Professor Peter Buxmann of TU Darmstadt has received the UNIPRENEURS Award for his commitment to entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer. The former head of HIGHEST is one of 20 professors honored in 2026.
The UNIPRENEURS initiative has honored Professor Peter Buxmann from the Department of Law and Economics at TU Darmstadt for his commitment to fostering spin-offs and entrepreneurship at universities. The award ceremony took place in Berlin on September 22, 2026, in the presence of Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space and co-patron of UNIPRENEURS.
Buxmann heads the “Information Systems | Software & AI Business” research group at TU Darmstadt. Together with his team, he has been conducting research on artificial intelligence at the intersection of business and the workplace for more than ten years. He also combines academic research with entrepreneurship in practice: Buxmann is a serial entrepreneur and, most recently, co-founded the Darmstadt-based deep-tech startup Genow in 2023.
At TU Darmstadt, Buxmann also helped establish HIGHEST, the university’s Innovation and Startup Center, and headed it for five years. In addition, he serves on several supervisory boards and is a member of the Advisory Board of the innovation and startup platform Futury, where he supports entrepreneurship in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region. He also hosts a podcast on artificial intelligence for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
“We congratulate all the UNIPRENEURS who have received this distinction – and Peter Buxmann in particular. This recognition is thoroughly deserved,” says Harald Holzer, Managing Director of HIGHEST. “For many years, he has been deeply committed to HIGHEST and to fostering a strong entrepreneurial culture at TU Darmstadt. His dedication has made a real difference and continues to have an impact today.”
UNIPRENEURS is Germany’s largest award recognizing the promotion of entrepreneurship in higher education and research. The joint initiative by Matthias Hilpert and the Stifterverband selected 20 professors from more than 800 nominations in 2026, honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to transferring innovation into the business world. The award is presented every three years.
Image: Jürgen A. Morgenroth / Stifterverband