How does the university’s partial relocation to Domshof inspire the Transfer Office?

Universities are increasingly being called upon to play an active role in transformation processes in society. The University of Bremen has had this responsibility deeply embedded in its DNA ever since it was founded. And yet, it is challenging, especially for campus universities, to be a visible part of urban life. Knowledge and technology transfer is the third mission of universities alongside research and teaching and is responsible, in particular, for the mutual exchange between business, academia, politics, arts and culture, and civil society. The University of Bremen now has a physical location for these diverse activities in the heart of the city and is therefore more accessible for the community. There are more opportunities to just drop by. This opens up a wide range of opportunities to explore new avenues of dialogue.

We at UniTransfer will increasingly focus on social development and support our researchers in this area of non-technical innovation. A low-threshold exchange is valuable for this, taking place at the very location where social innovations are needed: in the city with its residents. The synergies between the campus and the city center are certainly promising.

What benefits do you expect?

The face of German city centers is undergoing profound change: They are expected to offer more than just consumerism and are becoming places of social interaction, work, art and culture, inspiration, and commerce. Naturally, if academia is visible and can be experienced in the city, local businesses benefit from this as well. The university thus becomes a building block of urban development. Forum am Domshof is a great opportunity to intensify our interaction with the urban community. After all, it is becoming increasingly important for universities to use their knowledge to have an impact on society.

Do you already have ideas regarding how you want to take advantage of the University of Bremen’s presence in the city center?

Yes, we are constantly generating ideas. The location is perfect for award ceremonies, for example. This includes the Transfer Prize, which we will be awarding for the first time this year in November. The CAMPUSiDEEN award ceremony and the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship award ceremony might also take place in the new building. Large events such as the Startup-Lounge can also take place at Domshof. The building will also serve as a showcase for our foundation activities as well as our fundraising and sponsoring activities. In addition, we are planning various formats for our scholars to engage in conversation with the public, for example over a coffee. Other activities include events for schoolchildren, fishbowl conversations on urban development topics, and public start-up pitches: What ideas are emerging from the university that will help us to tackle challenges affecting society as a whole? I could name many more. As you see, we are highly enthusiastic and already in full swing.

Further Information

Website “Forum at Domshof”