Swabian Innovation Masterclass: Four Universities, One Shared Innovation Space

How can we identify future trends? What innovations will shape businesses and society in the future? And how do new perspectives give rise to concrete ideas? Participants in the Schwaben Innovation Masterclass explored these questions during the three-day kickoff event held October 27–29, 2026, at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg.

The program is aimed at students interested in starting a business and passionate about innovation who want to expand their innovation skills, develop an entrepreneurial mindset, and network with students from other disciplines and universities. The focus is not only on developing their own business ideas, but also on understanding innovation processes, addressing societal challenges, and actively shaping the future.

The Swabian Innovation Masterclass is a joint training program offered by the KANU – Swabian Innovation Nexus university consortium. It is organized by the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg, the University of Augsburg, Kempten University of Applied Sciences, and Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences.

What makes it unique is that the four universities pool their expertise to create a joint learning and innovation program that extends far beyond the boundaries of their individual campuses. Students from various disciplines come together, work in an interdisciplinary manner, and benefit from the respective areas of expertise of the partner universities.

KANU is thus pursuing an overarching goal: to sustainably strengthen innovative capacity and the entrepreneurial spirit in Bavarian Swabia and to further develop the region as an attractive hub for business and innovation. Funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts as part of the High-Tech Agenda Bavaria, this collaborative project combines startup support, entrepreneurship education, and cross-university cooperation to achieve these goals.

The Swabian Innovation Masterclass spans two semesters and consists of four thematic modules held at the respective partner universities. The program is complemented by an international field trip to Bergamo, Italy.

• Future & Trends | Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg: Recognizing signs of the future, analyzing social and technological developments, and deriving innovative future scenarios from them.

• Social Impact | Kempten University of Applied Sciences: Understand social and environmental challenges and collaboratively develop solutions with a positive impact.

• International Entrepreneurship | University of Augsburg: Explore entrepreneurship in an international context and gain new perspectives through an excursion to Bergamo.

• Business Ideation | Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences: Develop innovative ideas and business models using creative methods and design thinking.

The masterclass thus combines futures studies, social responsibility, international perspectives, and entrepreneurial idea development. Students gain experience at all four university locations and build a cross-university network.

The first key topic was the “Future & Trends” module. Together with Prof. Dr. Christoph Buck and Elisabeth Wurzer, the participants explored current trends, fads, and signs of what the future holds. They learned about strategic foresight methods and developed future scenarios for various companies.

The primary focus was not merely on observing developments, but on understanding their potential impacts and deriving new opportunities for innovation from them.

In addition to the technical content, the three-day kickoff program offered numerous opportunities to experience collaboration and entrepreneurship firsthand.

Team building was the focus of the group cooking class at Der Sizilianerin. Away from the seminar room, participants were able to get to know one another, tackle tasks together, and grow closer as a group.

Furkan Uğurlu then provided insights into real-world entrepreneurship during the Founders Talk. He spoke about co-founding a business with his four siblings and developing the Augsburg-based restaurant and hotel concepts Café DEDE, Café NENE, and Hotel DEDE. His personal startup story demonstrated how a shared idea can evolve into a multifaceted business concept—and highlighted the importance of solidarity, courage, and entrepreneurial decision-making in the process.

The kickoff days concluded with a visit to the Funkenwerk Community Meetup, which featured the presentation of the Funkenwerk Award 2026. During the event, the students gained insights into the regional startup scene, learned about innovative projects and startup teams, and engaged in conversations with key players from business, academia, and the entrepreneurial community.

The Swabian Innovation Masterclass demonstrates what modern entrepreneurship education can look like: interdisciplinary, hands-on, international, and cross-university. It brings together diverse expertise and perspectives and creates space for new ideas, personal encounters, and collaborative innovation projects.

The kickoff at THA marked the start of the first of four thematic blocks. In December, the Masterclass will continue at Kempten University of Applied Sciences with a focus on social impact. This will continue the shared journey through the innovation ecosystem of Bavarian Swabia.