xchange Award 2026

TU Darmstadt honours outstanding achievements in knowledge and technology transfer and launched the xchange Award for the first time in 2025. The award highlights the strategic importance of xchange as the university’s third mission alongside research and teaching, while showcasing excellence in knowledge exchange activities.

Background

In 2026, TU Darmstadt will award the xchange Award for the second time, recognising outstanding achievements in knowledge and technology transfer.

The award honours TU Darmstadt researchers who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and impact in the fields of technology transfer and entrepreneurial activities, as well as in knowledge exchange and science communication with stakeholders in politics, civil society and culture. Its aim is to further strengthen the xchange approach at TU Darmstadt and recognise exemplary transfer initiatives and formats.

The xchange Award may be awarded to individuals or teams at TU Darmstadt. Nominated activities must have a clear connection to xchange and demonstrate a significant impact, as well as serving as exemplary models of successful knowledge and technology transfer.

The xchange Award is presented in two categories.

I. xchange Award for Outstanding Achievements in Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship

  • This category recognises individuals or teams whose exceptional initiatives and commitment contribute to the development of start-ups at TU Darmstadt (e.g. by supporting founding teams) or actively advance technology transfer (e.g. through collaboration with industry partners and other stakeholders, particularly in the joint development of xchange formats). Individual start-ups are not eligible for this award.
  • The selection criteria include (where applicable): the innovativeness and originality of the initiative, its feasibility, exemplary nature and scalability, its capacity to foster networks, the duration and scope of the commitment, and the impact achieved.

II. xchange Award for Outstanding Achievements in Knowledge Exchange / Science Communication in Politics, Civil Society and Culture

  • This category recognises particularly impactful activities and formats that communicate scientific knowledge and insights beyond academia. A key focus is on fostering two-way or multi-way dialogue between science and society.
  • The selection criteria include (where applicable): the novelty and creativity of the initiative, its focus on dialogue and participation, accessibility and clarity, reach and visibility, effectiveness and impact, as well as its sustainability and long-term contribution.

The award is endowed with €5,000 in each category. The prize money will be allocated to the faculty/department or research unit of the award recipient(s) and is intended to support future xchange activities.

All members of TU Darmstadt are eligible to submit nominations. Self-nominations are also possible. Applications must be submitted using the submission form available on this page. Submissions must be sent to the by 31 August 2026.

The xchange Award is granted by a jury consisting of internal and external experts who evaluate the submissions based on the selection criteria outlined above. The information provided in the application form serves as the basis for the evaluation.

If the number or quality of submissions is insufficient, the jury reserves the right not to award the xchange Award in a given year. The selection process will take place in September 2026, and the award recipients will be informed shortly thereafter.

The award ceremony will take place on 29 October 2026 as part of TU Darmstadt's InnoDay event at the darmstadtium.

May 2026:

The call for applications is published. Submissions can be sent to the until 31 August 2026.

September 2026:

The jury meeting takes place to select the award recipients.

29 October 2026:

The xchange Award ceremony takes place as part of TU Darmstadt's InnoDay event at the darmstadtium.

This year’s xchange Award winners — Dirk Balfanz, Markus Lederer, Johanna Berger, Nina Janich, Sonja Daum, Melanie Mikosch-Wersching and Stephan Rinderknecht (from left) — with Vice President Thomas Walther (second from right).
This year’s xchange Award winners — Dirk Balfanz, Markus Lederer, Johanna Berger, Nina Janich, Sonja Daum, Melanie Mikosch-Wersching and Stephan Rinderknecht (from left) — with Vice President Thomas Walther (second from right).

With this award, TU Darmstadt recognises outstanding achievements in knowledge and technology transfer. Professor Dr Thomas Walther, Vice President for Innovation and International Affairs at TU Darmstadt, presented the xchange Award as part of Open Campus – Tag der Wissen Schaf(f)t on 25 May 2025.

The jury was highly impressed by the quality of the submitted projects and therefore decided to grant an honourable mention in both categories. This recognition also includes an invitation to the teams behind these promising early-stage projects to submit their work again in future award cycles.

