What leeway do universities have in research, cooperation with companies, technology transfer, and startup promotion – and what must be observed from the perspective of EU state aid law?

In our one-hour online event, we would like to provide a practical overview of central state aid law issues in the university context. The focus is particularly on the cooperation of universities with companies and startups as well as questions surrounding transfer and commercialization activities.

We were able to secure Bernhard von Wendland, a policy expert at the European Commission, Directorate-General for Competition, as a speaker. After an introductory presentation, there will be an opportunity for specific questions and an exchange of views.

The event is aimed at transfer and startup officers, legal counsel, and finance officers at universities. A preliminary engagement with EU state aid law is assumed. For preparation, we have compiled some literature references.

The online appointment also serves as the thematic kick-off for a follow-up in-person event in February in Hannover. The issues raised there and the experiences from the online exchange are to be deepened and jointly transferred to concrete practical cases from the university and transfer sector.