Stay ahead of the curve

The Financial Times x Statista survey on Europe's Leading Startup Hubs is one of the most honest pieces of feedback we get all year. If you're part of Science & Startups, or ever were: tell the Financial Times how it actually was. Takes 5 minutes.

Two funding tracks for AI-driven founders are now open until August 9, 2026.

CiteLM is Lilli's and Constantin's AI tool that checks whether the studies a scientist cites actually say what the scientist claims. They built this for journals, open access platforms, research labs and, of course, universities.

Last night, we awarded the 14th Gründungspreis of Berliner Sparkasse by Science & Startups — and the evening showed what it looks like when a city turns its research into companies. 💚

Science & Startups is hiring a Leading CEO. This role is about shaping strategy, completing a structural merger, building new services, and strengthening Science & Startups's role at the intersection of research, entrepreneurship, and policy.

Alessandro De Simone, PhD studies biological processes. His idea: turning residual materials into biochar. A substance that stores carbon long-term, recovers phosphate, and purifies water. Waste in. Resources out.

The healthcare system is under pressure. Who's going to fix it? The problems won't be solved by single features. But they are solvable.

Arezoo Rahimi studies how roots survive stress — through networks of support that stabilize and protect them under pressure. She is designing an institutional "support systems" for researchers balancing science and caregiving.

UNIPRENEURS is looking for the best professors for startups across Germany — and the search is open to the entire startup community. If you know who made the difference for you: two minutes, one survey.

"The sophistication is absolutely there. It just doesn't look like a Berlin pitch deck." - William is one of the people making our West Africa expansion real.

As part of our internationalization strategy, Science & Startups is building Launchpads: regional nodes that connect research, talent and capital to support science-based entrepreneurship. Read more about Launchpad West Africa.

That's the problem Paola is trying to solve with a software on Retrosynthesis. With her idea, she won our monthly idea competition 100 to 100.

Deep Tech doesn’t scale in isolation. It scales in ecosystems. DTM26 brings together founders, investors, corporates and policymakers who are actively shaping how deep tech moves from lab to real-world deployment.

Batch II of the Berliner Startup Stipendium focuses on The Future of Digital Health. If you’re building in digital health, apply by booking an appointment with one of our consultants!

Many researchers ask the same question: Can this idea become a startup. And where do I even start? In this Talking Transfer session, we’ll give an overview of how researchers at Berlins universities, can explore entrepreneurial pathways with Science & Startups.

If we want to see more science-based startups in Germany, dialogue between policymakers and the startup ecosystem is essential. Many of the innovations shaping our future emerge where research, technology and entrepreneurship meet. Creating spaces for open exchange around these topics is therefore more important than ever.

Preparing quotes, especially for tenders, takes time many companies simply don’t have. That’s the problem Nikias Deike, one of our recent 100to100 winners, is exploring.

The renewed funding for the Berlin University Alliance recognises what's possible through collaboration: a more connected research and innovation ecosystem across Berlin’s major universities.

The idea behind CIYANO emerged from a recurring observation in the packaging industry: while sustainability ambitions are rising, the materials available to companies often don’t meet the practical requirements of industry.

When Dr. med. Amrit Roy, MD and his team of TREAGE joined the Berliner Startup Stipendium, they had a strong idea. But who has got time for side-hustles like this?

From deepfake videos to AI-generated news articles — distinguishing between authentic and synthetic content is becoming harder by the month. And that doesn’t just affect politics, but everyday digital life. Laura, one of our recent Hashtag#100to100 winners, is exploring what responsible AI navigation could look like at the browser level.

In Germany, only 19.8% of startup founders are women. In university startup programs like EXIST, the share already exceeded 30% in 2025. The gap doesn’t start with venture capital. It starts much earlier.

Yesterday, 18 of them came together at EINS for the kickoff of the EXIST Women programme at Science & Startups. Researchers, students and innovators from different disciplines, all exploring how their ideas could become startups. During the Design Thinking workshop, spaghetti, tape and LEGO became tools to prototype ideas and make abstract challenges tangible.

