Prof. Dr. Hannes Rothe, a business informatics expert and director of the Co-Creation Lab “Place Beyond Bytes” at the School of Computer Science at the University of Duisburg-Essen, was awarded the UNIPRENEUR Prize in 2026. The prize recognizes his commitment to spin-offs and entrepreneurship at universities.

Prof. Dr. Hannes Rothe holds the Chair of Sustainability and Innovation in Digital Ecosystems at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Since 2023, he has held this chair at UDE and is also a board member of GUIDE.

At Place Beyond Bytes, Prof. Dr. Hannes Rothe supports researchers and students in developing digital solutions and supports them in turning scientific ideas into concrete applications and startup ventures. The co-creation lab, funded by the Center of Excellence Start-up Center NRW, places a special focus on digital technologies and their use in shaping a sustainable future. Numerous projects have already emerged from his courses and mentoring activities. These include, among other things, AI-supported approaches for inclusive recruitment, new diagnostic methods, and automation in logistics and the energy sector.

The UNIPRENEUR Award is intended for individuals who are particularly committed to startups and entrepreneurial thinking in the academic environment. The award is one of the most prestigious prizes for university startups in Germany and highlights the contribution that science and research can make to the development of new technologies, business models, and socially relevant solutions.

UNIPRENEUR is an initiative designed to strengthen spin-offs and entrepreneurship at German universities and research institutions. Its goal is to promote startups emerging from academia and research and to foster entrepreneurial thinking and action at universities.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Dr. Hannes Rothe on this award. His commitment demonstrates how important it is to foster startup ideas and entrepreneurial thinking within the university environment and to support students and researchers on their journey from idea to implementation. Through his dedication, he is making an important contribution to advancing innovations originating in academia and creating new perspectives for the future.