Realizing Europe’s most innovative cross-border start-up region by growing 140+ start-ups together every year!
Take three regions, 500 companies,
300 start-ups,
countless ideas and partners,
and you get an innovation hub
with European impact:
WELCOME TO THE R-FACTORY!
WHO WE ARE
We are the cross-border innovation hub located in the EUREGIO, spanning Osnabrück (Lower Saxony), Münster (North Rhine-Westphalia), and Enschede (the Netherlands).
VISION
We aim to transform our cross-border start-up and innovation ecosystem into one of Europe’s leading regions for entrepreneurship and innovation—and position it as a European Lighthouse that sets new standards for cross-national collaboration: REALIZING INNOVATION!
MISSION
Our mission is to support knowledge-based start-ups—especially deep-tech and other high-potential ventures—on their journey: FROM START-UP TO SCALE-UP!
OUR REGION
This dynamic region combines economic strength, academic excellence, and international orientation: over 5 million inhabitants, a resilient SME base, and a vibrant knowledge ecosystem with 133,000 students and 12,000 researchers.
R-Factory connects 133,000 students 12,000 scientists 7 universities 500+ companies 400+ startups 5 Mio. inhabitants 4 accelerators
REALIZING IMPACT
In our tracks future fields, start-ups, corporates, and experts from academia and research work together to innovate and create solutions for a better tomorrow—with the focus on women’s* empowerment, AI, sustainability. We organize Labs, Hackathons, Mentoring Days, Track-Learnings-Tables, Talent-Drop-Boxes, flagship events with more than 600 international participants per event and much more.
HEALTH.TECH
Rethinking healthcare, from prevention and nutrition to medical technology and life sciences.
GREEN.TECH
Driving Sustainability: Cutting-Edge Battery Technology, Chemistry, and Environmental Solutions.
FIN.TECH
Building tailored infrastructure for fintech start-ups by unlocking the region's enormous potential: app development, smart data, process optimization.
AGRI.TECH
Establishing AI-based agricultural infrastructure and technologies to support deep-tech start-ups.
OUR NETWORK
Almost 40 partners are already engaged. Join the R-Factory and benefit from a wide range of innovation services for your company and employees, including training, employer branding, and innovation competitions. Share your challenges and innovation needs with us, and we’ll find the right talent to solve them.
OUR MEMBERS AND PARTNERS
7 universities, companies, institutions:
Universität Münster, FH Münster, Westfälische Hochschule, Universität Twente, Saxion Hogeschool, Universität Osnabrück, Hochschule Osnabrück, EUREGIO, 2G Energy AG, Digital Hub münsterLAND, EW Group GmbH, Wirtschaftsförderung Münster GmbH, WFO Wirtschaftsförderung Osnabrück GmbH, FH Münster, University of Münster, Atruvia AG, LVM Versicherung, whyit GmbH, Volksbank im Münsterland eG, IHK Nord Westfalen and many more.
JOIN US AS A MEMBER!
Become part of the R-Factory cooperative and benefit from exclusive opportunities in the areas of Transformation, Knowledge and Talents. Because: what one person cannot achieve alone, many can achieve together!
STARTUP FACTORIES – A COMPETITION BY THE MINISTRY FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
With R-Factory, we are participating in the national Startup Factories competition. The goal is to establish national innovation centers at the interface between science and industry. There is an opportunity to attract up to 20 million euros in funding to the respective region.
The selection of 15 projects for the concept phase of the Startup Factory is a milestone on Germany’s path to becoming a leading start-up nation. Together with industry and private investors, we want to give new impetus to the funding landscape for start-ups from science.
Dr. Robert Habeck (Vice Chancellor of Germany, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action)
OUR TEAM
Our core team works across borders with numerous partners from universities and companies to spark a wave of innovation from the region—for Germany and Europe.
