JENAINNOVATION launch; alliance of Jena’s main universities, university hospital; aim: translating research into social impact; Carl Zeiss Stiftung funds €3 million; new innovation scouts, funding, coaching. Focus: knowledge transfer. JENAINNOVATION starts with great popularity JENAINNOVATION starts with great popularity The JENAINNOVATION initiative presented itself to the public for the first time last week with a celebratory launch event. Around 150 guests accepted the invitation from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena University Hospital (JUH) and Ernst Abbe University Jena and gathered in the event room on the top floor of the JenTower. State Secretary Suckert emphasises Jena's special role State Secretary Mario Suckert from the Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs also attended the opening. In his welcoming address, he emphasised the far-reaching transformation process of the Thuringian economy, which cannot be mastered without innovation: »I have long been concerned with the question of how we can strengthen the transfer from the institutions of higher education in Thuringia. JENAINNOVATION is the building block that has been missing in Thuringia until now. Jena is a biotope of high technologies that is unique in Germany—with concentrated knowledge, short distances and combined forces that we should utilise.« In his opening speech, Ede Möser, Head of JENAINNOVATION, made it clear that despite these favourable requirements, there are also challenges: »Jena is a place that has a lot of what innovation needs. At the same time, however, it is also clear that good research alone does not guarantee application or social impact.« This is precisely where JENAINNOVATION comes in. The aim is to think about transfer earlier, more systematically and more collaboratively. A visible sign of this is the alliance of the three largest research institutions in Jena, which are jointly supporting the project. Institutions of higher education emphasise the importance of transfer In their welcoming speeches, representatives of all three supporting institutions emphasised the perspectives they bring to the initiative: Interim President of the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena, Prof. Dr Kristin Mitte, described the challenges of transfer: »What happens in the labs and what arrives in reality are sometimes far apart. Some things work well in the experimental environment, but do not prove themselves under real conditions.« Transfer has therefore always been part of the institution of higher education's self-image: »In order to recognise needs, we often start at the back end and ask: How can something work in reality—and what is actually needed there?« The Jena University Hospital (JUH) also has special requirements for this, emphasised Prof. Dr Thomas Kamradt, Academic Director and Dean of the Medical Faculty: »Medical research is geared towards making progress in patient care and covers the entire spectrum from basic research to healthcare research. Without basic research, there would be no new therapies, so it's not just scientific publications that count for us—the findings of our research must ultimately find their way into healthcare.« Prof. Dr Thomas Pertsch, Vice President for Research and Innovation at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, emphasised the strategic importance of the initiative: »The University of Jena wants to take more responsibility for its actions in the region and make the impact of our research flow even more strongly into the development of the region—and not alone. JENAINNOVATION stands for the networking of the important partners in our network. We invite everyone to help shape this endeavour in the coming years.« Ede Möser went on to explain what tenders JENAINNOVATION will offer in the future: At the centre are science-related innovation scouts who bring both research expertise and practical and transfer experience. »They identify and evaluate promising ideas at an early stage, provide support in structuring them and bring together relevant perspectives«, said Möser. The tender is supplemented by funding of various amounts, which can be applied for at a low threshold, as well as networking, coaching and educational formats. All of this is made possible by funding from the Carl Zeiss Stiftung, which provides strategic freedom as well as funds. Carl Zeiss Stiftung focusses on social impact The Carl Zeiss Stiftung is supporting the initiative with a total of three million euros over the first three years. In her speech, Anna Müller-Trimbusch, Head of the Foundation's funding area, drew on the historical roots of the site and referred to the collaboration between Otto Schott, Carl Zeiss and Ernst Abbe in the late 19th century. Even then, she said, it had been shown how co-operation can lead to marketable technologies that have an impact far beyond the region. The decisive factor here is the connection between innovation and the common good: »Real innovation does not end with products—it has an impact on science, business and society at the same time.« JENAINNOVATION is the overarching initiative for innovation and knowledge transfer in Jena. It supports researchers and teams in translating scientific findings into concrete applications and social impact. To this end, innovation processes are accompanied from the initial idea through to implementation and cooperation between science, industry and other social partners is strengthened. The aim is to raise Jena's profile as a leading innovation region.JENAINNOVATION is supported by the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena and the Jena University Hospital (JUH) and funded by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung.More information on the websitewww.jenainnovation.deExternal link About the Carl Zeiss Stiftung The Carl Zeiss Stiftung promotes science and teaching in the STEM disciplines of Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences and Technology. As a partner of excellent science, it provides scope for basic and application-oriented research. The foundation was established by Ernst Abbe in Jena in 1889 and is now one of the oldest and largest private science-promoting foundations in Germany. It is the sole owner of Carl Zeiss AG and SCHOTT AG. Its funding activities are financed by the dividend distributions of the two foundation companies. 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