RIZ and E&I – double whammy for the regional economy
A major project to promote start-ups and young companies is being realised in Bayreuth: A new building for the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I) is being constructed, complemented by the Regional Start-up and Innovation Centre (RIZ), which the city and district are running jointly to strengthen the economy in the region.
It could become a new powerhouse – with an impact far beyond the borders of Upper Franconia: in Bayreuth, the city, district, university and the Free State are planning a major project to boost the economy and keep start-ups and young companies in the region. To this end, a new building for the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I) is to be built on the university campus, to which the Regional Start-up and Innovation Center (RIZ), which the city and district want to operate jointly in order to attract young company founders to the region, is to be docked directly.
And it was precisely this project that was the subject of the latest round of talks “We've got answers” in the so-called Neuseum am Sternplatz, with which the University of Bayreuth wants to give citizens from the city and district the opportunity to discuss current questions on various research projects with experts.
Almost all the chairs in the Neuseum in the rooms of the former Markgrafen bookshop were filled when Dr. Petra Beermann (Director of Transfer & Innovation at the University and Head of the Institute for E+I office), Bernhard Sippel (Deputy Head of Economic Development for the City of Bayreuth), lawyer and former Lord Mayor Dr. Michael Hohl (who represented the Bayreuth Chamber of Industry and Commerce committee) as well as Karl-Michael Hopf (Managing Partner of Karl Hopf GmbH and District Master Craftsman for Bayreuth) first answered the introductory questions posed by Gert Dieter Meier (University of Bayreuth), who moderated the event.
UBT
All speakers emphasized the importance and necessity of implementing this project as soon as possible. Below are some of the reasons in favor of the dual E&I/RIZ project:
- The Regional Innovation Center (RIZ) is intended to close a gap in services identified by the Upper Franconian economy - the Upper Franconian economy wants and needs to link itself more closely with science in order to secure and expand its future viability. The RIZ fulfills precisely this task, emphasizes the “Pro RIZ” initiative.
- The RIZ aims to help start-ups, young and established companies from the trades, services and industry sectors to position themselves well.
- The collaboration between the RIZ and the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation aims to expand the transfer of ideas, knowledge and technology between science, business and society.
UBT
However, it should also be noted that there were and are many questions and discussions about the RIZ/E&I project - there were in the Bayreuth City Council, there were in the district council and there were also at the meeting in the Neuseum. There were questions about the processes, about the meaningfulness and necessity of the innovation aspect in particular, about the planned branch in the district and also about the organization. Petra Beermann and Bernhard Sippel answered these questions in detail, calmly and reliably - for almost two hours.
At the end, there was much applause for the two speakers. However, the visitors to the evening also deserved a round of applause. Because with their many critical questions, suggestions and comments, they ensured that this exciting economic topic was examined and discussed from all sides. And that is precisely the approach that the organizers are pursuing with this series of talks: To get people talking to each other and weigh up the pros and cons.