Campus Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Celebrates Topping-Out Ceremony

Just over six months after construction began, another important milestone has been reached on the campus of the University of Bayreuth: together with Bavarian State Minister for Housing, Building and Transport Christian Bernreiter, representatives from politics, business and society, as well as the craftspeople involved in the project, the University celebrated the topping-out ceremony for the new Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I).

With this new building, the University of Bayreuth is creating a central hub for entrepreneurial thinking, innovation, and the transfer of knowledge and technology. Students, researchers and staff will receive support in transforming scientific discoveries into innovative products, services and successful start-ups. At the same time, the institute will strengthen cooperation with companies in Bayreuth, Upper Franconia and beyond.

“With the new Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, we are creating a place where academic excellence meets entrepreneurial ambition. This is where ideas will be transformed into practical solutions that provide concrete answers to the challenges of tomorrow. The institute will strengthen both the University of Bayreuth and the innovative capacity of our entire region,” said University President Professor Stefan Leible at the topping-out ceremony.

The five-storey building is being constructed using a modern timber-and-steel design and will offer around 3,800 square metres of gross floor area. It will provide a wide range of spaces for exchange, networking and creative collaboration, including open workspaces, start-up offices, seminar and meeting rooms, and exhibition areas. The centrepiece of the building will be a spacious seminar and workshop area featuring an open “arena” in the entrance hall.

The University’s Career Service and Corporate Relations Office (KuK) will also be located in the E&I building in future. This will bring together existing support services for aspiring entrepreneurs, students and business partners at a single central location.

Founded in 2020, the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation is now firmly established within the University of Bayreuth’s research, teaching and knowledge-transfer activities. The new facility will provide the institute with its first dedicated building. In the immediate vicinity, the Regional Innovation Centre (RIZ) is also planned. The two institutions will work closely together, creating an important bridge between academia, industry and society.

The new building, with an investment volume of approximately €27.8 million, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027, with operations expected to commence in early 2028. It will add another key location to the campus where the future of the University of Bayreuth and the innovation region of Upper Franconia is actively shaped.