From October 26 to 30, 2026, the FAU Innovation Days will celebrate the innovative strength of the FAU ecosystem. Students, researchers, and stakeholders from the business, political, and social sectors, as well as anyone else interested, are invited.
The events will take place in Nuremberg, Erlangen, or online. The program features interactive workshops, startup pitches, discussion topics, and a variety of networking opportunities.
Conditions of Participation
All events are free of charge – with the exception of the “Weltmarktführer” Innovation Day, the Innovation Walk, and the On-site Inspection. Please register in advance, as places are limited. You will find the registration link in the details for each event.
Highlights
Monday, October 26, 2026, 11 am to 12 pm
FAU, Green Office, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen
Event language: German
Target audience: Students, researchers, university staff, and FAU administration
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.
Monday, October 26, 2026
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Lecture (30 min.) and lab tour (60 min.)
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Lecture (30 min.) and lab tour (60 min.)
IZNF Forschungsbau, Cauerstr. 3, Erlangen | Seminar Room 00.156 + foyer + labs
Event languages: German and English
Target audience: Students, researchers, university staff, alumni, and interested members of the business community and the general public
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)
Monday, October 26, 2026, 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm
ZOLLHOF Tech Incubator, Zollhof 7, 90443 Nürnberg
Event languages: English
Digital Public Infrastructure: Innovation Beyond the Platform Economy. India’s UPI and new networks in healthcare, energy, and mobility demonstrate how shared protocols and trustworthy infrastructure create real added value.
Join us: In four parallel workspaces, we’ll apply Indian DPI and open-network principles to mobility, energy, healthcare, and finance. Look forward to concrete use cases, actionable roadmaps, and intensive networking.
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 9 am to 12 pm
FAU, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen
Event language: German
Target audience: Students, researchers, lecturers
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.
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 9 am to 12 pm
JOSEPHS – The Open Innovation Lab, Augustinerstraße 19, 90403 Nürnberg
Event language: English
Target audience: Students, researchers
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.
Registration is possible in two ways: as an audience member to follow the pitches and network (please register here), or as a pitcher (applicant for funding) to present a project and enter the competition (please click the link).
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Online
Event language: English
Target audience: Students, researchers, and interested individuals from the business and general public
Discover how scientific creativity, student ideas, and cooperation between university and industry turn into real innovations. Gain insights into the people and structures behind successful university-industry collaborations, and explore how they open up new perspectives for research, technology development, and career paths.
What’s in it for you?
Klaus Konrad (FAU Start-up & Entrepreneurship) will share how FAU supports students in developing ideas, identifying innovation potential, and charting a path from concept to implementation.
Martin Koczmann (Head of the Siemens Immersive Design Challenge) will provide the industry perspective, explaining why companies like Siemens seek collaboration with universities, support student innovation projects, and give young talent access to modern technologies and real-world development processes.
Suavi Yildirim (NextCycle (FAU) | Winners of the Siemens Immersive Design Challenge 2025) will share firsthand insights into their award-winning project and how they tackled the Siemens Immersive Design Challenge 2025.
Together, participants will discuss the factors that enable successful innovation – from idea development to mentoring and access to technology, all the way to collaboration between academia and industry.
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 language: German
Target audience: University staff and administration
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.
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 4 pm to 9 pm
FAU, Blaue Box, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen
Event language: English
Target audience: Students, researchers, and entrepreneurs
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.
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 4 pm to 6 pm
FAU, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen
Event language: German
Target audience: Students, companies from the metropolitan area
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.
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 6 pm to 8 pm
JOSEPHS – The Open Innovation Lab, Augustinerstraße 19, 90403 Nürnberg
Event language: German
Target audience: Interested individuals from the business and social sectors
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.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Lecture program (German)
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Insights into innovative doctoral projects (English)
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Poster presentation of doctoral projects (English)
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. – Program TBC.
