In 2021, Science & Startups, the alliance of startup centers of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin raised around eleven million euros in third-party funding in three programs. This can create industry-specific structures and offers for the funding of startups. The founding teams supported in this way transform top-level research from Berlin's universities into products and solutions with social impact.

"The additional funding will allow Science & Startups to take the already excellent startup support at our Berlin universities and Charité to a new level," says Christina Lüdtke, head of the Science & Startups administrative office. "All three programs provide extensive support for specific industry clusters, including access to academic mentors, jobs, technical infrastructure, and targeted contacts to companies and investors. Through the new K.I.E.Z. Accelerator, we are also defining a joint offer in the growth phase for the first time."

The Funding Programs at a Glance:

We have been able to launch the "K.I.E.Z. Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneurship Center" as the first flagship project of the federal government in the field of artificial intelligence, in 2021: The initiative to fund startups of science-related companies in the field of artificial intelligence is being funded with 6.85 million euros by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the state of Berlin. By 2025, an offer specifically for AI startups will be established along the entire innovation chain – from the identification of startup potentials in AI research to support in the incubation phase and an accelerator program at AI Campus Berlin. Following a pilot phase, the first cohort of the K.I.E.Z. accelerator will kick off in spring 2022 with numerous offers for AI-based startups.

The "Berliner Startup Stipendium – Sustainable City" program supports innovative, technical solutions in the fields of sustainability, digitalization, green energy, mobility and construction, or new work. The state of Berlin and the EU are funding the program with around three million euros – as well as the additional "Berliner Startup Stipendium – Health" program with around another 1.1 million euros for startups from the health and medical technology sectors. Both programs will focus even more on networking between startups, companies, and research institutes.

The first startup teams began implementing their ideas in December 2021. Applications for the second round for the "Berliner Startup Stipendium" programs are already possible.

Further information:

• Science & Startups
• Berliner Startup Stipendium – Health & Sustainable City
• K.I.E.Z.
• K.I.E.Z. Accelerator Spring Batch 2022

About Science & Startups

Science & Startups is the alliance of startup centers of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Science & Startups supports research-based startups and promotes the creative innovation of science. By pooling the resources of the three major Berlin universities and Charité, the alliance is creating a unique, internationally visible university startup ecosystem with extensive services, access to academic mentors from the member universities, and far-reaching networks in top-level research, economy, and finance.

The Berlin University Alliance

The Berlin University Alliance is a consortium consisting of three major Berlin universities – Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin – and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, established to shape research and education in Berlin. The four partners joined forces to further develop Berlin as a research hub with international drawing power. Together the partners explore major societal challenges, increase public outreach, promote the training of junior researchers, address issues of quality and standards in research, and share resources in the areas of research infrastructure, teaching, diversity, equal opportunities, and internationalization. The Berlin University Alliance is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the state of Berlin under the Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and the Länder.

Joint press release from Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin along with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Press contact

Suhana Elisabeth Reddy, press spokesperson for the Berlin University Alliance
Email: medien@berlin-university-alliance.de 

Christina Lüdtke
Head office
Science & Startups by Berlin University Alliance
Email: christina.luedtke@science-startups.berlin