The purpose of the Bavarian Innovation Transformation Centre (BITZ) Oberschneiding is to support people and organisations with outstanding inventions on their way to becoming a scalable company. In addition to concrete transformation support, the BITZ, based in Oberschneiding, stands for the development of a new scaling culture and sets new impulses for Bavaria. Founded in 2019, the BITZ is the acceleration and scaling campus of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology.
ABOUT THE Campus
The top-class team of about ten people at BITZ Oberschneiding aims to use its projects to increase the number of scalable start-ups in Bavaria.
BITZ Oberschneiding supports teams with outstanding, application-oriented research results and teams with products with minimum viable product (MVP) status in the transformation into high-growth and sustainably successful companies.
Our foundations of transformation is based on the Silicon Valley mindset and aims for rapid market penetration.
The successful work of BITZ Oberschneiding has already received several international prizes: In the "Entrepreneurial Spirit" category of the WURI ranking (World's Universities with Real Impact), the Deggendorf Institute of Technology achieved 1st place in 2023 (2nd place in 2022, 5th place in 2022 and 8th place in 2020). In addition, on June 28, 2022, the founder and scientific director of BITZ Oberschneiding, Prof. Peter Schmieder, was honored by the ACEEU (Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities) as "Male Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year".
The BITZ Oberschneiding has its origins in the partnership with Santa Clara University in California, USA, which was founded in 2009, and the Silicon Valley Program (SVP), which has been established in 2014.
Our Skills and fields of activity
The personality psychology as well as the team composition and dynamics for acceleration and scaling ability are the focus of the research and teaching area Human Skills of Scale.
Contact person: Prof. Peter Schmieder
The research and teaching area Methodology of Scale deals, among other things, with the basics of the development of scalable business models, as well as related topics such as the creation of so-called 'customer personas', the analysis of willingness to pay, and the identification of attractive (international) customer markets and market segmentation.
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Tobias Strobl
The economic analysis and evaluation of inventions and innovations, as well as the financing of corporate growth through equity, debt and venture capital are the focus of the research and teaching area Economy of Scale.
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Veronika Fetzer
The Economy of Scale research and teaching area deals with the design of innovation ecosystems, the success factors in the acceleration and internationalization of start-ups and the outstanding importance of the entrepreneurial mindset of people in the transfer, founding and scaling process.
Contact person: Prof. Matthias Notz
Strategic and financial aspects of entrepreneurial innovation and scaling within large organisations. This specialisation brings together topics from the fields of corporate venturing, innovation management, start-up partnerships and scaling strategies.
Contact: Prof. Dr Markus Ortmann
Technologies, methods and systems that enable products, processes or business models to be implemented and scaled efficiently on a large scale.
Technology of Scale lies at the intersection of technology development, digitalisation and business scaling.
Contact: Prof. Dr Thomas Meenken
In addition to BITZ Oberschneiding, a second acceleration and scaling campus run by Deggendorf Institute of Technology has been established at the Kemnath Campus. BITZ Oberschneiding focuses on entrepreneurship. The Kemnath Campus focuses on intrapreneurship.
The aim of both sites is to increase the number of scalable start-ups in Bavaria through their activities.
The highlight of our flagship programme is the Silicon Valley Experience Week. This year, it took place from 6–11 April 2025 at Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley. In addition to exclusive company tours (e.g. Audi of America, NVIDIA, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, etc.), participants had the opportunity to attend workshops with experienced experts and witness various start-ups pitching to Silicon Valley investors.
The Bioengineering Transformation Lab is located at the Oberschneiding site and will in future consist of two laboratory buildings with different strategic roles:
- A pre-incubation lab, where feasibility studies on various market transition topics are carried out.
- A prototyping and transformation lab, where viable projects are driven forward through to prototyping and scaling for market entry.
Our university was placed 1st worldwide in the WURI (Worlds Universities with Real Impact) ranking 2023 in the category "Entrepreneurial Spirit".
The Silicon Valley School with the SVP at BITZ Oberschneiding has contributed significantly to the successes in the international ranking.
silicon valley program
TURNING INVENTIONS INTO SCALABLE BUSINESSES.
The nine-month Silicon Valley Programme is the tailor-made scaling and transformation program of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology. For more than 12 years we have been supporting ambitious teams on their way from the minimum viable product to a company with a scalable business model that is ready for financing.
