About IP Management
Together with our partner Co-Creation Hub, we would like to invite you to join us on 30 April 2024 for an insightful virtual roundtable focusing on the management of intellectual property (IP) in higher education institutions (HEIs). Explore how these institutions are driving academic innovation and empowering researchers in the dynamic African landscape.
Engage with distinguished speakers from West, East and Southern African HEIs as they share invaluable insights and experiences in IP management practices tailored to our diverse contexts. Discover strategies for success and growth in academic innovation. Speakers from KIT Germany will also share best practices from Europe.
Register now to secure your spot! - bit.ly/IP_ManagementRoundtable
Soft landing: Egyptian start-ups meet the German ecosystem
"Informative, exciting and inspiring" - this was the initial conclusion of the Egyptian delegation that visited KIT, the Gründerschmiede, Karlsruhe and Berlin at the end of November 2023. Among them were six finalists of the Rally Accelerate competition, representatives of the Arab Academy Entrepreneurship Centre and representatives of other institutions.
The journey through the German ecosystem began at KIT with presentations on the Gründerschmiede, technology transfer and Karlsruhe's business development and start-up scene. The participants were able to find out from BW-i what programmes and other initiatives "The Länd" has to offer. Using the example of AXEL - The Energy Accelerator, they were given an insight into local accelerators. They were able to discuss the latest ideas and international collaborations with representatives of the KIT Innovation Hub.
Their trip also took them to the FZI House of the Living Labs, where they gained insights into the latest experiments in autonomous driving, AI and robotics. At a networking breakfast at the IHK Karlsruhe, the participants exchanged ideas with representatives of the IHK, Steinbeis Europe and GIZ Business Scout about opportunities for international networks and cooperation.
Africa Startup Connect Week
In the middle of the week, the delegation travelled to Berlin for the African Startup Connect Week, organised by GIZ Make-IT in Africa. During the event, which lasted several days, the Gründerschmiede took part in three events: A World Café focusing on scientific innovation and, building on this, a panel discussion looking at transfer and spin-offs from an African and German perspective.
The third part of the programme was a public pitch workshop in which the six Egyptian start-ups presented their ideas to a high-calibre jury and an interested audience. The meeting of many start-ups from the African region, the networking and the exchange with investors formed the overall framework of the Africa Startup Connect Week.
Finally, the delegation used their time in Berlin to learn about international programmes and projects with an African focus at the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and to get to know the Berlin ecosystem at the Startup Migrants initiative.
It was a successful week with very informative discussions, a German-Egyptian exchange of ideas and many stimulating conversations.
Start Up Economy in Egypt
The TECH4Transition project team travelled to Egypt together with partners from GIZ in September 2023. The highlight of the trip was the Start Up Festival at the Entrepreneurship Center of the Arab Academy for Science and Technology in El Alamein, which marked the end of the accelerator programme TECHgrow.
More than 60 Egyptian start-ups participated in TECHgrow since spring 2023 - 10 each from the fields of GreenTech, Smart Manufacturing, HealthTech, Supply Chain, AgriTech and FinTech. Over the past few months, TECHgrow has offered the selected start-ups lectures and workshops on topics such as sustainability, customer understanding, growth processes, and internationalisation.
The final event of the accelerator programme took place in Egypt, where the five best start-ups were selected. We are looking forward to welcoming the finalists of the programme to Germany and KIT in November 2023, where they will get to know the German start-up ecosystem.
In Egypt, the team also visited various innovation drivers such as the Knowledge Hub Universities campus - a multidisciplinary academic centre that brings together courses from internationally renowned universities from around the world. The programme also included a visit to the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), which plays an important role in the development of the local IT industry.
Roundtable
What is the German-Egyptian start-up scene like? What platforms or exchange programmes exist? How can existing cooperation be networked? What factors could contribute to a more start-up and investor-friendly ecosystem? The TECH4Transition team explored these and other questions together with representatives from GIZ, DAAD Egypt, Arab Academy Entrepreneurship Center, Flat6Labs, El Sewedy Knowledge Hub, enactus Egypt, enpact EGYPT, Youthinkgreen Egypt, RAYA Holding for Financial Investments and AHK Egypt.
The roundtable discussed the benefits of a common start-up database, the importance of bi- and multinational programmes, the place of entrepreneurship in traditional professions, and the importance of creating a link between entrepreneurship and industry.
We would like to thank our partners and all participants for their active participation. The findings, lessons learned and different perspectives will feed directly into the work of TECH4Transition as well as the local ecosystem.
About the Egyptian-German partnership
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The first session of the TECHgrow module focused on the German-Egyptian start-up scene. The TECH4Transition team as well as funders and partners presented support offers for companies and start-ups and discussed possible synergies.
Nermin Siam and Ralph Henn from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) spoke to over 100 participating Egyptian entrepreneurs about the goals of TECH4Transition and the start-up scene in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg and Germany. Andrea Denzinger and Agnes Jansen from GIZ reported on German-Egyptian relations. They presented the work of GIZ as well as projects and cooperation between Egypt and Germany. Dr Wael Desouki and Heba Al-Ashry from the Arab Academy gave an overview of their work at the Entrepreneurship Centre and reported on the highlights of the Rally Accelerate programme so far. Alumnus Mohab Attia rounded off the exciting session by sharing his experiences as a young entrepreneur.
The full TECHgrow programme and all information about the module can be found on the overview page.