TechImpulse: Academic-Industry Partnerships

07.03.2025 Aline Kinzie Events

Collaboration between industry and academic institutions holds immense potential for accelerating the transfer of research into practice and developing innovative solutions together. But what is the best way to structure this partnership? What are the best practices, and how can companies and universities benefit equally?

On February 12, 2025, the KIT Gründerschmiede, in partnership with HEI Innovation by CcHub, hosted the digital event TechImpulse shed light on the opportunities and challenges of such collaborations. Experts from both worlds gave an insight into how research partnerships can be established and successfully maintained in the long term, what funding opportunities are available, and how joint projects can have a positive impact on innovation. With more than 40 participants from diverse backgrounds, the event served as a platform to discuss technology transfer, entrepreneurship and the role of higher education institutions in fostering innovation.

Dr. Tobias Majdanski from KIT’s Technology Transfer Department introduced the audience to the KIT Business Club. The club’s mission is to identify areas of joint research between companies and KIT and to facilitate connections between industry leaders and promising KIT start-ups and spin-offs. As Dr. Majdanski put it: “It’s all about people“, emphasising that “bringing the right people together is the most important part of what we do“.

Azeezat Yishawu, a medical doctor from Nigeria with limited business experience, shared her journey of working with HEI Innovation and her start-up, ZenoSwap. She reflected on the challenges of bringing a product to market and highlighted the crucial support she received in achieving proof of concept.

Alain Kajangwe, founder and CEO of WiredIn, discussed his partnership with Carnegie Mellon University in Rwanda to provide internship opportunities for students. In 2022, he launched the WiredIn Academy to bridge the gap between academia and industry, focusing on essential business skills such as customer communication, privacy and performance. The academy offers an online program lasting between one and three months, with successful participants qualifying for a three-month internship. This six-month combined experience allows companies and interns to assess their compatibility. Since its launch, the academy has trained 300 participants, with around 10 eventually becoming employees.

Jude Adejuwon of CcHub presented a white paper titled “Powering the Future of Africa through Uninnovation”. He highlighted the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa and their potential to drive technological and economic growth. He noted: “Entrepreneurship support organisations and corporate collaborations can help bridge gaps, enabling HEIs to translate research into impactful, market-ready solutions and establish themselves as centres of innovation that drive societal and economic growth.“

This edition of TechImpulse demonstrated the power of global collaboration and the importance of fostering connections between researchers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders. As the discussions demonstrated, innovation thrives when diverse minds come together to share knowledge, tackle challenges and create lasting impact. The event reaffirmed the commitment of KIT, CcHub and their partners to shaping the future of technology and entrepreneurship on a global scale.

Our partners

HEI Innovation by CcHub is an initiative of the Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), one of Africa’s leading innovation centres. Based in Nigeria, CcHub has been at the forefront of driving technological advancement and entrepreneurial growth across the continent. Through partnerships with universities, research institutions and global organisations, HEI Innovation aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry, ensuring that ground-breaking research leads to real-world applications. TechImpulse is a modul of Tech4Transition, an intiative developed by KIT and implemented in cooperation with the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ).