Innovation centers Ruhr: for founders

Find the place that lets you grow flexibly.

Save money by renting co-working spaces, equipment and labs.

Benefit from state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Provide an inspiring environment for your team and guests.

Exchange ideas with a network of like-minded people over lunch or an after-work beer.

There are currently 29 technology, start-up and innovation centers in our network. There are hardly any innovation centers of this density anywhere else in Europe.

Innovation centers are excellently linked with municipal economic development agencies. As a result, help is readily available if you're mulling over your business plan, need a start-up loan, want to give your start-up an injection of venture capital, or need coaching. There are also frequent community offerings on site. From business breakfasts to after-work beers to mistake-sharing nights.

In the Ruhr Metropolis, you can count on specialized innovation centers in the life science sector at the locations Bochum, Bönen, Dortmund and Witten. You also benefit from the close proximity of the research-strong Ruhr University in Bochum and the Technical University in Dortmund.

Bochum is developing into a hotspot for cybersecurity and IT security. G-Data, the Horst Görtz Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum, the competence center eurobits e.V. as well as the Max Planck Institute for Cybersecurity offer a secure basis here. In addition to the ZITS innovation center in Bochum, you will also find excellent infrastructure in the Gelsenkirchen Science Park, the Triple Z in Essen and the Dortmund Technology Center.

Then you need an office? Almost all locations dedicated to start-ups offer this. If you want to produce something, there is also a combination of office space and workshops at numerous locations. Take a look, for example, at the Gladbeck Innovation Center, the Triple Z in Essen, the EEZ in Bochum or even the Ökozentrum Hamm. There are smart solutions for different space requirements here.

For start-ups with engineering ideas, the Innovation Centers Ruhr offer a diverse range of services. Nanotechnology in the MST.factory Dortmund, production technology in the Center for Production Technology in Dortmund, energy efficiency and additive manufacturing in the EEZ Bochum, environmental technology in the TZU Oberhausen or in the Tectrum Duisburg. This is also due to the strong research locations in the region.

In the Ruhr Metropolis you can use Matchmaker.Ruhr to make new B2B contacts, take part in challenges or send requests to other companies. #getconnected! In addition, a regional platform will soon be launched on which you as a founder can book laboratory equipment, technical equipment and laboratories on a short-term rental basis. Numerous universities and colleges in the Ruhr Metropolis as well as the Ruhr Innovation Centers are also involved.