BRYCK Startup Alliance becomes a German Startup Factory – millions in funding for deep tech innovations in the Ruhr region
On 23rd July 2025, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche named the BRYCK Startup Alliance a German Startup Factory. The decision was announced during an awards ceremony at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) in Berlin/Germany. The consortium from the Ruhr region impressed a prominent jury in the BMWE’s nationwide EXIST flagship competition Startup Factories. As a result, the BRYCK Startup Alliance will receive millions in funding to establish a European deep tech hotspot in the Ruhr region.
The BRYCK Startup Alliance will receive multi-year funding of up to 10 M € and has set itself the goal of accelerating groundbreaking deep tech innovations in Germany and establishing a powerful, university- and industry-oriented start-up centre with international appeal. This will not only strengthen the Ruhr region as a start-up location – it will also make it a model region for Germany’s industrial future.
Philipp Herrmann, Managing Director of the BRYCK Startup Alliance: “This decision is historic. It is an opportunity to reinvent the Ruhr region – from an industrial heritage to a future powerhouse of Europe. With the Startup Factory, Germany’s new industrial engine is being created here – focused on deep tech and supported by genuine regional strength.”
The BRYCK Startup Alliance combines the strengths of the Ruhr region: the highest density of universities in Europe and the economic power of one of Europe’s most important industrial locations. It is based on a strong regional alliance between science, industry and capital: with the University Alliance Ruhr, three German universities with strong research capabilities (Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund, University of Duisburg-Essen) are key partners in the network.
On the industrial side, the Initiativkreis Ruhr economic alliance of over 70 leading regional companies and institutions is involved. RAG-Stiftung contributes to the alliance with the BRYCK innovation and start-up centre it initiated, its strong network and private-sector capital.
Bernd Tönjes, Chairman of RAG-Stiftung, comments on the decision: “With its designation as a Startup Factory, the BRYCK Startup Alliance has become a visible symbol of the new dawn in the Ruhr region. The project stands for renewal and transformation, for inventiveness and entrepreneurial strength. Being selected as a Startup Factory confirms the path we embarked upon with the launch of BRYCK – and demonstrates the great potential that exists here.”
On behalf of the University Alliance Ruhr, the rectors Prof. Barbara Albert from the University of Duisburg-Essen, Prof. Manfred Bayer from the Technical University of Dortmund and Prof. Martin Paul from the Ruhr University Bochum add: “This decision is a milestone for the BRYCK Startup Alliance and the University Alliance Ruhr. Together, we can demonstrate the potential that lies in close cooperation between science, industry and start-ups – and how universities can actively contribute to industrial transformation in Germany.”
Guido Kerkhoff, moderator of the Initiativkreis Ruhr: “With the BRYCK Startup Alliance, a new centre for innovation and entrepreneurship is emerging in the Ruhr region – supported by strong regional solidarity. The Initiativkreis Ruhr is contributing the strength of its more than 70 partner companies to actively shape this change and further strengthen the industrial heart of Germany.”
The BRYCK Startup Alliance aims to establish a powerful startup factory in the heart of the Ruhr region over the next five years. Various agendas are planned for the different phases of company formation, including scalable accelerator agendas for deep tech start-ups. At the same time, access to growth capital for spin-offs will be significantly improved through structured access to over 10 bn € in venture capital. The historic, listed Colosseum, a former industrial hall in Essen, will become the home of the BRYCK Startup Alliance. The goal is to mobilise at least 1,000 spin-offs, over 200 scaling deep tech start-ups and over 1 bn € in venture capital in the ecosystem by 2030. (BRYCK Startup Alliance/Si.)
