Berliner Startup Stipendium
Supports founders planning to launch their innovative, knowledge-driven, science- or technology-based business ideas in Berlin. The “Berliner Startup Stipendium – Science & Startups for Democratic Resilience” is funded by the European Union and the State of Berlin as part of the European Social Fund Plus, ESF+.
Female Founder Support
With EXIST Women by Science & Startups, women* interested in or inclined towards founding businesses have the opportunity to become thoroughly familiar with business creation and self-employment. The program is aimed at graduates, scientists, students, and women* with professional qualifications and academic bockground not only but especially from Berlin's universities, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité, who want to found businesses either solo or in teams.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie) has launched this funding program to increase the proportion of female founders. The EXIST Women pilot project aims to support women* in developing business ideas to achieve greater diversity in startups and increase the quota of female founders.
This is a 10-month mentoring program that includes coaching, mentoring, qualification, and networking, along with individual support from mentors, a peer-learning program and material resources worth €2,000 per person, and a three-month scholarship of €2,500 for graduates (plus €150 for each child).
The program is divided into 3 phases:
- Training and workshops, mentor matching, scholarship
- Business modelling, mentoring, mindset training
- Possible follow-up financing, individual coaching, mentoring.
Additionally: Accompanying events and activities, workspace in our incubators, a peer-learning program with other participants, as well as individual coaching and intensive startup consulting in the incubator.
The current program started on March 1, 2026 and runs until November 30, 2026. Scholarship payments are made for 3 months, and the material resources allowance is paid as a one-time payment. Compliance with the funding conditions is required (see below).
We use the term "women" as defined by the program's official funding guidelines. Science & Startups recognizes that gender is not binary and welcomes applicants of all gender identities who meet the program's eligibility criteria.
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Applications for the new EXIST Women round 2027 are approximately possible in December 2026.
All application processes begin with a 15-minute consultation with one of our startup consultants.
Conditions for receiving a scholarship are:
- You have no income or work maximum 20 hours/week: This condition only applies to receiving the three-month scholarship.
- Simultaneous funding through a scholarship with the startup grant from the employment agency is not possible.
- You have not previously completed an EXIST Startup Scholarship, Berlin Startup Scholarship, or similar startup funding programs.
- You have not founded a company at the time of application.
- A valid visa is mandatory for the entire duration of the funding.
The scholarship amount depends on your qualification level and is distributed as follows:
- Students (minimum bachelor's degree or 50 % of studies completed): € 1,000
- Women* with completed vocational training: € 2,000
- Graduates with university degree: € 2,500
- Women* with doctorate: € 3,000
Please also check all other funding conditions on the funding provider's website.
We look forward to your application!
Supporting high-potential life sciences startups from research to market
GO-Bio Next is a funding initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to support promising, research-oriented start-up projects in the field of life sciences. The programme is aimed at high-risk, cost-intensive projects with proven “proof of principle” and high commercialization potential, which are brought to market maturity through structured funding.
Program Objectives
- Technology Transfer: Enable the development of cutting-edge research in the life sciences into marketable products and services.
- Startup Support: Provide robust support to research teams aiming to launch sustainable businesses based on scientific innovation.
- Economic Growth: Promote scientific breakthroughs that contribute to economic growth, innovation, and Germany's global competitiveness.
Program Structure
GO-Bio Next is structured into two sequential funding phases:
Phase I: Technical and Business Development
- Objective: Advance research results with startup potential by developing prototypes and preparing for business formation.
- Duration: More than 30 months.
- Funding:
- Non-repayable grants covering personnel expenses for more than 4 full-time positions.
- Up to €2.500,000 for material resources, including equipment, consumables, and external services.
- Activities:
- Develop functional prototypes or demonstrators.
- Address technical and regulatory requirements for commercialization.
- Create a comprehensive business plan and prepare for company formation.
Phase II: Business Launch and Market Entry
- Objective: Support further development, business operations, and market entry.
- Duration: Up to 36 months.
- Funding:
- Non-repayable grants covering project-related costs.
- Private co-financing is required to secure this phase of funding.
- Activities:
- Finalize product development and refine technology.
- Start marketing and sales activities.
- Secure external funding from investors or financial institutions.
- Expand business operations and enter the market.
Criteria for eligibility for funding:
- Applicants: research teams from German universities and research institutions who wish to establish a startup.
- Prerequisites:
- Proof of the fundamental viability of the project.
- The project addresses a major need in life sciences and requires public funding due to high risk and technological immaturity.
- Commitment to commercialize the research results by founding a startup.
Application process with the support of Science & Startups:
- Preparation of a detailed project proposal outlining the technological innovation, development plan and business strategy.
- Applications for funding phase I are submitted by one of Berlin's leading universities
Application Deadlines and Start Dates
- Application Deadlines: March 15 and September 15.
- Earliest Start Date: 10 months after application.
Validation of AI-based ideas
Testing your idea before the first application
Most public support programs assume you have already validated your idea and know who your team is. The Pre-Incubation Club is the step before that. Over a series of evenings we take one question at a time
— what makes a problem worth solving, what makes a solution good, how you find out whether anyone actually wants it — and you apply it to the idea you brought with you. No application, no selection, no cost.
