Innovation Journey – From Student Idea to Industrial Impact
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Siemens cordiallyinvite you to the TechTalk event: TechTalk Innovation – From Student Idea toIndustrial Impact!
Discover during this FAU Innovation Days event how scientific creativity, student ideas, and cooperation between universityand industry turn into real innovations. Gain insights into the people and structuresbehind successful university-industry collaborations, and explore how they open upnew perspectives for research, technology development, and career paths.
Join us at the TechTalk “Innovation Journey – From Student Idea to IndustrialImpact” by FAU and Siemens RIE Erlangen-Nürnberg during the FAU Innovation Days!
📆 27.10.2026, 10:00 am
📍 online (link will be shared via e-mail after registration)
Language: English
👉 Register now: https://eveeno.com/251213006 and secure your place!
What’s in it for you?
Klaus Konrad will share how FAU supports students in developing ideas, identifying innovation potential, and charting a path from concept to implementation.
Martin Koczmann will provide the industry perspective, explaining why companies like Siemens seek collaboration with universities, support student innovation projects, and give young talent access to modern technologies and real-world development processes.
Suavi Yildirim – NextCycle will share firsthand insights into their award-winning project and how they tackled the Siemens Immersive Design Challenge 2025.
Together, participants will discuss the factors that enable successful innovation – from idea development to mentoring and access to technology, all the way to collaboration between academia and industry.
This event is aimed at students, doctoral candidates, research staff, industry partners, those interested in starting a business, and innovation enthusiasts.
Meet our Speakers:
Klaus Konrad
FAU
Suavi Yildirim
NextCycle
Martin Koczmann
Siemens AG
Klaus Konrad began his career as an industrial mechanic apprentice at Siemens and went on to found an international management consultancy and a software development company, before turning to what drives him now: helping others build. As a Start-up Consultant and Founder Coach at FAU, he is part of the S-Outreach team that helps students and researchers from all faculties turn early ideas into viable companies. Action beats intention. Since 2018 he has guided 20+ spin-offs to launch, runs around 80 founder consultations a year, and has built accelerator programs like the FAU Digital Tech Academy.
Suavi Yildirim is an M.Sc. candidate in Autonomy Technologies at FAU and a Research Assistant at FAPS, specializing in the end-to-end development of robotic systems from conceptual design to industrial deployment. His expertise spans autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), agile hardware development, and extended reality (XR). Notably, Suavi was the 1st place global winner of the Siemens × Sony Immersive Design Challenge, where he led the development of an XR-based digital twin framework for sustainable battery lifecycle management. He is passionate about the intersection of AI and physical robotics, striving to turn complex, multidisciplinary problems into reliable real-world solutions.
Martin Koczmann works in Global Future Workforce Engagement at Siemens Digital Industries Software, focusing on building the world’s future workforce. He develops and supports global programs that bridge the skills gap between education and industry, helping students and universities prepare for the changing needs of the engineering workforce and digital transformation.
Learn more about the various events during the Innovation Days 2026 at FAU here