FAU Innovation Days

Time and location:
Monday, October 26, 2026
IZNF Forschungsbau, Cauerstr. 3, Erlangen | Seminar Room 00.156 + foyer + labs

Event in English and German

Atoms are the building blocks of the universe. Thanks to the latest advances in electron microscopy, matter can now be examined down to the atomic level. The insights gained from this research are central to understanding current scientific questions.

Researchers from FAU’s Research Training Group 3103 “CorMic” invite interested members of the public to a public lecture followed by a guided tour. Come to FAU to learn about a state-of-the-art transmission electron microscope and immerse yourself in the fascinating world of atoms.

Supported by the FAU Profile Center New Materials and Processes (FAU NMP)

Time and location:
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 4 pm to 9 pm
FAU, Blaue Box, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen

Event in English

The Hub Program opens its doors: Firsthand insights for interested innovators, founders, and impact makers. Talk to participants, experience how ideas turn into viable business models, and receive tips on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Time and location:
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
IZNF Forschungsbau, Cauerstr. 3, Erlangen | Seminar Room 00.156 + foyer

Event in English and German

Semiconductors are found in almost all everyday devices—from computers and smartphones to solar cells. In the Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1719 “ChemPrint – Next-Generation Printed Semiconductors,” researchers at FAU are investigating how such materials can be manufactured even more precisely and efficiently—using molecular surface chemistry to selectively arrange tiny building blocks on surfaces.

Interested members of the public are invited to attend public lectures and gain insights into innovative doctoral projects—and learn how this research is being put into practice. Start-ups such as Automatic Research and ATLANT 3D Nanosystems demonstrate this successful transfer by turning these approaches into market-ready applications.

Time and location:
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
IZNF Forschungsbau, Cauerstr. 3, Erlangen | foyer

Event in English and German

Everyday technologies—from energy storage to sustainable production processes. Modern computer simulations combined with artificial intelligence (AI) make it possible to study materials across various scales—from the behavior of individual atoms through molecules and polymers to macroscopic properties.

At FAU, Computational Advanced Materials and Processes (CAMP) brings together experts from various disciplines to develop and apply such innovative methods. By combining chemistry, physics, and materials science, the goal is to accelerate the discovery and optimization of new materials and processes through computer-aided design.

At our exhibition stand, visitors can experience modern simulation and AI methods firsthand. Talk with our experts, learn more about current research projects, and discover how specifically trained AI makes materials research faster, more efficient, and more innovative.

Supported by the FAU Competence Center Engineering of Advanced Materials (FAU EAM)

Time and location:
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 5 pm to 6:30 pm
ZOLLHOF Tech Incubator, Zollhof 7, 90443 Nürnberg

Event in German

For FAU alumni: Exclusive tour of ZOLLHOF – Tech Incubator. Discover the home of Germany’s first patent and experience startup culture firsthand. Learn how ideas become market-ready solutions – from prototyping and customer testing to venture capital. Take the opportunity to ask questions and gain exciting insights into the world of innovation.

Time and location:
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm
Schaeffler Technology Center, Herzogenaurach

Event in German

Explore the new Technology Center in Herzogenaurach – a hub for materials-based research for robust, efficient, and sustainable products. Come along and enjoy a tour of labs, the Motion Hub with eight product ranges, and selected production areas.

Time and location:
Thursday, October 29, 2026, from 2 pm
FAU, Blaue Box, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen

Event in English and German

Leading FAU researchers will open their labs to offer insights into the innovative spirit of their departments. At the Innovation Walk, innovations in the fields of energy supply, medical engineering, and chip design will be showcased in practical and visually appealing demonstrations. Visitors can experience the entire journey from the initial idea to the prototype and finally to the market-ready product. The Innovation Walk vividly demonstrates how ideas evolve into concrete solutions for the future.

Time and location:
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 9 am to 12 pm
FAU, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen

Event in German

The training program for aspiring education professionals offered by Inclusive Education Bavaria (IBB) is unique in Bavaria. What makes it special is that people with learning disabilities serve as instructors themselves, sharing their experiences of inclusion and exclusion. In this way, they bring their individual perspectives to lectures and seminars across a wide range of academic disciplines and fields, even beyond social and educational professions.

At the FAU Innovation Days, IBB’s inclusive team will present its work and share exciting findings from impact research. During the hands-on portion of the event, the future education professionals will work with you to identify which perspectives are particularly helpful in your teaching and will conduct sample teaching sessions for various academic disciplines.

Time and location:
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 9 am to 12 pm
JOSEPHS – The Open Innovation Lab, Augustinerstraße 19, 90403 Nürnberg

Event in English

It’s time for the next Doctoral Development Pitch (powered by NIM)! Are you a doctoral researcher with an exciting project but lacking the funding to realise it? On 27 October 2026, FAU and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM) e.V. will host a joint pitch event at which FAU doctoral candidates can present their planned research projects to compete for one of three research grants worth up to €3,000 each. Details on how to apply will follow soon.

Time and location:
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 4 pm to 6 pm
FAU, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen

Event in German

At career speed dating events, students get to know innovative companies from the region in just a few minutes at a time and make their first professional connections. FAU and the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region are bringing the free career app InnoHikes to life.