The Silicon Valley Programme contains the knowledge and experience of successful investors from Silicon Valley. They and the BITZ team, guide participants through a structured process with clearly defined content and milestones.
The Silicon Valley Program contains the knowledge and experience of successful investors from Silicon Valley. They and the BITZ team, guide participants through a structured process with clearly defined content and milestones.
Click here for the program: Silicon Valley Program
From 5 to 10 October 2025, the exclusive MasterClass will take place in Silicon Valley at our partner university, Santa Clara University. In addition to intensive workshops, this programme offers unique opportunities to exchange ideas with important network partners on site and gain in-depth insights into the working methods and mindset of Silicon Valley. The workshops focus on the development of groundbreaking innovations and scalable business models. The aim is to familiarise participants with the ‘Silicon Valley mindset’ and provide them with the tools to transfer this know-how to Germany.
Click here for the programme: Silicon Valley MasterClass
ecosystem
The BITZ has developed long-lasting relationships with world market leaders, investors, research institutions and accelerators both in Bavaria and in Silicon Valley and is constantly expanding them. Our partners benefit from the combination and access to two strong ecosystems
BITZ-Ecosystem (Synopsis)
Since 2021, the EF.EU (European Forum for Enhanced Usability) has been supporting the promotion of research, teaching, studies and scientific training at the THD campus BITZ Oberschneiding. As a link between the regional economy and the Technical University of Deggendorf, the association contributes to the exchange between renowned companies in the region, providers of ideas and capital, start-ups, students and professors and brings them together.
There is strong cooperation between the start-up and technology centre ITC1 and the Deggendorf Institute of Technology. In addition to commercial space for innovative companies and start-ups, the ITC1 offers a variety of networking opportunities and workshops for young founders and start-ups. The ITC1 also promotes particularly promising tenants: every year, an ITC1 team is given the opportunity to take part in the Silicon Valley programme
BITZ Oberschneiding has been working closely with the LEAVEY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS at Santa Clara University (SCU) for many years. Along with Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, SCU is one of the top universities in California's Silicon Valley. Mutual learning is an essential part of the cooperation: Every year, BITZ Oberschneiding organizes part of the SCU Executive MBA Program (ranked #13 in the “Best Executive MBA Program” by the US News & World Report and among the top 25 of the “Best Executive MBA Programs” by Fortune Magazine) in Lower Bavaria.
events
looking back
Check out previous events at BITZ.
Silicon Valley Experience Week, held at our partner university, Santa Clara University, and the Silicon Valley Executive Center – Leavey School of Business, offers the opportunity to network in person with partners in Silicon Valley, take part in workshops and pitch sessions in front of international investors, and experience the unique mindset and spirit of Silicon Valley!
Contact: Alexander Dorn and Jessica Laxa
On 6 March 2025, the BITZ OPEN Innovation Forum took place, featuring Prof. Dr Thomas Meenken, Professor of Technology of Scale at Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences, CTO of SCHLATECK LLC and mentor for the university’s Silicon Valley Programme.
He spoke on the topic:
Balancing technological drivers and market requirements for sustainable success
USP as a driver of innovation for seamless integration into dynamic ecosystems
The opportunity for discussion afterwards was once again well attended.
The BITZ OPEN goes DInO Innovation Forum took place on 21 November 2024.
The EU project Digital Innovation Ostbayern DInO offers free advisory services to the regional economy, including start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises. It promotes an innovative regional economy: at DInO, innovation, knowledge transfer and networking become a reality!
Wilko Westphal and Sebastian Kohler presented the various DInO services and advisory offerings. They then went into more detail about digital support using drones, IoT (Internet of Things) and the efficiency gains for SMEs and local authorities through 5G.
In collaboration with the town of Kemnath, the Tirschenreuth District Economic Development Agency and the East Bavarian University of Applied Sciences Amberg-Weiden, the THD hosted the first INNOVATION FORUM IN KEMNATH.
The event’s theme was:
SHAPING THE FUTURE TOGETHER – How do I ensure my company’s innovation in today’s world?
Prof. Peter Schmieder, founder and scientific director of the Bavarian Innovation Transformation Centre (BITZ) in Oberschneiding and of the Kemnath Campus, presented the objectives and key tasks of our newly established campus:
- How does the THD Campus support the growth of innovative capacity in the region?
- What services and added value does the Campus offer companies, for example through the Silicon Valley Programme Experience Week and the Master Class?
