News
October 13, 2026
10 Years of INNODAY: From the Lichtwiese Campus to Hesse’s Innovation Ecosystem
What began in 2016 with a few dozen people and a handful of exhibition stands on TU Darmstadt’s Lichtwiese campus has grown into a major meeting point for startups, research and innovation in Hesse. Ten years on, INNODAY shows how ideas can evolve – from university research to applications, technologies and companies.
INNODAY made its debut on 8 February 2016. Back then, the event was still small in scale, close to the university community and driven by a clear ambition: to make the entrepreneurial potential of TU Darmstadt visible.
Ten years later, INNODAY has grown considerably. Today, more than 100 exhibitors from across Hesse demonstrate where research can lead when it moves beyond the lab and into real-world applications and the market. Since 2018, the darmstadtium has been the event’s permanent home. What began as a university-focused gathering has developed into a meeting place for a much broader innovation ecosystem.
Big ideas, prominent voices
INNODAY looked beyond the boundaries of the campus from an early stage. At its second edition in 2017, Nobel laureate Dan Shechtman spoke on “Technological Entrepreneurship”.
Over the years, the event has continued to expand its reach. Today, Unite!, the European university alliance, the Rhine-Main Universities and, for the past two years, FUTURY bring together participants from well beyond TU Darmstadt.
One thing has remained at the heart of INNODAY: the connection between science and entrepreneurship. This is also the mission HIGHEST has pursued since 2013 – building bridges between research, venture creation and the market. INNODAY brings this work together in one place.
From ideas competition to unicorn
One long-standing fixture is the TU Ideas Competition. Its history dates back to 2007, and it is now taking place for the 19th time. This means it has been fostering entrepreneurial thinking at TU Darmstadt for even longer than INNODAY itself.
And sometimes, ideas travel a very long way. Ten years after the first INNODAY, Prof. Dr. Markus Roth takes the stage at the darmstadtium. His company, Focused Energy, has become the first TU Darmstadt spin-off to achieve unicorn status.
From the first exhibition stands on the Lichtwiese campus to a unicorn on stage – few images capture INNODAY’s evolution better.
Ten years in just a few minutes
Our anniversary video looks back at how INNODAY has changed over the past decade. The short compilation brings together moments from across ten years – from its early days on the Lichtwiese campus to the main stage at the darmstadtium.
Watch 10 Years of INNODAY:
https://youtu.be/ewKGWN9VXU4
Ten years, countless ideas and even more connections – and the next story may already be taking shape somewhere on campus.
Science. Startups. Future.