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From Lab to Market

Ideas competition “Research to Market Challenge” hosted by three major Berlin universities and Charité – Universitätsmedizin welcomes applications / Application deadline: May 5

№ 105/2019 from Apr 17, 2019

The ideas competition “Research to Market Challenge” is accepting applications. The three major universities in Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin are encouraging members and alumni to propose ideas for using research findings in the marketplace. Concepts and plans for first steps toward implementation should be submitted on a maximum of three sheets of paper by May 5, 2019. A total of 9,000 euros in start-up funds will be awarded in three categories: Digital & Technologies, Cultural & Social, and Life Sciences & Health.

In each category, ten individuals or teams will be selected to attend a one-day workshop where they will receive support from experts to further develop their ideas and to develop a business model. The revised proposals will be submitted again and reviewed by a jury for their innovative content, feasibility, and their customer value. The awards for three winners in each category will be presented at a formal closing ceremony in the Max-Liebermann-Haus at the Brandenburg Gate on July 4, 2019. The competition is sponsored by Ernst-Reuter-Gesellschaft, Humboldt-Universitäts-Gesellschaft, Stiftung Charité, and Berliner Sparkasse.

The ideas competition has been running at Freie Universität Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin since 2014. It has helped many of the winners to found a business, raise private capital and public funding, and to successfully launch their products and services.

Three Examples

Winner in 2014: Augletics GmbH

Innovative rower ergometers by Augletics are now being used in numerous gyms and training rooms for interactive rowing and cardio training. Flavio Holstein, Benjamin Bach, Hagen Rothe, and Hannes Jeltsch received an EXIST founder grant from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and support from the Technical Computer Science group at Freie Universität.

Winner in 2016: Dearemployee GmbH

Psychologists Dr. Amelie Wiedemann, Daniel Fodor, and Henning Jakob support companies with a digital infrastructure for occupational health management. With their software, companies can efficiently carry out the legally required mental risk assessment for employees. They use online questionnaires and evaluate company data.

Winner in 2018: Vet Educators GmbH

Veterinarian Dr. Laura Schüller taught veterinary medicine for almost ten years. In 2016 she started designing and building simulators to provide practical training for students of veterinary medicine. With the simulators, the students can make mistakes without harming animals, and the students can learn from their mistakes. For example, they can practice drawing blood using dog legs, rabbit ears, or horse necks made of silicone. They can practice closing surgical incisions and wounds with skin-like suture pads.

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