For empowering scientists to transform research into market-ready ventures

Project Manager, Worldfactory Start-up Center at Ruhr-Universität Bochum | Bochum, Germany

Science and business might seem like strange companions, but not to Michelle Twardzik, who sees the power of their intersection every day as a project manager for Worldfactory Start-up Center (WSC) in Bochum, Germany.

WSC, in collaboration with Ruhr-Universität Bochum, is a business incubator that helps entrepreneurs take compelling scientific ideas and turn them into viable businesses through a variety of accelerator programs that offer supporting resources, expert advice, and networking needed to get a business off the ground.

While it’s not a huge leap to assume that scientific research is essential to many business ideas, entrepreneurs may not have the skills to turn their science into a product or service, much less know how to market it. This is where Michelle and the WSC come in.

The incubator program under Michelle’s leadership has been so successful, WSC recently won the Young Entrepreneurs in Science Campus Award from the Falling Walls Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes “breakthrough thinking … to tackle grand challenges and bring groundbreaking ideas to society.”

Michelle’s work has helped WSC expand its networks in the entrepreneurship field. She does not take all the credit for her success, however. She says, “anything is possible when you have a good, diverse and passionate team at your side.”