In 2023, the UNIPRENEURS initiative honored 20 professors for the first time for their commitment to supporting start-ups at universities and accompanying them on their way. In a recently published article in the magazine DUZ Wissenschaft & Management, the honorees themselves now have their say, including the two UniSysCat group leaders Stefan Hecht and Reinhard Schomäcker. They describe from their perspective what skills founders need, what challenges they have to deal with and how they motivate them.
Prof. Stefan Hecht is currently Einstein Professor for Organic Chemistry and Functional Materials at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Founding Director of the Center for the Science of Materials Berlin. His research portfolio spans from macro- and supramolecular chemistry over photochemistry to surface science, with a particular emphasis on the development of photoswitchable molecules for controlling materials, devices, and manufacturing processes. Beyond the academic realm, Professor Hecht champions the transformative potential of materials research on society. In 2019, he co-founded xolo GmbH alongside Martin Regehly and Dirk Radzinski.
„Above all, I try to encourage young people to pursue their dreams and to think less about security. If you are passionate about something, then you are almost bound to be really good at it and ultimately successful.“ says Hecht when asked by DUZ magazine how he supports student start-ups.
From 1996 until 2024 Prof. Dr. Reinhard Schomäcker has been leading the Chair of Technical Chemistry at TU. His research focuses on catalysis and reaction engineering for the conversion of renewable and sustainable raw materials into chemical value chains. A significant aspect of his work has been the translation of research findings into industrial applications, particularly through strong support for start-ups. He was the initiator of the incubator laboratory INKULAB at TU Berlin, and he serves as the scientific director and founding member of the Chemical Invention Factory.
„Successful founders are creative, self-motivated, persistent and characterized by a high frustration threshold.“, as Prof. Schomäcker is cited in the DUZ magazine article. „Motivation from a mentor is important at the many hurdles of the complex start-up process. It then helps to be an objective but critical discussion partner in order to overcome any hurdles that may arise through positive feedback.“
DUZ magazine is a trade journal for universities and science. DUZ Wissenschaft & Management is published ten times a year and highlights the topics and fields of action of modern science management and is aimed at managers in science and administration.
Recently we published a news on the UNIPRENEURS award: UNIPRENEURS Awards Recognize Professors' Commitment to Entrepreneurship in Higher Education