At the Technical University of Darmstadt, countless ideas for new technologies, products and services emerge through research. But how can these ideas be developed into tangible innovations? This is precisely where TU Darmstadt’s three InnovationScouts come in. Since late 2025, Christian Thyes, Franziska Schösser and Frank Wattler have been helping researchers identify, assess and further develop innovation potential at an early stage. Their services are aimed primarily at researchers at all career stages – from doctoral candidates to professors.

What makes the InnovationScouts unique is that they do not see themselves as a traditional advisory service. Instead, they actively engage with researchers, meeting them directly in laboratories and departments while also keeping a close eye on technological, economic and societal developments beyond the university. Their goal is to make research potential visible and identify suitable pathways for knowledge and technology transfer, commercialisation or start-up creation.