Of course, there was plenty of time for networking and fruitful discussions.
In the presence of Markus Blume, Bavarian Minister of State for Science and Culture, the DIT’s ‘Bioengineering Transformation Lab’ was officially inaugurated in Oberschneiding on 30 September 2024. Over the coming years, an interdisciplinary team comprising experts in the fields of biology, materials science and engineering will conduct research and development here under the scientific leadership of Prof. Dr Jeff Wilkesmann and the research and laboratory management of Prof. Dr. Jeff Wilkesmann and the research and laboratory management of Dr. Richard Janissen. The aim is to develop high-end innovations in the Transformation Lab, test them for the first time with a view to implementation, and finally standardise them into products suitable for industrialisation.
The BITZ OPEN Innovation Forum took place on 26 September 2024.
Prof. Dr Jeff Wilkesmann, Scientific Director of the Transformation Lab at the Bavarian Innovation and Transformation Centre (BITZ) in Oberschneiding,
spoke on the topic: Bioengineering of spider silk – hurdles to overcome in order to successfully bring products to market
In addition to his role as Scientific Director of the BITZ Transformation Lab, Jeff Wilkesmann is Professor of Bioengineering – Application, Industrialisation and Scaling at Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT).
Bioengineering involves applying principles from engineering and the natural sciences to tissues, cells and molecules. Its scope is therefore broad and encompasses healthcare, agriculture and the environment. In his field of research, Jeff Wilkesmann has so far focused primarily on enzymes and biocatalysis, investigating, for example, the effects of microplastics on our health.
In the new Transformation Lab, innovations arising from the ‘Sustainable Technology’ megatrend are tested for implementation using interdisciplinary, specialised experimental setups – such as in the field of synthetic protein production – and standardised into products suitable for industrialisation.
On 18 July 2024, the Bavarian Innovation and Transformation Centre (BITZ) in Oberschneiding held its traditional summer party and alumni gathering once again, this year under the theme ‘BASEBALL, BEER & BURGERS’.
The following teams competed against each other in the baseball tournament for the trophy:
- Peter & Friends – the BITZ Oberschneiding team together with BITZ partners
- Ewald & Friends – the Oberschneiding team with the support of the Deputy District Administrator and representatives from the political sphere
- Silicon Valley Teams – teams of entrepreneurs who have participated or are currently participating in the THD’s Silicon Valley Programme.
For the first time, the Silicon Valley Teams took the trophy home.
With beer, burgers, drinks and good music, there were plenty of opportunities for good conversation and celebrating together.
Jessica Laxa, Senior Venture Manager at the Bavarian Innovation and Transformation Centre (BITZ) in Oberschneiding, shared her expertise drawn from several years of extensive academic experience with digitalisation projects in rural areas. As part of the Science Slam format, she tackled the much-discussed topic: what we absolutely must improve in our region, and why digital innovation is still stalling in many areas.
Everyone is talking about the ‘Smart City’ – but what is the situation with digitalisation in rural areas? Senior Venture Manager and successful Science Slammer Jessica Laxa talks about the Smart Village, the “Dahoam 4.0” project, which has driven digital transformation in the village, why sometimes staples can spark a digital project, what distinguishes a smart village from a smart city, and how important it is to involve people in the digital transformation. And, of course, the discussion also turns to women in new technologies. After all, Jessica Laxa herself is a successful tech woman who, through her participation in the Silicon Valley Programme run by BITZ Oberschneiding, was able to secure a major investment in digitalisation in rural areas.
Flyer (in german)
Following their successful pitches to investors in Silicon Valley, the teams of entrepreneurs who joined the THD’s Silicon Valley Programme (SVP) in July 2023 had another opportunity to present their business models, products and teams. This time, they did so before a panel of high-profile investors and experts from Bavaria: the panellists were Svenja Lassen, Managing Director Germany & FIN Gateway Ventures; Mario Tauscher, CFO of Pareto Kanzlei GmbH Steuerberatungsgesellschaft; Guido Grotz, CEO of 5X; Fabian Henrichsen, CEO of the HENRICHSEN Group; and Karl Blaim, CFO of Siemens Mobility.
The companies presenting were Klimahelden GmbH, fivefingergames GmbH, helpify by BSH, Globemee GmbH and CMMC GmbH. It was impressive to see the outstanding progress the teams have made since the programme began. Congratulations to everyone!!! We wish all SVP teams continued success for the future!
