EXIST Startup Grant and EXIST Research Transfer

The funding programmes of the BMWK offer support for founders from universities and non-university institutions. The Startup Grant supports you on the way to your startup. The aim is to prepare the successful market entry of an innovative product.

The following requirements must be met:

• The project must be based on an innovative, technology-oriented idea or a knowledge-based service
• The founders are students, graduates, or researchers
• The team consists of up to three people
• The company must not have been formally incorporated before the start of the project

If these requirements are met, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to launch your startup through the EXIST program.

The following added value is included for you:

• The living expenses of the founders are covered by the scholarship.
• Social security expenses are already included in the grant and will not be reimbursed additionally.
• Material expenses of up to 30,000 € will be covered.
• Coaching expenses of up to 5,000 € incurred in the course of the startup are covered.

You can find more information about the EXIST startup grant on the BMWK website. Of course, you can also simply contact the team at the Clausthal University Startup Service—we’d be happy to schedule an appointment for further consultation.

The BMWK's funding programs offer support to entrepreneurs from universities and non-university institutions. The goal is to support the preparation and implementation of particularly high-risk technical projects stemming from research.

The following conditions must be met:

• The basis is a research project or a scientific thesis
• The members of the founding team have at least a diploma or a master's degree.
• The founding team consists of a maximum of three people and one additional person with a business administration background.
• The duration of the realization is between 1 and 1 ½ years.

The following added value is in it for you:
Within the framework of Funding Phase I, up to € 250,000 will be used to cover

• personnel costs of the founders
• Social security expenses are already included in the funding amount and will not be reimbursed additionally.
• Material expenses within the framework of the project as well as the payment of support staff
• coaching and consulting

are provided. After funding phase I, it is possible to obtain further funding for the team within the framework of the second funding phase.

The goal of this phase is to build on the achievements of Funding Phase I and focus on launching business operations and preparing for external financing.

The following requirements must be met:

• A proof of concept or a business plan based on Funding Phase I must be available
• The key experts from Funding Phase I must remain involved
• One-third of the grant amount must be contributed by the founders
• The total duration may not exceed 18 months

The following added value is in it for you:
Within the framework of Funding Phase II, up to €180,000 will be used to cover

• personnel costs of the founders
• Social security expenses are already included in the funding amount and will not be reimbursed additionally.
• Depreciation on assets
• material costs and intellectual property rights are made available.