The EXIST Business Start-up Grant supports students, graduates and scientists from universities and non-university research institutions interested in founding a company in implementing their business idea.
The most important prerequisite is that the planned business idea must be an innovative technology-oriented or knowledge-based product with significant unique selling points and good prospects of economic success.
The founding teams receive an EXIST Business Start-up Grant for a period of 12 months to develop a business plan and prepare for their start-up with the support of their university or research institution.
The start-up grant provides support in the pre-seed and seed phase and represents an attractive financing option in the early development stage. Funding is provided for individual start-ups or team start-ups (max. 3 people) with innovative, digital or knowledge-based business ideas in Lower Saxony.
Accompaniment of the start-up during the funding period by an "accompanying institution", i.e. a university or start-up center. The start-up has not yet been established at the time of application. A business plan must be submitted at the end of the funding period.
EXIST Transfer of Research is a funding program of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and supports outstanding research-based start-up projects that involve complex and high-risk development work. Research teams at universities and non-university research institutions (a maximum of 3 scientists and technical assistants) and one person with business management expertise are funded.
Funding phase I: Research results that have the potential to form the basis of a business start-up are to be further developed so that the basic technical feasibility of the product idea is ensured and a start-up can take place. Funding phase II: The focus is on commencing business operations and securing external follow-up financing for the company.
With GO-Bio next, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is pursuing the goal of increasing start-up activities in the life sciences and accelerating the transfer from basic research to application. In the first funding phase, GO-Bio next is aimed at research teams from German universities and research institutions that are interested in founding a company and have already completed a proof-of-principle or proof-of-concept (e.g. as part of GO-Bio initial). In the second funding phase, small technology-oriented capital companies will be funded within the framework of GO-Bio next.
If you are interested in phase 2, please contact the Life Science Factory for consultation.