The BMFWF's (Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research) funding programme provides early impetus at universities and research institutions to significantly improve the environment for future spin-offs. The ‘ETH Pioneer Fellowship’ programme at ETH Zurich serves as a model for this. The Spin-off Fellowship supports researchers and students with innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit in further developing their ideas towards spin-offs.
Win-win situation
The Spin-off Fellowship Programme creates a win-win situation for researchers on the one hand and universities and research institutions on the other.
Researchers are given the opportunity to turn an idea into a marketable product or service in a relatively short period of time. Coordinated support measures surrounding the Fellowship Programme prepare the fellows in the best possible way for starting a business.
Informational video (in German)
The programme promotes knowledge transfer at the interface between science and industry. In many cases, knowledge lies dormant at universities and research institutions, and in the case of patents, this usually only incurs costs. The programme is therefore also intended to stimulate these institutions' interest in exploiting their knowledge. If successful, this can generate returns for them in the medium to long term. In addition, the 100% funding enables universities and research institutions to build up a pool of young talent during the project period.