Time and location:
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 10 am to 1 pm
FAU, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen

Event in English

Breakthroughs in high tech and deep tech have the potential to address some of the most pressing challenges currently facing society – provided they find their way out of the lab. In this joint interactive workshop by FAU and Bayern Innovativ, participants will examine how research can have a concrete impact in practice by becoming accessible and relevant to industry and society. Together, we will identify key obstacles to technology transfer and develop ideas to strengthen science communication, collaboration, and engagement within the ecosystem. The workshop encourages doctoral researchers, postdoctoral researchers, and Master’s students to reflect on their own role in innovation and to discover how they can become effective ambassadors for their research and technologies.

Time and location:
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 9 am to 7 pm
FAU, Blaue Box, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen

Event in German

At the World Market Leader Innovation Day, leaders from politics, business, science, and society come together. Inspiring keynotes, technology trends such as AI and deep tech, and new alliances between SMEs and startups will demonstrate how ideas can be turned into market-ready solutions more quickly.

Time and location:
Friday, October 30, 2026, 3 pm to 5 pm
digital

Event in English

Startups pitch for talent: Young companies from the EELISA ecosystem are looking for co-founders, employees, or interns among EELISA students. They will present their company, the type of collaboration, and how their startup is expected to progress. Initial connections will be made during the subsequent matchmaking process. The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program will also be introduced.

Time and location:
Date and time TBD
digital

Event in English

The Siemens Research and Innovation Ecosystem Erlangen-Nuremberg (RIE) connects researchers and students from FAU with experts from Siemens AG. As an interface between these strong innovation partners, it initiates collaborations, supports projects, and opens doors to joint topics and talent within a strong network. A TechTalk will provide insights into selected projects. Detailed information about the speakers and content will follow.

Time and location:
Monday, October 26, 2026, 5 pm to 6:30 pm
ZOLLHOF Tech Incubator, Zollhof 7, 90443 Nürnberg
Event in English

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is shifting from service delivery to a bigger question: can public digital rails be a platform for innovation? This panel examines how shared building blocks—identity, payments, consent, credentials, and trusted data exchange—let startups and enterprises innovate faster, scale efficiently, and enter markets with lower transaction costs. Like roads or power grids, DPI spares firms from rebuilding foundations, so they focus on customer needs, yielding shorter cycles, lower barriers, and more competitive markets. Drawing on India’s Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, and the Account Aggregator ecosystem, we’ll show how fintechs, health-tech, logistics players, and SMEs reached scale at speed. We’ll also explore enterprise gains—lower onboarding costs, greater interoperability, and access to underserved users—and what governments must design: open, interoperable, privacy-preserving, innovation-friendly rails with sound governance. DPI isn’t the state competing with markets; it creates trusted foundations on which markets innovate, compete, and grow. We’ll draw global lessons on accelerating the next wave of innovation.

Time and location:
Monday, October 26, 2026, time TBD
FAU, Green Office, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen
Event in German

Try out FAU’s interactive escape game on energy saving to experience how team spirit and ingenuity can help conserve resources in our day to day lives. Solve exciting puzzles, have fun learning more about sustainability in the office, and discover effective saving strategies.

Time and location:
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 12 pm to 12:30 pm, digital
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 12 pm to 12:30 pm, digital
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 12 pm to 12:30 pm, digital
Friday, October 30, 2026, 12 pm to 12:30 pm, digital

Event in German

Dr. Monica Hinrichs-Mayer (CIO-Office) will give short, practical tips for the digital workplace at FAU – working efficiently, communicating clearly, staying secure, and using AI reflectively. The series is aimed at FAU employees and consists of four sessions that can be attended independently of one another.

Time and location:
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 6 pm to 8 pm
JOSEPHS – The Open Innovation Lab, Augustinerstraße 19, 90403 Nürnberg

Event in German

As part of the popular science event series “The Power of Algorithms” organized by FAU, KI Park, and JOSEPHS – The Open Innovation Lab, researchers from FAU as well as experts from industry and startups will provide fascinating insights into current developments in artificial intelligence. This event focuses on the “ResiKomp” research project, which is currently developing a digital skills repository to make companies and value-creation networks more resilient to crises and change. A central element of the event series is the open exchange between the experts and the audience.

Time and location:
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 5 pm to 7 pm
Ohm Innovation Center, Brucknerstraße 11, 90429 Nürnberg

Event in German

At the Ohm Innovation Talks, experts provide insights into their research and engage in dialog with the audience. On October 28, the focus will be on social robotics in healthcare: Speakers will explore the tension between human empathy and innovative interaction interfaces. The open forum connects science, industry, and society through discussions of current trends, visionary projects, and practical applications centered around robotics.

Time and location:
Friday, October 30, 2026, 10 am to 12 pm
FAU, Nürnberger Str. 74, Seminar room 00.013

How do medical devices achieve market entry? In addition to technology, mastering regulation across the entire lifecycle is crucial. The FAU Profile Center Medical Engineering offers a seminar in English on medical device regulation together with experts from research and industry.