In the Financial Times ranking “Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs 2026”, Science & Startups was recognised among Europe’s Top 12 startup hubs — ranking 12th in Europe and 2nd among university-based startup hubs in Germany. We value and celebrate this recognition! But rankings are snapshots.

That’s how Sarah, Project Coordinator for the Berliner Startup Stipendium at Science & Startups, describes one of the most common early-stage traps.

We’re excited to welcome tilde as a new EXIST Startup Grant team in the Science & Startups ecosystem. tilde is a digital companion gently guiding you and your loved ones through end-of-life decisions and administration.

BSS BATCH I is open! Strong ecosystems are not built by headlines. They are built by structures that give founders time, focus and support. The Berliner Startup Stipendium is one of them. For first-time and early-stage founders ready to commit full-time. Deadline: 11 March, 2 p.m.

For early-stage research-based teams, this number is not about prestige. It is about probability. And probability is not accidental. It is enabled by experienced startup advisors who work closely with teams.

The Green Startup Monitor 2026 highlights something more fundamental than growth numbers. 🔹 924 green startups. 🔹 19.9% share – the highest concentration nationwide. 🔹 28% female founders in Berlin’s green startup ecosystem.

Here’s a glimpse of some recent 100 to 100 ideas. Every serious idea deserves a first structured step. If you're sitting on an early thought 100 words are enough to begin. 100 to 100 is always open! Submit any time 💚

Science & Startups has been recognised in the Financial Times Times ranking “Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs 2026” in cooperation with Statista and Sifted out of more than 180 evaluated startup hubs across Europe.

Great startup ecosystems don’t happen by accident. They happen when the right people meet at the right moment and when formats create momentum. Science & Startups is hiring an Event Manager to design and deliver high-impact events across Berlin’s major universities.

As co-host of the Female Founders Lounge Breakfast with AI NATION and partners, we used the International Day of Women and Girls in Science to ask a practical question: What actually helps women and FLINTA* founders advance in AI and DeepTech?

The idea behind SyncroBot emerged during a Technische Universität Berlin research project. While working on combining different types of mobile robots, Dr. Julian Maas encountered a core limitation.

We’ve been a bit quiet on this on LinkedIn lately — but behind the scenes, 100/100 never stopped. This selfie was taken during our last photo shoot, right after celebrating new 100/100 winners and talking through their ideas.

We’re happy to partner up with our network partner Start2 Group for Rise & Scale to bring together startup hubs and ecosystem builders from across Europe to exchange what really works when it comes to supporting startups.

The Growth 50 Europe Report 2026 by Tech Tour & Dealroom.co makes this very clear: Deep Tech is no longer just an innovation topic – it’s a question of European sovereignty.

The idea behind RENATRIX didn’t start with a business plan, it started during doctoral research and a very concrete signal from the scientific community.

in January, we just wrapped up our one-day kick-off workshop, focusing on what will shape 2026 and beyond. This year we will significantly intensify exchange, internally and externally, through proven and new innovative formats.

In Berlin, space is no longer just about orbit — it’s about impact on Earth. Sven Przywarra studied Business Engineering at Technische Universität Berlin and co-founded LiveEO.

Many ideas stay in your head – the difference is taking action. Find our founders tips here!

The next application round for AI NATION Grant and Accelerator program, designed to support ambitious AI startups from Germany in building, scaling, and leading the future of AI innovation. Apply now until February 1st.

The Deep Tech Award 2026 is now open for applications. From 5th January 2026, start-ups, companies, and research teams can apply with their cuttingedge technologies – from AI to quantum and advanced manufacturing.

Celebrating a year of innovation, impact, and community — and excited for everything 2026 will bring!

Meet Elisa Kieback, co-founder & CTO at T-knife Therapeutics — a Berlin-based biotech company redefining T-cell therapy for solid tumors. At Science & Startups, we support role models like Elisa on their journey to transform groundbreaking research into real solutions for patients.

