Nikos Oikonomou
We support the development and implementation of business ideas
Innovation consulting at the Science Park offers a powerful support structure for start-ups, companies, researchers, institutions and organisations in innovation and transformation processes.
Across all phases of the innovation process, we have face-to-face, online and hybrid formats on different topics:
- Idea generation, creativity techniques, prioritisation and selection
- Concept development and sharpening
- Validation, evaluation through involvement of experts
- Strategy development and roadmaps
- Participation formats across all phases
“Our goal is to increase the success rate of innovations.”
Through active support and specific coaching, we increase success rates and improve and accelerate the learning processes in teams.
Stefan Rötzel, Graduate Designer and Head of Innovation Consultancy
In which phase may we support you?
We meet you where you are in your process. We have developed different formats to do so. This way we can respond to your needs with tailor-made offers.
We support you during your first steps:
We inspire and teach students about starting a business. We offer seminars and workshops in this area. This involves teaching the basics of setting up a business, such as start-up planning and financing, legal forms and market analyses.
Examples for this area:
One example of this offer is the business start-up seminar at the University of Kassel, which is offered in cooperation with Prof. Dr Jens Hesselbach and Dr Mark Junge and is an integral part of the university curriculum.
Semester and course times
The Science Park is also a central partner of the AI start-up Rising initiative and will help shape approaches to start-up support in the field of artificial intelligence over four years. This partnership includes the AI.Masterclass, where entrepreneurs from AI start-ups from all over Germany report on their business models and AI innovations. Afterwards, experienced coaches reflect on the challenges of AI start-ups together with the participants and impart valuable, real-world lessons.
Further information
At regular intervals, we offer students and people interested in starting a business the opportunity to take a breath of start-up air in our CoCreation idea workshops. You can expect interactive and creative methods and new people with a similar mindset. The workshop is free of charge. You will receive a certificate of attendance for your participation.
Do you already have an idea, but no idea how to implement it? Then come to the CoCreationLab in the Science Park. We address entrepreneurs who are still at the very beginning of their idea by providing them with professional coaching on the path to starting a business, direct access to the Science Park network and peer learning with other founding teams.
Further Information
As a doctoral student, you put a lot of time and energy into research. Often it is not even clear that the research results can be transformed into a business model and serve as the basis for a start-up. We can help with that!
In this format, we focus on coaching PhD students to transform their research results into a potential business model. We achieve this through consultation and support on transfer formats and transfer structures, innovation networks, innovation labs and innovation ecosystems.
With us you get:
- Individualised coaching as required
- Structured coaching according to the systematics of an accelerator
- Expert assessments of business plans, evaluation of innovations from the perspective of users and the market economy, as well as suggestions for improvement
- Pitch training for start-ups, coaching for the creation of business plan and the pitch deck
- Consulting on team cooperation, agile management methods, OKR and new work formats
Your possible next steps:
Is your idea already fully developed and ready for the next level? Then apply for the Hesse Ideas Competition or Scholarship! We are part of the coaching programme of the six-month Hesse Ideen Stipendium (Hessen Ideas Scholarship) for university graduates with an affinity for entrepreneurship.
Our focus is on providing support throughout the start-up process with an emphasis on validating the business model. The competition and the scholarship are aimed at entrepreneurs who are already one step further than in the CoCreationLab.
Do you want to build a sustainable business with a focus on climate protection? Then join the Start-Up Hack North Hesse! The Start-Up Hack North Hesse focuses on innovative business models that shape the future: Anyone who wants to set up a sustainable company (with a focus on climate protection) with growth potential is welcome at the Start-Up Hack North Hesse.
We offer this format in cooperation with the Association of German Engineers (VDI) North Hesse, the Kassel-Marburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) and the University of Kassel.
Further information
As a start-up, there are numerous scholarships, competitions and funding programmes to participate in. Our coaches have already helped numerous start-ups to apply!
Further information
Further development and growth
With individual and customised support formats, we help existing companies with their further development. This can happen at the level of organisational development as well as further development or adaptation of the business model. All offers aim to enable stronger networking with the existing start-up ecosystem of the Science Park in order to exploit synergy effects and enable the transfer of knowledge from the University of Kassel to Kassel as a business location.
We work with tools such as:
- Vision and mission statement process
- Participation formats for stakeholder and shareholder engagement
- Scenario analyses and strategy boards
- Design thinking as a user-oriented innovation method
- Use-case design workshops for R&D projects or project proposals
- Development and optimisation of value propositions, the “products”
- Business model development, validation and strategic assessment
- Involvement of users, market, technology and financial experts in the validation process
- Organisation of user clinics, interaction with future users
- And much more!
