Explore the DTC Network
Use the interactive map to see all DTC Regions, Entry Points and Regional Hubs
Entry Points and Regional Hubs
16
Entry Points
26
Knowledge Hubs
29
Business Hubs
7
Policy Hubs
How the DTC network operates
The DTC Network is structured across network and country levels to ensure coordinated collaboration and effective knowledge exchange. While not legally binding, this flexible framework is designed to foster cooperation among all partners. At the network level, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum acts as the DTC Network Coordinator. At the country level, it includes DTC Entry Points, DTC Regional Hubs and DTC Strategic Partners, ensuring strong regional anchoring and cross-border collaboration.
DTC Network Coordinator
The executive body organising activities of the overall network and supporting the further multiplication of DTCs in Danube region is Steinbeis Europa Zentrum.
The Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is an established innovation service provider with over three decades of experience in facilitating access to European research and innovation funding and supporting transnational technology transfer.
It provides strategic guidance to companies, research organisations, and public institutions in developing innovation capabilities, securing funding, and accessing international markets.
As part of European networks, it acts as a bridge between business, academia, and policy to strengthen cross-border collaboration and innovation ecosystems.
Best practice: DTC!
From a successful Danube cooperation network into an internationally connected innovation ecosystem
Building on the growing recognition and increasing interest in the DTC Network from organisations across Europe and beyond, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, DTC Network Coordinator, in August 2026 initiated the development of DTC Europe and DTC Global as the next strategic evolution of the network connecting the Danube region with innovation actors outside the 14 Danube region members.
Danube Transfer Centre Europe
DTC Europe represents the natural extension of the network within the European innovation landscape, fostering cooperation among regions that share common economic, societal and technological challenges. It 1) facilitates the exchange of experience, 2) promotes joint innovation initiatives and 3) strengthens the role of regional ecosystems in addressing European priorities and global transitions beyond the Danube Region.
The establishment of DTC Europe will enable stronger cooperation with other European macro-regional strategies, including the Alpine Region. The recognition of the DTC Network as a best practice in the Alpine Action Plan confirms the relevance, scalability and transferability of the DTC model and opens new opportunities for joint initiatives, mutual learning and the development of interconnected innovation ecosystems across Europe.
Danube Transfer Centre Global
DTC Global further expands this Danube and European vision by creating bridges between Europe and innovation ecosystems worldwide. Through international cooperation, organisations gain access to new knowledge sources, strategic partnerships, emerging technologies and global value chains. This broader perspective enhances the ability of regions to learn from diverse experiences, accelerate innovation processes and increase their international competitiveness.
A strong network with a proven track record
The DTC Network has grown continuously since its foundation in 2012, becoming an increasingly influential platform for innovation, technology transfer and knowledge exchange in the Danube region.
2012
2013-2021
2022
2023
Today
Foundation
Growth
10th Anniversary
Danube Strategy Flagship
A thriving innovation ecosystem
The DTC Network started in 2012 as an initiative of Steinbeis Europa Zentrum as a coordinator of the Working Group – Innovation and Technology Transfer (WG I&TT) within the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) Priority Area 8 (PA8) “Competitiveness”, funded by the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg. Its aim is to accelerate innovation and technology transfer and promote strategic partnerships across the Danube region.
From 2013 to 2021, the DTC Network evolved from a pilot initiative operating in four countries into an established transnational innovation and technology transfer network across the Danube Region. Through EU-funded projects such as NoGAP, Danube-INCO.NET, and Made in Danube, the network expanded its reach, established new DTCs, strengthened international cooperation, and implemented numerous activities to support SMEs, innovation, knowledge transfer, and regional capacity building.
On 19th October 2022, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Danube Transfer Centres during the 11th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region in Košice, Slovakia.
Within the framework of the Danube Transfer Centres Network, new members were welcomed and existing partnerships were further strengthened. Representatives from the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Skilled Crafts and Tourism Baden-Württemberg, the Danube Strategy Point, and the European Commission highlighted the network’s achievements over the past decade.
The event underscored the impact of the DTC Network in fostering innovation in the Danube Region and advancing numerous international cooperation projects.
On 19th October 2022, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Danube Transfer Centres during the 11th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region in Košice, Slovakia.
During the 12th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) in Brdo, Slovenia, on 24 October 2023, the Danube Transfer Centre (DTC) Network was officially awarded the Danube Strategy Flagship Certificate. The certificate was presented by Carmen Hawkins and Helia Kovačević Grčić on behalf of EUSDR Priority Area 8 “Competitiveness”, together with Cristina Cuc and Katharina Lenz from the Danube Strategy Point.
This recognition highlights the DTC Network’s significant contribution to innovation, technology transfer, and transnational cooperation across the Danube Region
Today, the DTC Network is a thriving innovation ecosystem and a leading platform for innovation, technology transfer and knowledge exchange across the Danube Region. By connecting businesses, research organisations, universities and public institutions, the network fosters collaboration, strengthens regional innovation ecosystems and transforms knowledge into sustainable economic and societal impact.