Silicon Valley Programme meets Silicon Valley investors in Santa Clara
Prof. Dr Veronika Fetzer, Vice-President for THIRD MISSION and Professor of Economy of Scale, spoke with Dr Marcel Graf, Managing Director of CMMC GmbH, and Prof. Matthias Notz, Managing Director of START2Group GmbH and instructor on the SVP, about this year’s Silicon Valley Programme (SVP) at THD.
Dr Marcel Graf shared his experiences
- What were the company’s expectations when it joined the CMMC programme,
- how did CMMC continually refine its market entry strategy,
- how were cultural aspects integrated, and
- how was the pitch deck developed for the final pitch to a network of Silicon Valley investors the following day?
During the conversation, the mechanical engineer with a PhD highlighted the crux of the matter for so many researchers: how do you manage to bring an invention to market – and, of course, do so successfully? It is ALWAYS about speed: getting the product to market must happen as quickly as possible! And success means constantly expanding your network and entering a new ecosystem. In Silicon Valley, this is incredibly dynamic. Focusing on a single product and a single market has definitely taken CMMC forward. It was a tough but important journey. In the Valley, a pitch deck has to be 100% on point.
👉 If you’d like to find out more from us about the Silicon Valley Programme or listen to the full conversation, please get in touch with the team at the Bavarian Innovation and Transformation Centre (BITZ) in Oberschneiding.
Flyer (in german)
Silicon Valley Experience Week, the highlight of the nine-month Silicon Valley Program (SVP) during which teams of entrepreneurs worked with Bavarian and international mentors to thoroughly test and refine their products and business models, took place from 17 to 22 March 2024. The participants were accompanied by network partners as well as partners from the business and political sectors.
Dr Ron Weissman, Chairman of the Software Industry Group and a member of the Band of Angels, welcomed the guests with the opening address at Santa Clara University. As impressive as his knowledge is, his advice to companies is straightforward: “Risk is certainly not a bad thing! Even if you fail, that’s perfectly fine. And the one thing that matters most is, and always will be, speed.” This is precisely where German companies differ from their American counterparts. Whereas Americans bring their products to market and continue to develop and optimise them in line with customer requirements, German companies all too often wait too long to launch their products.
Following presentations at the German Accelerator in Palo Alto on topics including the history, present and future of artificial intelligence, the SVP teams presented their business models in the Valley for the first time and received concrete feedback from start-up experts. Company visits to Audi of America, next47, ServiceNow, Intel Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and C3AI, amongst others, allowed the guests to understand how Silicon Valley works.
The highlight of the week was the keynote speech by Ferdinand Seemann and, of course, the subsequent pitches by the entrepreneurial teams CMMC GmbH, globemee, Klimahelden, Helpify and fivefingegames to investors from Silicon Valley. The investors were impressed by the companies’ business models and their potential for international scaling.
Are you interested in the Silicon Valley Programme and would like to find out more? Then get in touch with the BITZ Team!
On 25 January 2024, the BITZ OPEN innovation forum took place at BITZ Oberschneiding.
Svenja Lassen, Managing Director Germany of the start-up investor network GATEWAY VENTURES, spoke on the topic:
Why we all benefit from greater diversity in the start-up and investment scene
Diversity in the start-up world is not just an ethical obligation; it is a driving force behind creative breakthroughs. Using concrete examples from science, medicine and culture, Svenja illustrated how a broader range of perspectives not only leads to economic success but also generates sustainable solutions to the challenges of our time.
Svenja Lassen is Managing Director Germany of the start-up investor network Gateway Ventures. Her goal is to increase the proportion of female investors in the long term. To this end, she founded the Female Investors Network (FIN) in 2020 for active and aspiring female business angels, and in 2021 launched the #25to25 mission to increase the proportion of women in the start-up ecosystem to 25% by 2025. In 2022, she launched the FIN Academy, an online training programme for aspiring business angels. For this, she was awarded the ‘Female Finance Award’ by FOCUS Money in 2023.
Flyer (in german)
NEWS
directions
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Deggendorf Institute of Technology Straubinger Str. 19 |
| Email BITZ Oberschneiding: | bitz@th-deg.de |
| Office hours | Mo - Do 08:00 - 13:00 Uhr |
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Operational Management, Bavarian Innovation and Transformation Center (BITZ) +49 991 - 3615 8074
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Operational Management, Kemnath Campus +49 991 - 3615 9604 |
