Awarded 1st place worldwide for entrepreneurship

22.5.2023 | DIT

From 15 to 17 May, the World Conference of the Hanseatic League of Universities (HLU) took place in Fort Myers, Florida, USA. There, the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) and the BITZ Oberschneiding were voted number 1 in the worldwide ranking of the most innovative universities in the field of Entrepreneurial Spirit.

After a five-stage evaluation process, DIT was named the best university in the world in the area of entrepreneurial spirit. With this award, the university prevailed over more than 500 participating universities, including renowned competitors such as Stanford, Berkeley, MIT, Yale, Harvard and TU Munich. The decisive factor for the jury was DIT's 360-degree ecosystem, which is now universal. In particular, the trend-setting developments at the BITZ Oberschneiding, most recently the integration of venture studios for intensive support and financing of teams in the crucial phases of scaling, were judged to be unique worldwide.

The award took place as part of the WURI Ranking (The World University Rankings for Innovation), which was held during the HLU Conference in Florida. The WURI Rankings recognise universities and colleges whose innovative work has had a significant impact on the pressing challenges of transforming technology and shaping the economy and society.

This year, after a two-year break from Corona, the HLU conference was hosted by the renowned Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). DIT, with President Prof. Peter Sperber and Prof. Peter Schmieder, opened the Entrepreneurial Spirit part of the conference with a keynote speech and a case presentation.

DIT President Prof. Dr. Peter Sperber was newly appointed to the HLU Board of Directors this year. The reason for this was, among other things, the outstanding ranking successes from 8th, 5th and 2nd place in the years 2020 to 2022. "Even more than for me personally," said President Sperber, "this is a confirmation of the outstanding development of DIT, which thus receives worldwide recognition."

In a final ceremony, the baton was passed from FGCU to Franklin University in Lucerne, Switzerland, which will host the next HLU World Conference in 2024.

Bild (DIT Public Relations): Professor Peter Schmieder, Alexander Dorn, Martina Heim and President Prof. Dr. Peter Sperber (from left) celebrate the success at the HLU World Conference in Florida.