CZS Innovation Teams: Up to €600,000 for Academic Startup Teams

About

A funding program offering up to €600,000 for academic startup teams to transform their research findings into commercially viable ventures, providing financial support for personnel and commercialization efforts.

Benefits

• 💰Funding Support
  Up to €600,000 in funding for the project
• 👥Personnel Funding
  Funding for personnel costs for potential founders
• 📈Commercialization Support
  Funding for expenses related to measures that specifically advance the transfer to commercial use.

Eligibility Criteria

• The startup project must be based on the team’s own research findings
• Initial insights into the potential business model, market potential, and customer needs are already available
• The majority of team members must work on the project full-time
• The team is supported by a mentor
• Eligible applicants are research institutions in the CZS funding states and nonprofit technology transfer organizations.

Participation Commitments

• The funding period is up to two years
• Applications may be submitted starting September 15, 2026, exclusively online
• Selection is carried out by a jury of experts, to whom each team presents its idea in a pitch
• Up to three selection sessions are held each year, with a limited number of pitches per session.

Target Region

Global

Target Sector

All sectors