and the creation of scope for development. Internationality, diversity and entrepreneurial responsibility are drivers and success factors. Interested scientific institutions, companies and players from the innovation ecosystem are cordially invited to contact UNITE to find out more about the association’s activities and opportunities for collaboration.

UNITE is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg and Berliner Sparkasse.

University of Potsdam
“As a young university with a strong focus on the transfer of science to the economy, we see the University of Potsdam’s role not only in training excellent entrepreneurial talent, but also in our role as a driver of innovation for the region. Together with scientific institutions, start-ups and investors, we are already shaping a dynamic ecosystem that promotes start-ups, transforms cutting-edge research into marketable solutions and enables sustainable growth. The cross-state initiative of the universities and colleges in Brandenburg and Berlin as part of UNITE is a further step towards pooling existing expertise more strongly, making it more visible internationally and simplifying access to industry, venture capital and expertise in the start-up environment through professional networking.” – Prof. Oliver Günther, PhD, President of the University of Potsdam

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI-MP)
“In order to bring ideas from basic research into application, it is essential to build up a healthy network of partners and investors at an early stage. UNITE will make an important contribution here for our researchers.” – Dr. Tobias Lortzing, Research Coordinator

GFZ Helmholtz Center for Geosciences
“I am delighted that the GFZ Helmholtz Center for Geosciences, as the largest non-university research institution in the state of Brandenburg, is now a founding member of UNITE Sciences e.V.. We are convinced that cooperation in the Berlin-Brandenburg region – irrespective of the intended funding as a start-up factory – will already benefit greatly from this initiative in the area of start-up support.” – Prof. Dr. Susanne Buiter, Scientific Director (Member of the Board of UNITE Sciences e. V.)

Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg
“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.” – Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Michael Hübner, Full-time Vice President for Research and Transfer

Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE)
“As Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, we see it as our responsibility to actively promote synergies between science and business. In a metropolitan region that is considered a central hub for start-ups and innovations, it is crucial that we contribute our expertise in sustainable solutions. UNITE aims to network students, researchers and companies – and not only creates new opportunities for science-related spin-offs, but also contributes to mastering the challenges of our time in a sustainable way. As a founding member of the UNITE Sciences e.V. association, we look forward to moving forward together.” – Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Pfriem, Vice President for Research and Transfer (Member of the Board of UNITE Science e.V.)

Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences
“With the founding of UNITE Sciences e.V., the consortium is taking a decisive step forward and creating the necessary governance structure. As ASH Berlin, we are delighted to be a founding member and to be able to contribute our strengths – for the Berlin-Brandenburg region, which also plays a special role internationally with ecologically, socially and impact-oriented start-ups.” – Prof. Dr. Gesine Bär, Vice President for Research, Cooperation and Continuing Education

Berlin University of Applied Sciences
“With UNITE, we are connecting the innovative power of Berlin’s universities with business and society to shape the future. BHT contributes its expertise – for visionary start-ups, sustainable solutions and specialists who strengthen Berlin as a business location.” – Dr. Julia Neuhaus, President

Helmholtz Center Berlin
“We are very much looking forward to exchanging experiences on the topic of innovation with universities, institutes and companies in the Berlin-Brandenburg region. The joint start-up support within the framework of UNITE makes entrepreneurship even more present, tangible and accessible for our scientists.” – Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech, Scientific Managing Director

Berlin University of Applied Sciences
“At HTW Berlin, we already live cooperation and networking and cultivate an intensive transfer culture. UNITE is a booster for the wide range of activities in Berlin and further contributes to the attractiveness of Berlin’s universities.” – Prof. Dr. Annabella Rauscher-Scheibe, President

Berlin School of Economics and Law
“HWR Berlin combines experience with innovation, science with business and transfer with society. With this profile, we are involved in the UNITE network to further advance the startup scene in the Berlin metropolis.” – Prof. Dr. Jens Hermsdorf, President

Humboldt University of Berlin
“We need UNITE for the urgently needed further development of the startup ecosystem in the capital region.” – Volker Hofmann, Managing Director of Humboldt-Innovation GmbH

Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt
“UNITE offers the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt the unique opportunity to transfer excellent research results into practice more quickly by making targeted use of the synergies of the outstanding scientific landscape of Berlin-Brandenburg. Whether AI in medicine or quantum technologies – we support start-ups with our metrological expertise, give them access to unique measurement possibilities and will thus strengthen technology transfer.” – Prof. Dr. Tobias Schäffter, Head of the Berlin Institute of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt

Berlin University of Technology
“With the new association, we want to bundle the innovation ecosystem in Berlin-Brandenburg and position it as a national and international hotspot. One major advantage is that so many diverse players are active in the field of innovation in our region. This allows us to tackle the major challenges together with different areas of expertise.” – Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Völker, Vice President of TU Berlin (Member of the Board of UNITE Sciences e. V.)

Touro University of Applied Sciences Berlin
“Knowledge alone is not enough; we have to apply it. Wanting alone is not enough; we must act.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – Touro University Berlin combines theory and practice, linking academic knowledge with real-world challenges in the spirit of this Goethe quote. Through interdisciplinary approaches between AI, robotics, psychology, economics and cybersecurity as well as ethics and Holocaust studies, we promote innovation and social engagement. As an American Jewish university, we stand for responsibility and social justice. We bring our international network and practical research to UNITE in order to live education as an active, formative process – in the spirit of Goethe.

Berlin University of the Arts
“As a member, the Berlin University of the Arts supports the work of UNITE Sciences e.V. This enables the transfer of art and design to strengthen the cultural industry and give Berlin a unique selling point in the German funding landscape.” – Prof. Dr. Norbert Palz, President

Weissensee School of Art Berlin
“As a start-up-strong art university with an excellent research profile and many start-ups with a focus on sustainable business, we share UNITE’s goals and profile. Together, UNITE and our alumni will make the start-up city of Berlin more sustainable and innovative and strengthen the economy.” – Hinnerk Gölnitz, Chancellor

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Press contact Berlin

Anja Kunack
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E-Mail: anja.kunack@kiez.ai

Press contact Brandenburg

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