Aktuell

• von Jennifer Meina
• 17.09.2026

How can a good idea become a viable business model that creates value for society? In the future, artificial intelligence will help students along the way. The University of Duisburg-Essen is participating in the new European project “AURORA seizmic EIT-KIC”. Together with its partners, UDE is developing an existing platform into an AI-powered mentoring environment. Around 4,000 students across Europe are expected to benefit. The two-year project has received almost €2 million in funding, with around €150,000 allocated to UDE.*

“Anyone with a business idea that aims to make a sustainable impact faces many questions: Is my idea viable? What should be my next step? This is where the AI mentor is designed to help. Rather than providing ready-made answers, it helps students ask the right questions at the right time so they can develop their ideas step by step,” explains Professor Hannes Rothe, project lead at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and Professor of Sustainability & Innovation in Digital Ecosystems.

The project builds on the existing “seizmic APP”, which already supports students in developing business models and exchanging knowledge across universities. As part of the new project, it will become an AI-powered mentoring environment. The focus is on social entrepreneurship – business ideas that combine entrepreneurial thinking with benefits for society, for example in climate and environmental technologies, digitalization, sustainable production and health.

From the Seminar Room to the Start-up Ecosystem

At UDE, pilot users are expected to be able to test the new AI tools from spring 2027. In the 2027 summer semester, the AI mentor will be integrated into the “Entrepreneurship with Purpose” course, among others, which is open to Bachelor’s students from all disciplines.

“AI can provide valuable input, but a successful start-up is not built at a computer screen alone. What matters is engaging with people from other disciplines, experienced coaches and partners from the wider society. This is exactly the kind of connection we want to create,” Rothe continues. To achieve this, UDE works with the Anthropia impact incubator, Place Beyond Bytes and GUIDE, among others. European programes also give aspiring entrepreneurs access to international networks, mentors and potential follow-on funding. The app is also designed to connect students across universities and national borders and support the formation of interdisciplinary start-up teams.

Within the project, UDE and Palacký University Olomouc jointly lead the work package on knowledge transfer. This includes communication, engagement with relevant stakeholders, and documenting case studies and project experiences. The aim is to make the approaches developed available to other universities and networks in the future.

*The project, coordinated by Copenhagen Business School, runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2028. European universities from the AURORA alliance are involved. The project is funded through the EIT Higher Education Initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), the only European funding program specifically dedicated to strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education.