08/28/2025

Saarland University participates in EU initiative for AI-based green innovation

Since April, Triathlon—an ecosystem for entrepreneurship, innovation and technology transfer at Saarland University—has been part of the European BIKE-HEI project. The project aims to strengthen universities as designers of regional innovation ecosystems and to drive forward the green, digital transformation through AI-based solutions. In the winter semester, Triathlon will launch workshops on sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation—open to students, university staff and community members.

The following text has been machine translated from the German and has undergone no postediting.

Together with partners from Spain, Slovenia, Ukraine, Italy, Serbia, Norway and Germany, Triathlon is working to develop entrepreneurial thinking and AI-based solutions for environmental and climate protection and the green economy. The project will run until April 2027 and is being implemented as part of the Higher Education Initiative of the Europa-Institut of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the "Transform for Europe" alliance. The latter is an association of eleven European universities, including Saarland University, which, as a "European university", pursue the goal of creating a joint multilingual campus. 

Triathlon contributes its many years of experience in designing innovation processes and networking science, business and society. Initial activities are already underway, including workshops, networking formats and the co-design of the BIKE Hub, a joint platform for innovation and entrepreneurship. The abbreviation BIKE-HEI stands for the project "Boosting Innovative and Knowledge-based Entrepreneurship of Higher Education Institutions". The Scheer School of Digital Sciences at Saarland University, which aims to advance digital transformation with its continuing education programmes, is also involved in the project as a partner.

"Universities can make a big difference when it comes to promoting sustainable innovation. For this to succeed, structures are needed that promote entrepreneurial thinking and actively involve all stakeholders – students, teachers and staff. BIKE-HEI offers us the opportunity to shape this development together with Saarland University and our European partners," says Jens Krück, Managing Director of Triathlon, explaining the motivation behind the project. 

AI meets sustainability 

BIKE-HEI takes an interdisciplinary and inclusive approach to equipping students, scientists and employees with entrepreneurial skills. The focus is on: 

  • Establishment of a joint "BIKE Hub", i.e. a joint platform for innovation and entrepreneurship
  • Development of training and mentoring programmes
  • Support for start-ups and spin-offs
  • Improvement of institutional strategies for innovation and transfer
  • Establishing new partnerships with external stakeholders

Together with its partner universities, Triathlon will be offering free workshops as early as the coming winter semester. The courses are aimed at students as well as academic and non-academic staff. Interested parties from outside the university are also welcome to participate in the events in the spirit of knowledge exchange. All workshops will be conducted online in English. They will subsequently be available via a Moodle platform. 

All information about the workshops will soon be available on the Triathlon website: https://uds-triathlon.de

Background information on the BIKE-HEI project 
BIKE-HEI: Boosting Innovative and Knowledge-based Entrepreneurship of Higher Education Institutions, max. volume around 1.3 million euros with a duration from April 2025 to 2027, sponsored by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology - EIT Raw Materials 

Brief description: The BIKE-HEI project contributes to international cooperation, technological innovation and a commitment to sustainability among the partner universities, with the aim of making a lasting impact on the European economy, education and society. Triathlon and Saarland University are part of a consortium comprising a total of seven different nations. Further information can be found on the official LinkedIn page of BIKE-HEI: (1) BIKE HEI: Posts | LinkedIn and here: https://bike-hub.eu

About Triathlon: Saarland University has been supporting academic start-ups since 1995. In 2023, this wealth of experience was pooled under a single roof with the launch of ‘Triathlon—Integrated Ecosystem for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Transfer’. Triathlon provides a full-service support package for start-up ventures and for technology and knowledge transfer initiatives, helping to turn ideas into viable businesses and real-world solutions. Over the past few decades, the university has supported more than 550 young businesses and the creation of more than 4,000 jobs. On average, the Triathlon team supports around 120 start-up projects each year, around 30 of which are launched as new companies. www.uds-triathlon.de