UZ Venture Studio Launches Poland’s First University-Backed Startup Factory
Category: Education, Innovation, Venture Building Tags: academic innovation, university startups, regional development
University of Zielona Góra partners with The Heart to launch UZ Venture Studio — Poland’s first on-campus startup factory transforming academic research into viable businesses
Poland is taking a bold step toward bridging the gap between academia and entrepreneurship. The University of Zielona Góra, in collaboration with Warsaw-based venture builder The Heart, has launched the country’s first university-based Venture Studio—a pioneering initiative aimed at converting scientific research into scalable, market-ready startups.
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The pilot program, UZ Venture Studio, combines academic talent, venture-building expertise, and corporate backing to catalyze innovation in the Lubuskie region and beyond. Funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the initiative targets students, researchers, and alumni affiliated with the university, offering them mentorship, infrastructure, and strategic guidance to commercialize their technological ideas.
“Universities have long been engines of innovation, but lacked effective pathways to bring those ideas to market,” said Dr. Rafał Kieszek, project lead and medical doctor with an MBA from UZ. “With UZ Venture Studio, we aim to change that narrative through structured collaboration between academia, venture experts, and industry.”
The initiative has attracted notable support from both national and local players, including Perceptus, Lubuski Klaster Metalowy, Baltona, and public institutions like the Polish Development Fund (PFR) and Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK). The venture-building process will follow a structured two-phase approach: initial business-readiness training, followed by intensive startup incubation.
Participants will undergo workshops and mentorship programs delivered by The Heart and its ecosystem, including partners such as Santander X, InCredibles by Sebastian Kulczyk, and PIRE (Polish Chamber for Electromobility Development). Once ready, selected projects will enter a venture-building phase, transforming validated ideas into fully operational companies with business models, legal frameworks, and go-to-market strategies.
“We’re not just talking about innovation—we’re building it from scratch, with a methodology that turns ideas into real companies,” said Maciej Marszałek, CEO of The Heart.
The effort has drawn strong backing from city officials. “This is a milestone for Zielona Góra,” said Vice Mayor Dariusz Lesicki. “These startups will become our region’s ambassadors.” University Rector Prof. Wojciech Strzyżewski added that unlike traditional incubators, this studio offers legal, financial, and logistical support, making it a robust launchpad for entrepreneurship.
UZ Venture Studio is more than a university program—it’s a model for sustainable regional development and a signal that Polish academia is ready to enter the innovation economy. If successful, it could inspire similar ventures across Europe.