Yesterday, the Science & Startups network came together for an energizing holiday meet-up. We came together for a year-end recap that reminded us how much momentum has built over the past twelve months. A lot has happened internally and externally. Even more is moving into place.

Bitrolysis provides an energy-efficient, safe, and simple bichloride-based electrolysis process that unlocks this hidden resource and enables a more circular chemical economy. Gesa is PhD at Freie Universität Berlin and one of the Top 5 winners of The Brilliant 1000.

Tharsan and Damian are among the Top 5 winners of The Brilliant 1000 with their project: a sensor-based knee orthosis that monitors healing, detects strain, and provides motivation throughout the recovery journey.

With MedMatch, Kiana and Karl rethink how Famulaturen are organized. WIth their idea they won The Brilliant 1000.

Meet Timm Schwaar, Co-Founder & CEO of SAFIA Technologies GmbH— a Berlin-based deeptech startup tackling one of the most urgent challenges in food safety. At Science & Startups, we are proud to have supportet Timm and his co-founder Peter Carl on their journey from research to real-world impact.

✨ Science & Startups proudly awarded the best research-based business ideas of the “100 to 100” competition, yesterday night. With The Brilliant 1000 – Best of 100/100 we celebrated five outstanding ideas that impressed our expert jury with originality, innovation, and societal impact.

During their district visit to Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Science Senator Dr. Ina Maria Czyborra, the Governing Mayor pf Berlin Kai Wegner, and members of the Berlin Senate toured the Zukunftsorte Berlin Südwest Innovation Hub, a dynamic ecosystem that also includes one location of Science & Startups.

Jan is one of the Top 5 winners of The Brilliant 1000 – Best of 100/100. The Brilliant 1000 marks the final round of the 100/100 competition.

Eve is one of the Top 5 winners of The Brilliant 1000 – Best of 100/100. The Brilliant 1000 marks the final round of the 100/100 competition.

Yesterday, we celebrated the closing event of this year’s EXIST Women program. What emerged was more than a wrap-up — it was a strong reminder of what happens when women support each other in building impactful ideas.

Over 150 participants exchanged at Deep Tech Nexus #7, hosted by Science & Startups at Technische Universität Berlin, proving that Berlin is actively seeding the Deep Tech future.

Your idea, your impact, your chance to win €1,000! Apply by August 31 with just 100 words for one of five €1,000 prizes this autumn. Read, what our winners say in this LinkedIn post.

Smitpuri Gosai is a Master’s student in Process, Energy & Environmental Systems Engineering at Technische Universität Berlin and wants to let cities breathe again using algae.

Apply now for one of two treasure hunts at TU Berlin this September and work on real-life patents of TU Berlin and its partner universities.

Constantin Estorff is a winner of our 100/100 challenge. He wants to make noise more understandable.

Constantin Estorff, Eve Nentwig and Smitpuri Gosai are driven by passion, creativity and real-world impact! Read more about their ideas on LinkedIn.

The team behind the legal-tech startup LexGraph is located at "Social & Sustainability"-Cluster at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. It is on a mission to bring structure, speed, and intelligence to the world of law.

This month, the first three students from Hanyang University started their internships at TVINN, Blindleister, and Aidvance.

This February we directly ranked among the TOP 20 best startup hubs in Europe! Now we want more! Help us show that Berlin is where the next wave of European innovation is being built.

The team has just started their EXIST-Gründungsstipendium. Platoniq is now focusing on strengthening social relationships and prevent loneliness at scale.

REMA is located at "Healthcare & Prevention"-Cluster at Freie Universität Berlin. The startup is rethinking how we fuel our bodys for focus and mental performance.

Andrea Guillen De la Rosa, Tahnee Brandt, and Utku Güner met during a Venture Campus course at Technische Universität Berlin. Through Algvie they are exploring how algae-derived biopolymers could replace fossil-based plastics.

If you're a founder, please consider filling out the short survey to support Marie Hammermeisters Master thesis supervised by Prof. Dr. Jutta Allmendinger of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlinabout how startup founders choose their VC investors.

