IFW Innovation is pleased to announce the start of a new cooperation with Startup Factory BOOST, a nationwide initiative dedicated to advancing science-driven and deep-tech entrepreneurship in Germany.
The partnership expands IFW Innovation’s portfolio of external support services by adding structured, practice-oriented formats that support researchers, PhD candidates, and early founding teams at critical stages of the innovation and transfer process. Together, IFW Innovation and Startup Factory BOOST aim to systematically lower barriers between scientific excellence and entrepreneurial implementation.
Startup Factory BOOST brings a strong focus on results-oriented learning, market validation, and access to experienced founders, industry partners, and investors. Through the cooperation, members of the IFW ecosystem gain direct access to newly launched BOOST formats that complement IFW’s existing validation, transfer, and advisory activities.
The current program portfolio includes three key formats:
Tech Incubator – a 12-week, hands-on incubation program for deep-tech university teams and research spin-offs, focusing on customer validation, team development, go-to-market strategies, and fundraising readiness.
PhD Workshop (incl. Semiconductor Focus) – a 2-day workshop designed for PhD candidates and early-career researchers to translate scientific results into use cases, early business concepts, and potential start-up ideas, without pressure to found a company.
Team Builder (Co-Founder Matching) – a 2-week matchmaking and team-formation program that helps individuals and teams find co-founders, test team dynamics, and prepare for incubation.
These formats are closely aligned with IFW Innovation’s mission to enable responsible, science-based transfer and to support researchers in exploring entrepreneurial pathways alongside their academic careers.
Explore all new BOOST formats, timelines, and application details in the official program overview (PDF):
Download the Startup Factory BOOST Program Overview (PDF)
For individual questions or guidance on how these formats connect to IFW Innovation services, please get in touch with our team via the IFW Innovation website.