Throughout the day, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Exhibition and information booth – Industrial applications, robotics
IZNF Forschungsbau, Cauerstr. 3, Erlangen | Seminar Room 00.156 + foyer
Event language: German and English
Target audience: Students, researchers, university staff, alumni, and interested members of the business community and the general public
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.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Information booth featuring modern simulation and AI methods, and discussions with experts (German, English)
IZNF Forschungsbau, Cauerstr. 3, Erlangen | foyer
Event language: German and English
Target audience: Students, researchers, university staff, alumni, and interested members of the business community and the general public
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)
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 10 am to 1 pm
FAU, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen
Event language: English
Target audience: Doctoral researchers, postdoctoral researchers, and Master’s students
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.
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 language: German
Target audience: University staff and administration
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.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm
Schaeffler Technology Center, Herzogenaurach
Event language: German
Target audience: Interested individuals from the business and social sectors
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.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 5:30 pm to 7 pm
Energie Campus Nürnberg, Fürther Str. 250, 90429 Nürnberg
Event language: German
Target audience: Interested individuals from the business and social sectors
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.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 5 pm to 6:30 pm
ZOLLHOF Tech Incubator, Zollhof 7, 90443 Nürnberg
Event language: German
Target audience: Alumni
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.
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 9 am to 7 pm
FAU, Blaue Box, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen
Event language: German
Target audience: Business representatives, political decision-makers
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.
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 language: German
Target audience: University staff and administration
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.
Thursday, October 29, 2026, from 2 pm
FAU, Blaue Box, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen
Event language: German and English
Target audience: Business representatives, political decision-makers
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.
Friday, October 30, 2026, 10 am to 12 pm
FAU, Nürnberger Str. 74, Seminar room 00.013
Event language: English
Target audience: Students, researchers
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.
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 language: German
Target audience: University staff and administration
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.
Friday, October 30, 2026, 1:30 pm to 5 pm
Blue Box, FAU, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen
Event language: English
Target audience: Students, researchers, interested parties from the business and social sectors, and startup founders
The inaugural FAU Innovation Salon brings together diverse voices and bold perspectives on innovation, entrepreneurship, identity, and opportunity. Through four short TED-style talks and a moderated discussion, the Salon explores how people find their way into innovation, create opportunities, and build a sense of belonging. A space for students, researchers, and the innovation-curious to hear inspiring stories, exchange ideas, learn about existing innovation opportunities and connect. The Salon is an initiative of the FAU | ZOLLHOF Factory Lab. The inaugural edition is organised in collaboration with the Working Group for International Students (Referat International) and EELISA European University.
Friday, October 30, 2026, 3 pm to 5 pm
digital
Event language: English
Target audience: Students, researchers, startups
Startups pitch for talent: Young companies from the EELISA ecosystem are looking for co-founders, employees, or interns among EELISA students (students enrolled at FAU are automatically part of the European university alliance EELISA). 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.
In addition, three exciting events will take place before and after the FAU Innovation Days.
Robotics and AI Hackathon
October 22, 2026 – October 25, 2026
Siemens Healthineers Innovation Center, Henkestraße 127, 91052 Erlangen
Four days, real challenges, real prototypes: Shape the future of robotics and AI at the hackathon at the Siemens Healthineers Innovation Center (Erlangen). Work alone or in a team on real-world use cases – supported by experts from industry and academia. The hackathon is open to students, doctoral researchers, and professionals from the EELISA community.
Bricks and Brunch – Discovering Robotics Together
Sun October 25, 2026, 9:30 am to 1 pm
ErlangenZAM & Mireo Café, Erlangen
How LEGO®, sensors, and programming come together to create an
autonomous robot. A hands-on project from the Chair of Intelligent Technical Electronics and Systems. For a parent or grandparent and an elementary school child working as a team of two.
FAU startup café in ZAM
Sat, October 31, 2026, 10 am to 12 pm
ZAM – Center for Exchange and Making, Hauptstraße 65-67, 91054 Erlangen
ZAM, together with Wirtschaftsjunioren Erlangen, the Economic Development Agency of the City of Erlangen, and FAU’s Startup Service, invites attendees to exchange ideas in a relaxed setting about topics related to entrepreneurship, founding a company, and startups. This time, the focus is on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the startup process: Where can AI tools be usefully deployed by startups? What are the opportunities and what are the limits? Feel free to bring your experiences and questions.
