The first GFZ Transfer Day on 30 January 2025 was a complete success: more than 60 participants experienced a lively event that highlighted the diversity of transfer activities at the centre.
In her welcoming address, the GFZ's Scientific Executive Director, Prof. Dr. Susanne Buiter, emphasised the importance of knowledge and technology transfer for the GFZ:
“Transfer is becoming increasingly important, also for us at GFZ. The Transfer Day programme clearly shows that we have been able to provide many impulses in recent years with the Helmholtz transfer funding for the Innovation Labs, the Innovation Fund and the Helmholtz Academy InnoSuper. In addition, GFZ has an above-average number of spin-offs, 14 since 2018 alone. We are further strengthening transfer through various measures, from GFZ-internal funding of innovation and knowledge transfer projects to training programmes and various other funding and incentive systems.”
Susanne Buiter then presented the prizes for technology transfer and knowledge transfer for the years 2023 and 2024 to Sections 3.7 “Geomicrobiology”, 5.2 “eScience Centre”, 1.4 “Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics”, 2.3 “Geomagnetism”, 2.4 “Seismology”, and the project group “GRACE Information Page on the Global Water Cycle” from sections 1.2 “Global Geomonitoring and Gravity Field”, 1.3 “Earth System Modelling” and 4.4 “Hydrology”.
The winners are listed and presented below.
The keynote address at Transfer Day was given by Nora Meyer zu Erpen from Live EO, a start-up that analyses satellite and drone data fully automatically and monitors infrastructure networks globally. Based on her many years of experience in both business and science – including at the GFZ from 2021 to 2023 – Nora formulated valuable perspectives and recommendations for further strengthening transfer at a research centre like the GFZ. Among other things, she emphasised that every player in transfer – be it the centre management, the transfer service, but also the scientists themselves – can and must contribute to a successful transfer to industry and society, but she also highlighted the added value that transfer offers for each individual.
The Transfer Day programme also provided insights into other successful transfer initiatives and projects at the GFZ. These include the Helmholtz Innovation Labs “FERN.Lab – Remote Sensing for Sustainable Resource Use” and “3D Underground Seismic Lab”. With the Helmholtz Innovation Labs, the Helmholtz Association promotes cooperation between scientists, industry, public authorities and NGOs to enable the use of specialised technology, infrastructure and expertise from the various Helmholtz Centres outside the academic world.
The Innofonds established at the centre since 2016 is used to fund technology transfer projects, and since 2023 financial support has also been provided for knowledge transfer projects. Selected projects presented their exciting results.
The topic of the panel discussion was what incentives could be used to encourage more researchers to engage in their own transfer activities and to provide them with the best possible support in doing so.
Finally, the Helmholtz Transfer Academy ‘InnoSuper’ was presented. It offers further training on transfer topics for supervisors and managers. The participants of the first year were awarded certificates.
At the end of the first Transfer Day, participants were able to exchange ideas at themed tables on knowledge transfer, IP and innovation management, software and start-ups.
Applications for the current round of the InnoSuper Transfer Academy are now being accepted – see HERE.
Further information on the transfer activities at the GFZ is available from the Transfer & Innovation team.
Awards for technology transfer
2023
Section 3.7 Geomicrobiology
(Prof. Dr. Dirk Wagner, Prof. Dr. Susanne Liebner, Dr. Daniel Lipus, Dr. Alexander Bartholomäus, Dr. Sizhong Yang)
For founding GreenGate Genomics GmbH. The spin-off in the field of “Big Data Genomics” offers highly innovative bioinformatic software solutions and customised services for the analysis of complex microbial genome data. GreenGate Genomics makes genome analysis accessible for the first time to a broad user community in the biosciences and geosciences that does not have its own bioinformatics expertise. The spin-off was successfully funded by Helmholtz Enterprise, was founded in 2023 as planned, and has signed a licence agreement with the GFZ, as well as rental contracts for laboratory and office space.
Section 5.2 eScience Centre
(Dr. Martin Hammitzsch et al)
For activities in the area of testing registered research software that is relevant for the entire GFZ with regard to licence compatibility, copyrights and the possibilities of further licensing, utilisation, distribution and/or exploitation.
The eScience Centre, in particular the group led by Christian Meeßen, plays a very important role in the registration and testing procedures for software (both open source and proprietary source codes). The procedures were established by the overarching project group ‘software-legal’. In recent years, Section 5.2 has built up a special expertise to provide the best possible support in choosing the appropriate licence, while at the same time ensuring the GFZ's legal protection against a breach of licence obligations.
2024
Section 1.4 Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics
(Prof. Dr. Martin Herold et al.)
For supporting the spin-off ‘Conspectana UG’ in 2024 and a new start-up project (‘EO-Kiosk’) with Helmholtz Enterprise funding, as well as the above-average licence revenues from a FERN.Lab software (‘HeatR’).
Further application-oriented software and method developments have been created in FERN.Lab, which, among other things, also improve GFZ-internal processing. In addition, the FERN.Lern 2024 training platform continued to be in high demand by external target groups. Also noteworthy are the successful acquisition and execution of contracts from partners in business and society, with revenues of almost €1 million last year, as well as the acquisition in 2024 of the ERDF project ‘AgroHyd2’ for the use of weather radar data in the agricultural sector.
Section 2.3 Geomagnetism
(Dr. Monika Korte et al.)
A new patent application and numerous contract research projects in 2024, including for ESA, and further contracts from companies and public authorities, e.g. in the field of declination and theodolite maintenance.
The establishment of Leomagnetics GmbH, which provides magnetometer data and services for magnetometer and observatory operators, as well as advice on space weather and the space environment, is a positive example of the success of recent years. In addition, the provision and further development of important geomagnetic indices as nowcasts is of great importance for the public, authorities and the economy.
Awards for knowledge transfer
2023
Project group “GRACE Information Page on the Global Water Cycle” from sections 1.2 Global Geomonitoring and Gravity Field, 1.3 Earth System Modelling and 4.4 Hydrology
For the activities in 2023 to create an information platform on the GRACE satellite missions in a timely manner, which became necessary following political interactions regarding the successful allocation of funds for GRACE-C at the end of 2022.
It was only thanks to the great commitment of the scientific members of the temporary project group, in particular Frank Flechtner, Henryk Dobslaw, Eva Börgens and Julian Haas, that the information platform www.globalwaterstorage.info could be created as planned by October 2023. It is designed primarily for the target groups of politicians, the media and interested members of the public.
2024
Section 2.4 Seismology
(Prof. Dr. Frederik Tilmann, Dr. Angelo Strollo, et al.)
For the operation of the earthquake monitoring network and service GEOFON and its further development into the Earthquake Explorer together with sections 1.4 ‘Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics’, 2.6 ‘Earthquake Hazard and Dynamic Risks’ and 5.2 ‘eScience Centre’ (DataHub).
In 2024, this mainly concerns the active support of further communication and knowledge transfer activities, e.g. in setting up a landing page for earthquake information, in programming a browser-based app, in updating fact sheets and in creating an explanatory video to explain how the information service works for non-academic target groups, in particular the media.
