The following text has been machine translated from German.
At the official launch on Wednesday, January 28, Minister of Economic Affairs Jürgen Barke stated: “We are bringing competencies and services together under one roof. This makes it significantly easier for companies in Saarland to turn research findings into concrete innovations. Shorter pathways, clear points of contact, and improved access to funding—this is exactly what SMEs need to translate new ideas into value creation quickly.”
For the first time, three key actors of Saarland’s innovation system are pooling their expertise within a coordinated, joint transfer approach. Each institution contributes its specific strengths: saaris as the interface to companies and regional development, FITT gGmbH with proven expertise in knowledge and technology transfer as well as practice-oriented research and development at htw saar, Triathlon Transfer GmbH with a focus on market-oriented commercialization, IP strategies, and industrial implementation.
In the future, the partners will collaborate with clearly defined roles, coordinated processes, and shared instruments. Companies will be supported along the entire innovation process—from identifying needs and establishing research and development partnerships to commercialization, market entry, and scaling.
Mirjam Schwan, Managing Director of FITT gGmbH: “As the institute for knowledge and technology transfer at htw saar, we contribute our experience in practice-oriented research and as an intermediary between companies and academic expertise. Our goal is to create more innovation partnerships and make an effective contribution to structural transformation.”
Michael Jung, Managing Director of Triathlon Transfer GmbH: “Our strength lies in systematically translating excellent research into market-ready solutions. Together, we ensure seamless connectivity—from identifying exploitable results and developing IP strategies to building industrial partnerships, for example in the fields of AI, life sciences, and sustainability.”
Valentin Holzer, Managing Director of saaris: “The combined expertise makes technology transfer in Saarland faster, more efficient, and more impactful. Especially for SMEs, this creates clearer access to research and shorter paths to implementation.”
A key component of the project is the development of a shared data-based infrastructure that creates transparency regarding competencies, technologies, funding opportunities, and cooperation partners. This will be complemented by new transfer formats, targeted outreach to companies, systematic matching between science and industry, and the identification and commercialization of research results with market potential.
Press Contact
Ministry for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy
Phone: +49 681/501-1690
Email: presse@wirtschaft.saarland.de
Website: www.wirtschaft.saarland.de
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