Media Coverage

xchange Award 2025 (Website in German)

Category: Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship Activities

Award winner in the category Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship — Stephan Rinderknecht from the Institute for Mechatronic Systems — with TU Darmstadt President Tanja Brühl and Vice President Thomas Walther at the award ceremony.
Award winner in the category Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship — Stephan Rinderknecht from the Institute for Mechatronic Systems — with TU Darmstadt President Tanja Brühl and Vice President Thomas Walther at the award ceremony.

In the first category, the jury selected Professor Dr-Ing. Stephan Rinderknecht from the Institute for Mechatronic Systems as this year’s recipient. With remarkable continuity and foresight, Professor Rinderknecht has fostered an entrepreneurial spirit and a culture of innovation at the Institute for Mechatronic Systems over many years. He has played a key role in initiating and supporting more than 60 patents and numerous successful spin-offs. His work exemplifies outstanding practice in technology transfer and demonstrates how innovative research can generate economic and societal impact.

The summer school for start-ups “From Ideas to Business” at the Centre for Synthetic Biology, represented here by Melanie Mikosch-Wersching, receives an honourable mention in the category Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship.
The summer school for start-ups “From Ideas to Business” at the Centre for Synthetic Biology, represented here by Melanie Mikosch-Wersching, receives an honourable mention in the category Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship.

Honourable Mention

An honourable mention in the category Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship war awarded to the start-up summer school “From Ideas to Business” at the Centre for Synthetic Biology, represented by Dr Melanie Mikosch-Wersching and Professor Dr Heinz Koeppl. The project impressed the jury with its inspiring educational and entrepreneurship programme.

Category: Knowledge Exchange and Science Communication in Politics, Civil Society and Culture

The award winners in the category Knowledge Exchange and Science Communication — Markus Lederer, Johanna Berger, Nina Janich and Sonja Daum, representing the project “Biodiversity Cultures in Urban and Rural Areas” — with TU Darmstadt President Tanja Brühl and Vice President Thomas Walther at the award ceremony.
The award winners in the category Knowledge Exchange and Science Communication — Markus Lederer, Johanna Berger, Nina Janich and Sonja Daum, representing the project “Biodiversity Cultures in Urban and Rural Areas” — with TU Darmstadt President Tanja Brühl and Vice President Thomas Walther at the award ceremony.

In the second category, the award recognises an interdisciplinary research team that fosters dialogue between science and society in an outstanding way. The project team – comprising Professor Nico Blüthgen, Professor Dr Nina Janich, Professor Markus Lederer, Professor Alfred Nordmann, Professor Dr Nadja Simons, Johanna Berger, Sonja Daum, Johanna Freudenberg, Margarita Hartlieb and Florian Zenglei – exemplifies successful collaboration across disciplinary and departmental boundaries.

The project “Biodiversity Cultures in Urban and Rural Areas” combines interdisciplinary research with innovative approaches to science communication. It addresses ecological challenges such as declining insect diversity and addresses them through creative formats that engage directly with diverse audiences – including the prominent “Points of Insects” installations throughout the urban environment. The jury recognised the project’s wide range of xchange activities, its engagement with diverse audiences and its impressive public reach. The project represents a significant contribution to sustainability research by combining scientific excellence with knowledge exchange and societal impact.

The project “Knowledge vs. Opinion: Artificial Intelligence”, led by Dirk Balfanz, receives an honourable mention in the category Knowledge Exchange and Science Communication.
The project “Knowledge vs. Opinion: Artificial Intelligence”, led by Dirk Balfanz, receives an honourable mention in the category Knowledge Exchange and Science Communication.

Honourable Mention

The jury awarded an honourable mention in the category Knowledge Exchange and Science Communication to the project “Knowledge vs. Opinion: Artificial Intelligence”, led by Dr-Ing. Dirk Balfanz of the Centre for Cognitive Science. The project stands out for its innovative simulation-based learning approach, developed in collaboration with ProLOEWE, science Birds GmbH and three LOEWE-funded projects. It combines critical reflection on artificial intelligence with democratic education, bringing two highly relevant contemporary debates into an engaging dialogue. The project represents an innovative contribution to science communication and democratic education in schools.