Spotlight – The Rector's Column

Dear alums,

RWTH Aachen University is a strong partner for successful collaboration with business and industry. Technology transfer is more than just commercializing technology—collaboration is an essential aspect of the process. We bridge the gap between groundbreaking research and business, government, and society, and we work to ensure that new knowledge leads to practical solutions with real-world impact. Our Excellence Strategy strengthens these efforts, and it makes RWTH a catalyst for sustainable innovation in Germany and beyond.

We promote entrepreneurial thinking from the very beginning of students’ degree programs, giving them an early opportunity to explore entrepreneurship as a career path. This is why we have established the Collective Incubator with and for our students. It’s a central hub for creativity, collaboration, and hands-on experience in a stunning 4,000-square-meter building.

It’s a well-known fact that RWTH Aachen University is one of Germany’s leading universities for entrepreneurship. RWTH has established a professional and comprehensive startup support system that offers a wide range of services for those interested in starting a business. We have achieved this through the EXIST programs funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and, since 2019, through our designation as a Center of Excellence for Startups by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action, and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

At the inaugural Tech Impact Festival, RWTH impressively showcased its successes in technology transfer over the course of two days. “Bridging the Innovation Gap” was the motto chosen by RWTH for the first Tech Impact Festival, and no less than 1,500 people signed up to come. It was a great pleasure to reconnect with many of our alumni, a number of whom now hold key positions in industry. The festival did not focus solely on presenting the latest research findings, but rather on the question of how academia and industry can collaborate more closely during the crucial transition phase from university-based knowledge to the business world. In ten themed areas, approximately 300 speakers discussed key topics of the future. The first projects have already been started; we’ll be sure to stay in the loop and keep you updated on their progress.

With that said, I’d like to invite you to explore the topics and stories that are shaping RWTH in 2026. We’re really excited to introduce you to people who are part of the very RWTH innovation ecosystem we’ve just described—people who are demonstrating today what can be achieved when we actively promote entrepreneurial thinking—even far beyond the tech world. Meet RWTH alumna Nele Stadtbäumer. She is a psychologist who has started her own company: it’s called grievy and it offers a totally new form of grief counseling. Then there’s David Spencer, a plant biologist who is passionate about science communication and who has published several successful books.

Dr. Marie Jaroni took a completely different path. And what a journey it has been! She studied metallurgy and materials engineering at RWTH, where she also earned her doctorate, specializing in raw material supply in Europe. Since November 2025, she has served as Chief Executive Officer of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG. In our interview, she shares insights into her career journey.

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this issue of our Keep in Touch newsletter. As always, we welcome any feedback and suggestions you might have.

Sincerely,