With the transfer of ideas, knowledge, and technology, the University of Freiburg uses its expertise for the benefit of society and strengthens the exchange between science, industry, culture, politics, and the public sphere. Among other things, our transfer activities include lecture series and other science communications formats, consulting for political institutions, continuing education programs that reflect the broad spectrum of fields at a research university, the filing of patents, and cooperation with companies.
Formats like the Freiburg Science Fair bring science to life with hands-on exhibits and enable a dialogue with visitors.
Oriented toward Practice
The practically oriented course program of the Center for Key Qualifications (ZfS) for the acquisition of professional skills is a recognized strength of teaching at the University of Freiburg. More than 250 experts from industry, science, and society – one-third of them alumni – design a program encompassing around 360 courses per year. In transfer-oriented formats like service learning or the Sustainability Certificate, students receive direct insight into the possibilities for shaping our society and learn to take on responsibility.
Responses to the Transformation of the World of Work
Promoting career advancement, change, and re-entry: The University of Freiburg offers modular, flexible continuing education formats for further qualification and consolidation of knowledge and skills. In the last 15 years, the University of Freiburg has developed around 30 in-service certificate and diplom degree programs as well as nine continuing education master’s programs together with its cooperation partners in the area of continuing education.
Enabling orientation: The University of Freiburg teamed up with the University of Furtwangen from 2015 to 2020 to develop the platform Südwissen, on which it is possible to browse and register for continuing education programs offered by universities in the region. Within the context of the statewide continuing education offensive Weiter.mit.Bildung@BW, this platform will now be expanded to include all 48 of Baden-Württemberg’s public higher education institutions and academies by the end of 2024 under the project title “Hochschulweiterbildung@BW.” The University of Freiburg’s Department of Educational Transfer is in charge of the project.
Driving innovation
The University of Freiburg is ranked as the 24th most innovative university in Europe in the 2017 edition of the renowned Thomson Reuters Innovation Ranking. We are an important dialogue partner for leaders in the private and public sector and pave the way for many successful inventions.
Among the Three Universities with the Most Patent Filings
The University of Freiburg files an average of 70 patents per year, making it one of the universities with the most patent filings in Germany. Altogether, the university holds 1,680 active patents and around 150 active license agreements.
A Rising Star in Venture Development
The 2016 edition of Germany’s “Startup Radar” confirms that no other university in the country has managed such an upswing in recent years with regard to its support for startups. The University of Freiburg now occupies fourth place among large universities (> 15,000 students). This achievement was made possible by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s support program “EXIST – Culture of Entrepreneurship: University-Based Start-Ups.”
A New Startup Every Two Months
The university’s Founders’ Office can draw on 18 years of experience advising and coaching aspiring entrepreneurs. It helped 22 spin-off companies get off the ground last year alone. With the startup association Campus Technologies Oberrhein, the university also offers professional venture development advising at the Universities of Offenburg and Furtwangen.
Science communications in focus
The University of Freiburg places great emphasis on science communications. At the beginning of 2021, we became the first university in Germany to embed the topic at the level of university leadership from a practical perspective – in connection with strategy – by recruiting a university and science communicator and establishing the Business Unit of Science Communications and Strategy.
Support for knowledge transfer and science communications
The University of Freiburg supports its researchers and advises them on all questions concerning knowledge transfer and science communications. For this purpose, we are currently building up a systematic qualification program for researchers from all disciplines and different career stages. Among other things, it will address issues related to using media and conducting one’s own active and dialogical communications work.
Contact
Educational Transfer
Vice-President for Academic Affairs
Prof. Dr. Michael Schwarze
Technology Transfer
Vice-President for Research and Innovation
Prof. Dr. Stefan Rensing
Knowledge Transfer
Business Unit of Science Communications and Strategy
Julia Wandt
