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The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
With the support of Triathlon – Ecosystem for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Transfer at Saarland University – the Innovation Center offers organizational and service-oriented support to those interested in starting a business, start-ups, researchers and companies. The building creates the spatial framework for encounters and collaboration: from the open ground floor zone with entrance hall, cafeteria, exhibition area and seating steps to flexible open-space areas, office space and seminar rooms – the architecture allows for gradual gradations between public and private spaces for working. Since its opening in April 2024, the building has established itself as a lively meeting place:
- around 200 people work in offices and co-working areas every day.
- The café is visited by around 250 guests per day.
- In its opening year, 2024, 450 events with around 20,000 participants took place there from April onwards.
The jury underpins this collaborative building concept with its assessment:
'In keeping with the theme of "places of work", feel-good locations for different forms of work have been created. Individual work, teamwork, co-working and seminars that are easily accessible and offer flexible use of space and areas that promote innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.'
Roland Rolles, Vice-President for Administration and Finance, said of the award: 'The recognition at the "Places of Work" architecture award is a strong signal of the importance of the Innovation Center as a place where ideas grow and collaborations emerge. We are delighted that the architecture is not only functionally impressive, but also reflects the values of openness and networking that are central to the university and the Triathlon ecosystem.
The Innovation Center is a great opportunity for us and the ideal place to promote entrepreneurship and innovative spirit. The open and flexible architecture creates exactly the environment that founders need to develop ideas and build networks. This environment fits perfectly with our activities around the Startup Factory SouthwestX – that's why we deliberately chose to locate our headquarters here,' adds Ralf Zastrau, Director of Entrepreneurship at Saarland University.
The building was constructed in just three years and received around €16 million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the state. The total cost, including initial equipment, amounted to around €21.2 million. The award ceremony took place as part of the Saarland State Architecture Prize.
Further information on the competition is available at: https://architektur.staatspreis.saarland
About Triathlon: Since 1995, Saarland University has been systematically supporting founders from the scientific community. In 2023, this long-standing experience was bundled into the central institution 'Triathlon – Ecosystem for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Transfer'. Triathlon offers broad support and guidance for start-up, technology and knowledge transfer ideas and translates these into economic and operational implementation. Over the past decades, the university has supported more than 550 start-ups with a good 4,000 jobs. On average, the Triathlon team supports 120 start-up projects per year, resulting in around 30 start-ups. Info: www.uds-triathlon.de
