Spin-off Fellowship – 2nd call for applications, 4th application deadline

A funded spin-off fellowship aims to further develop intellectual property from a university or research institution so that it can be exploited in the context of a startup after the spin-off fellowship has ended. The fellows are responsible for the further development with support from the respective host organisation.

• The fellows must be employed by an eligible organisation for the duration of the project, which may not exceed 18 months, and must devote 100% of their time to the project.
• Specifically, the project activity in the fellowship comprises application-oriented research and development. Strategic market considerations and future user groups must also be taken into account.
• The project requires the support of a host. A host is a supervisor (e.g. institute or department head) who is hierarchically above the fellow.
• A complete workplace and standard laboratory and/or workshop equipment must be provided by the host. However, these services are to be considered as the university or research institution's own contribution and cannot be invoiced through the project.

• Austrian universities (in accordance with the Universities Act 2002 – UG, Federal Law Gazette I No. 120/2002)
• Austrian private universities (in accordance with PrivHG)
• Austrian universities of applied sciences (in accordance with the Universities of Applied Sciences Act – FHG)
• Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW)
• Ludwig Boltzmann Society (LBG)
• Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria)
• COMET centres within the scope of their non-economic activities in the non-K sector
• Silicon Austria Labs GmbH
• Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
• Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)
• Federal museums, provided that no local authority acts as the responsible body

• The funding amounts to a minimum of 100,000 EUR and a maximum of 500,000 EUR and is provided in the form of non-repayable grants.
• The funding rate is 100%. This funding can be used to finance the costs of the fellow as well as development costs and third-party services.
• The duration of a spin-off fellowship is a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 18 months.
• If a start-up is established during the term, this will result in the premature termination of the project.
• What costs are eligible for funding?
• Personnel costs for fellows and staff involved in the planned research and development activities
• Material costs
• Costs for use of equipment
• Third-party costs for purchased services, especially for further training measures and external coaching
• Travel expenses to conferences, trade fairs and to obtain feedback from potential users for further product development
• Which costs are NOT eligible for funding?
• Administrative costs of the host organisation
• All costs and expenses for the host and mentor
• Representation costs
• Hospitality costs
• Costs for business plan and financial plan preparation
• Costs related to marketing and customer acquisition
• Costs for distribution and patent maintenance

Please refer to the tender guidelines for the application criteria (in German).

Project submissions can only be made electronically via >eCall. The submission must include the following online elements, which must be entered in eCall under the following menu items:

• The content description includes a presentation of the project content.
• The work plan includes a presentation of the work packages and project management elements such as a time management plan (GANTT chart), tasks, milestones and results.
• The description of the organisation includes the expertise of the individual project participants, a description of the results from other projects and project-relevant infrastructure.
• Costs and financing describes all cost categories. The totals for each work package are automatically displayed in the online work plan.

In addition to the online elements, the following mandatory attachments must be uploaded and submitted with the funding application:

• Declaration of support from the university or research institution (see template in the Download Centre)
• Letter of motivation and recommendation from the host (see template in the Download Centre)
• Individual IP exploitation agreement based on the respective spin-off strategy of the university or research institution
• Presentation of the planned business model in the form of a Lean Canvas or Business Model Canvas as a 1-page document
• CVs of the fellow(s) (directly under personnel costs in eCall)

The funding application must be written in German or English.

The BMFWF's funding decision is expected in May 2026.