Level up
Science and Arts meets Start-ups!
Are you driven and self-motivated? Do you enjoy collaboration? Would you like a spark of serendipity in your career path? Then you already might have what it takes to be a great scientist. Or a founder.
Wish to turn your ideas or research results into solutions that address the problems we face as humanity? As your sparring partners, Transferscouts will put your hypotheses through an acid test and help nurture your ideas into real-life solutions.
We enable the realisation of your innovative ideas so that they can develop their full potential, whether on the free market or as a social initiative. We want to make your ideas work!
Our services
Who can use the Transferscout services?
Our services are for everyone who is studying or working at the University of Cologne - or used to study/work here.
If you are wondering whether your idea or your research project could have potential for being developed into application, send us an email and we will schedule a short appointment.
We are also happy to inform you about transfer opportunities in general or funding sources in the area of application.
At what stage should I contact Transferscouts?
You can engage with the Transferscout from your faculty at an early stage. We help you with the development of your idea and research, with financing and protecting your project.
Should I protect and/or publish my results?
As soon as you have an exciting research outcome, have reached an innovative step or have made a discovery, you can speak with us before rushing to publish it or present your poster at the next conference.
Most of the times, you can protect as well as publish your results with our help and the help of the Transfer department of the University of Cologne. This way, you can create more value for your efforts early on during your research period.
I have an idea with a commercial potential. How can I turn it into a business?
We support you with agile innovation methods (e.g. Design Thinking, Rapid Prototyping, Lean Startup) to develop user-centric prototypes that can be easily tested and experienced.
This will help you to quickly and cost-effectively test whether your ideas have the potential to attract potential customers. We help you turn your ideas into tangible reality as quickly as possible and test your assumptions with potential users. The findings will help you to apply for grants or convince investors.
How can the Transferscouts support me?
Transferscouts are the first point of contact for all researchers and academics seeking to transfer their research results into applications. With our teams at Gateway Excellence Start-up Center of the University of Cologne, the department of Research Management (Abt. 7) and in collaboration with external partners we support you to transfer your innovation into commercial and social entrepreneurial opportunities.
We are happy to support you in all aspects of transfer:
• Assistance in developing transfer projects
• Funding opportunities
• Intellectual property
• Connections to relevant industry and academic partners
How does Gateway ESC support spin-offs?
We provide support from the initial idea through the entire start-up process. We help with the very first evaluation and discussion of your business idea, support with exploitation options, patent application and matchmaking with network partners and, moreover, guide you through the funding phase.
We work in interdisciplinary teams to incorporate all our know-how and expertise.
Need a hand with your prototype?
How you you make a successful product or build a service? Test it on real users first! At Gateway ESC, we help you with methods, services and technologies to validate assumptions and get valuable feedback. Like that, you can focus on building a product or service that really meets users' needs and expectations.
Transferscouting at Gateway ESC
Our Transferscouts at all the faculties at the University of Cologne are the contacts for scientists and students when it comes to the application of knowledge from research and teaching.
They are dialogue partners with a professional background matching their faculty. They consult on how to apply ideas for knowledge into practice.
In doing so, they help with their expertise on application maturity, technology depth and the innovation level of your research. They also help to identify potential funding programs for developing an application or start-up scenario.
They work together with the Gateway ESC start-up coaches and the Gateway ESC prototyping expert. On questions regarding research collaborations, inventions and intellectual property rights, the Transferscouts work closely with the University of Cologne's Transfer department.