You leave each evening knowing which part of your idea you need to work on. And if you do not have an idea yet, come anyway: this is also where people find a team to join.
Program Overview
A series of evening sessions, one topic per evening, held in English with
- Expert input — and time to apply it to your own idea
- A panel with founders and investors on the questions that usually stay private: what an idea is actually worth in equity, and when to hold on or pivot
- Free access to a digital entrepreneurship learning platform between sessions
- Visits to Berlin startup events
- Direct contact with the advisors who run Berliner Startup Stipendium, exist and AI NATION
No obligation. Just come to one session, come to alle of them or stop after the first.
Who it is for
Everyone. You do not need to be connected to a university.
- Anyone with an idea that is not ready yet — including an idea you have not told anyone about
- No prototype, no team, no business plan, no pitch deck required
Not designed for teams already in an incubation program. If that is you, you are past this point. Talk to your advisor instead.
How to join
No application, no selection, no deadline.
Sign up once and we will keep you updated: Pre-Incubation Club registration
Kickoff: Thursday, 12 November 2026, 6–8 pm, Salzufer 15/16, 10587 Berlin.
Sessions run roughly once a month after that. Bring your own idea, if you have one.
We send about one email a month: the date, the venue and the topic of the next session. Nothing else, of course you can unsubscribe at any time.
FAQ regarding
Here you'll find frequently asked questions regarding the program.
Berliner Startup Stipendium
The Berliner Startup Stipendium is an early stage funding program that supports founders in developing innovative, technology-based business ideas to market readiness.
The BSS “Science & Startups for Democratic Resilience” is implemented by Science & Startups and funded within ESF Instrument 3. The program combines financial support with structured incubation, coaching, workshops and access to the Berlin startup ecosystem.
No. A university degree is not a requirement for participation in the Berliner Startup Stipendium.
Applicants can be admitted regardless of their educational background, provided they demonstrate the skills, experience and potential needed to successfully develop their startup idea. Relevant competencies must be evidenced through appropriate documentation, such as professional references, employer evaluations, certificates, vocational qualifications, continuing education courses, project portfolios or other comparable documents.
As the programme is delivered by Berlin's leading universities and research institutions, many participating teams are connected to the academic, scientific or research ecosystem. However, applicants are evaluated on the strength of their startup project, their demonstrated competencies and their entrepreneurial potential, rather than on the basis of a specific degree.
The final assessment of an applicant's qualifications and suitability is made by the our startup consultants during the selection process.
The program is aimed at early-stage founders who have developed an innovative, technology-based product or concept and already have a prototype or prototype like solution.
Applicants must be able to fully commit to their startup during the funding period and to work 35 hours / per week on-site.
There is no age restriction and no nationality restriction. International applicants are welcome. A valid residence permit for the entire funding period is required and must allow startup or self-employment activities.
Berliner Startup Stipendium – Science & Startups for Democratic Resilience is an early-stage funding program for science-based and technology-driven founders in Berlin.
The program is implemented by Science & Startups and is designed to strengthen innovation and democratic resilience through research-based entrepreneurship.
Each funded founder receives 2,500 Euro per month (gross) for up to 12 months.
The stipend is a personal scholarship and does not constitute an employment contract. Participants are responsible for handling taxes, health insurance and social security contributions independently.
Your team must consist of 2 to 4 founders.
Team members may be added after the program has started. Additional founders can join up to 3 months after the start of the funding period for the Long Track (12 months) and up to 1 month after the start of the funding period for the Fast Track (6 months). New team members always start on the first day of a month.
The Berliner Startup Stipendium is a person based early-stage program, not a company funding scheme.
Participation is only possible if an existing company has not yet started economic activity, meaning no goods or services have been offered on the market (e. g. through a website). In such cases, proof of non-economic activity and a declaration that no work will be performed for the existing company during the stipend period are required.
If a company has already been operating on the market, participation is not permitted.
No. Full time commitment to the startup is required. Employment contracts must be terminated before the start of the stipend. A leave of absence is not sufficient.
Participation during ongoing full-time studies is generally not possible.
An exception may apply if you have completed all the mandatory ECTS points and have registered your thesis. A copy of the registration will be needed.
No. The stipend replaces other state compensation payments such as unemployment benefits, parental allowance, maternity benefits or BAföG. These cannot be received simultaneously.
Yes. Your main residence must be registered in Berlin at the beginning of the funding period and must remain in Berlin throughout the stipend. The startup must also remain based in Berlin during the funding period.
The program is conducted in Berlin. Certain elements may be carried out online in coordination with the project partner, but full availability and a registered main residence in Berlin are mandatory. Note that you have to work 35 hours / week on-site.
No. The stipend does not create an employment relationship and therefore does not include a statutory vacation entitlement.
Short term illness does not interrupt stipend payments. In case of longer illness, the project partner must be informed and further steps will be clarified individually.
Yes. Securing follow-up funding, including investments or crowdfunding, is encouraged. Majority control and voting rights must remain with the funded founders.
In general, participation is not possible if you have already received EXIST, BSS or a comparable early-stage startup scholarship. Exceptions may apply in specific cases and require prior approval.