Dagmar Möbius

TU Dresden Aktiengesellschaft, or TUDAG for short, was founded in 2000. Since then, it is not only the company's goals that have expanded. KONTAKT spoke to Udo Werner about the group's work. The lawyer has been board spokesperson for TUDAGsince 2020.

Mr. Werner, please give us a brief introduction to TUDAG.

TUDAG was founded by the Association of Friends and Sponsors of TU Dresden (GFF) 23 years ago to transfer scientific findings from TUD to industry and to support commercial enterprises in the application or introduction of new technologies and products. Today, the company's main objectives are knowledge and technology transfer to the private sector. At the same time, we also provide feedback to academia on the needs of commercial enterprises. Prof. Jacques Rohayem (Technology Transfer), Dr. Merle Emre (Knowledge Transfer) and myself (Corporate Investments) have been appointed as current board members, each with a special responsibility for their respective business areas. The TUDAG supervisory committee consists of four members, including the Rector of TUD, Professor Ursula Staudinger.

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How many companies are part of the group?

The group counts almost 30 subsidiaries and associated companies among its ranks. Their economic activities can be summarized under the keywords education, transfer and entrepreneurship. TUDAG initiates, supports and accelerates the transfer of knowledge and technology to industry and society, thus fulfilling an important bridging function between scientific findings and practical application. To give concrete examples: The group includes Dresden International University (DIU) as a wholly owned subsidiary, EIPOS GmbH as the largest single company, GWT-TUD GmbH, TU Dresden Institute of Advanced Studies GmbH (TUDIAS), and companies in which TUDAG is a minority shareholder, such as SmartNanotubes Technologies GmbH, IAM GmbH, and SpinNNcloud GmbH.

Your responsibilities include the group's finances and the management of most of its investments. A look at the commercial register shows that TUDAG's share capital has increased tenfold since it was founded and now amounts to EUR 500,000.

The amount of share capital is not that important. Rather, it is the equity generated by TUDAG itself that reflects the company's long-term success. This amounted to nearly 12 million euros at the end of the last fiscal year, with fairly regular and significant donations and distributions to GFF and TUD. 

As the TUDAG Group, however, our main goal is to translate the dynamism and innovative power of our research landscape into successful entrepreneurship. We provide students, teachers, and other researchers with a proven platform and venture capital. With currently more than 550 jobs in companies co-founded by TUDAG, we make an important contribution to business in the region. We not only offer TUD spin-offs access to individual consulting services and an extensive network, but also participate in financing rounds. This combines third-party investments of over half a billion euros with TUDAG's capital contributions to companies we have financed and co-founded.

TUDAG clearly states that it aims to generate profits. What do you do with the funds?

Profits go to the sole shareholder, the non-profit Association of Friends and Sponsors of TU Dresden (GFF), and directly to TUD through donations. The GFF, in turn, uses its funds to support teaching and research at TUD. As mentioned, we also invest in new spin-offs from TUD, using our profits as venture capital to support the startup ecosystem of the university. In short: TUDAG's profits and earnings are not only used to finance the growth of the group of companies, but are always directly or indirectly for the benefit of TUD. Our commitments range from sponsoring the TUD 2023-24 kick-off party at the beginning of October for first-year students by our subsidiary GWT to the initial financing of TUD projects such as the university outpatient clinic and the Research Center for Psychotherapy.

TUDAG offers subsidiaries and associated companies shared services. What are these services?

Through these shared services, TUDAG provides its subsidiaries and affiliates with powerful administrative support and an infrastructure that covers key business functions. This includes human resource management, finance and accounting, IT, and general office tasks. In this manner, we take the pressure off companies so they can focus on their core business. Particularly for newly founded companies, this not only saves on costs, but also a great deal of time.

Is there anything else worth knowing that you would like to share with TUD alumni?

Do check back regularly to see what new developments are happening at TUD and TUDAG. Our educational companies offer specialized academic courses that you can take advantage of as a working professional. If you want to get involved, there are many opportunities, for example as a lecturer or as an investor in TUD spin-offs. Of course, we would love for you to take advantage of our services and make full use of them. Because what we create benefits your Alma Mater!

About Udo Werner
Udo Werner studied Law in Jena and Frankfurt am Main and passed both State Examinations. A licensed attorney, he is also a graduate of Harvard University, where he earned a master's degree in public administration. He began his professional career as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. A native of Zittau, Germany, he served on the board of directors at several medium-sized stock companies, where he was primarily responsible for corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, human resources, legal affairs and finance. He played a key role in the realignment of the state-owned investment company of the Free State of Thuringia.

Contact:
TUDAG TU Dresden Aktiengesellschaft
Freiberger Str. 37
01067 Dresden

Tel.:  +49 351 40470–170

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