Deepening connections with society and structurally supporting social and technological innovation are important goals for the universities of Bremen and Oldenburg. The transfer of knowledge and technologies as well as the founding of companies from the universities therefore play a central role for the Northwest Alliance. Cooperation with non-scientific partners makes it possible, for example, to formulate unconventional research questions and apply research findings in a socially relevant way.
Start-Up Support
Nearly 40 participating private companies, universities in the Northwest, and local and regional public institutions form the hoi startup factory, which was founded in 2025. It combines academic innovation with entrepreneurial spirit and has, for example, supported the development of a joint intellectual property strategy for academic institutions. The aim of the alliance is to professionalize the start-up process, transform research into added value, and establish a cross-border ecosystem for innovation and growth. In addition to the universities of Oldenburg and Bremen, the participating universities include Bremen City University of Applied Sciences, Constructor University, Jade University of Applied Sciences, Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences, University of the Arts Bremen, the University of Vechta, and Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences.
BRIDGE is the central point of contact for students, alumni, and university staff in Bremen on all matters relating to starting a business start-up. The university network is supported by the University of Bremen, Bremen City University of Applied Sciences, Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences, the University of the Arts Bremen, Constructor University, and Bremer Aufbau-Bank GmbH. BRIDGE’s goal is to strengthen the start-up climate at the participating universities and to support promising ideas at an early stage. To this end, BRIDGE offers support in all phases of starting a business – with practical events, individual counseling, and the CAMPUSiDEEN competition.
Since its establishment in 2012, the Founding and Innovation Center (GIZ) at the University of Oldenburg has supported more than 600 start-up projects, from which 148 new companies have been launched – many of them winning prestigious awards. It is the central point of contact for students, alumni, and members of the University of Oldenburg on the subject of start-ups. In addition to professional counseling, training, and mentoring, the center also offers funding. University start-up projects can receive small grants provided by the university in cooperation with the city of Oldenburg. In addition, the EXIST-Women funding line offers a program that supports women’s entrepreneurship.
Center for Wind Energy Research – ForWind
ForWind is the joint center for wind energy research at the universities of Oldenburg, Bremen, and Hannover. It brings together a wide range of disciplines, including engineering, materials science, physics, meteorology, computer science, and economics. Established in 2004, the center brings together university research on wind energy and promotes knowledge transfer between science, industry, and politics. The University of Bremen became a member of ForWind in 2009. Almost 300 people from around 30 research groups currently work in this center.
Their research addresses key challenges in wind energy, including the accurate measurement of turbulence in the wake of wind turbines, the assessment of structural loads on offshore wind turbine support systems, and the role of wind power in enabling a sustainable, decentralized energy supply.
Metropolregion Nordwest
The Bremen-Oldenburg Metropolitan Region in the Northwest Association coordinates cooperation between municipalities, states, chambers, and other partners in the region. It stands for cross-state cooperation between the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and the state of Lower Saxony, as well as for networking between science, business, and politics. The Northwest Alliance, an association of the universities of Oldenburg and Bremen, is closely linked to the Metropolitan Region Northwest Germany: both universities are members of the advisory board and actively contribute their academic expertise to its work. In this context, the universities of Oldenburg and Bremen make a central contribution to the further development and visibility of the region.