“Math has a unique power to unveil truth,” says Jorge Sánchez Cortès, researcher at Berlin Institute of Health in der Charité and one of the winners of our #100to100 Challenge.

We’re thrilled that Hydro-Berlin and Blueprint Biomed made it into the Top 10 of the third phase at the Businessplan-Wettbewerb Berlin-Brandenburg (BPW) 2025.

Valerie is the founder of pHera – a startup bringing vaginal health diagnostics into the digital age and part of Batch IV of Berliner Startup Stipendium.

The realities of startup life – building, scaling, funding, hiring – are best understood by those living them. Take part in the German Startup Monitor 2025 that captures insights to inform better decisions in politics, media, and society.

This week, our EXIST Women scholarship holders presented their interim results. From project milestones to honest reflections on roadblocks and breakthrough moments – it was all there.

We at Science & Startups couldn’t be more proud to see this initiative take such a major step forward for Berlin’s innovation ecosystem. From the very beginning, we’ve had the privilege of helping shape UNITE.

We invite you to take part in an exciting research study by the Science of Startups Initiative at University of Oxford. Take the Science of Startups Quiz!

We're thrilled to share that WeldNova & Blueprint Biomed from our ecosystem won at this year’s Science4Life Startup Competition, the largest business plan competition in Germany for Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Energy.

Yesterday, over 200 guests gathered at the stunning Berliner Sparkasse venue by the Wannsee to honor the winners of the 13th Gründungspreis, presented by Science & Startups and Berliner Sparkasse.

“I was shocked. 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted every year — 66 tonnes every second,” says Angelica Hernandez, winner of our 100to100 Challenge.

We’re incredibly proud that four teams from the Science & Startups network have made it to the finals! 💥

💡 "I was the only one not staring at a screen — and somehow, that made me feel lonelier." said Adrian Probst, one of the winners of our Hashtag#100to100 challenge.

Back in 2019, 7Learnings joined us at Science & Startups as part of the BerlinerStartupStipendium. Just a few years later, they secured a Series B funding round of over €10 million.

Congratulations to our winning startup teams: 🏆 Voicari – Investor Game 1. round 🏆 Lingolino – Startup Slam 🏆Tox-help – Investor Game 2. round

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming the newest batch of visionary founders to Science & Startups. We're proud to introduce the five new teams joining our networ

Nine of our most promising startup teams pitched their groundbreaking ideas to an expert jury as part of the 13th Gründungspreis by Berliner Sparkasse and Science & Startups.

We're starting an NGO! Legal fees aren't exactly sexy—but they're the first step to real change." That's how Safer Sex Berlin, one of our brilliant 100to100 Challenge winners described their plans.

Laura applied with an idea as imaginative as it is sustainable: living willow furniture — chairs, benches, and structures made from living trees, woven and shaped over time.

Last week, we had the pleasure of joining forces with Siemens and the Werner-von-Siemens Centre in an intensive workshop to further deepen our successful collaboration.

On November 26, 2025, the 3rd FEMALE INVESTORS' DINNER by medianet berlinbrandenburg e.V. will bring together innovative start-ups and committed investors – with a focus on Creative Technologies: AI & Gaming.

Yesterday morning, we gathered in the heart of Berlin to kick off the second Daybreak Pitch by Science & Startups. This healthcare pitch event showed just how much potential lies in the next generation of healthtech founders.

💬 “The best moments at the fair were when people told us they’d just ordered their first e-trucks,” said Cara Heydt. “You can really feel that things are moving. There’s so much energy in the industry right now.”

Are you building a science-based AI startup and ready to scale? The K.I.E.Z. Accelerato is now accepting applications for our Fall 2025 Batch, starting in October.

We*re excited to celebrate the innovations from our new winning batch — driven by passion, creativity, and impact!

The new Student Entrepreneurship Monitor 2025 by Startup-Verband reveals: 20% of students in Germany can imagine founding their own company.