10 million euros in funding for UNITE – Startup Factory Berlin-Brandenburg
© Adobe Stock
UNITE – Startup Factory Berlin-Brandenburg has been recognised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as one of ten nationwide flagship projects for science-based start-ups. UNITE is to be established as a central transfer platform for technology-driven spin-offs from science and industry in the capital region. The Helmholtz Centre Berlin will also benefit from this.
The award for the flagship project comes with funding of up to 10 million euros over five years. Private investors had already pledged an additional 10 million euros in advance, with another 10 million euros coming from the VC Pre-Seed Fund. This gives the project a strong financial foundation (a total of 30 million euros) for UNITE and future deep tech start-ups in the capital region.
The Berlin University Alliance – consisting of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin – has been instrumental in establishing UNITE e.V. and will now work alongside a broad-based consortium to strategically and sustainably expand knowledge transfer in Berlin-Brandenburg. Important impetus for the conception and design of UNITE came from "Science & Start-ups" – the joint start-up centre of the BUA universities.
The HZB will be more closely integrated into Berlin's start-up landscape
For the Berlin-Brandenburg region, the participation of the Berlin Excellence Network is an important step that will significantly strengthen and structure the knowledge and innovation space. The Helmholtz Centre Berlin also benefits as a partner in the UNITE project. This gives employees easier access to support services for innovation and transfer from the Berlin University Alliance and other UNITE partners.
"One particular advantage is that the Helmholtz Centre Berlin will be even more firmly and sustainably anchored in Berlin's start-up landscape. Where creative minds come together, new ideas and networks for their realisation emerge," says Dr. Paul Harten, Head of Technology Transfer at HZB. He emphasises that the joint collaboration in UNITE will enable more innovation in and from research.
Focus on AI, health and green technologies
The aim is to structurally strengthen innovation pathways between research and application beyond traditional technology transfer and to bring forth a new generation of technology-driven start-ups from science. The focus will be on artificial intelligence, health and green technologies.
- Five Berlin-based research institutions join forces in data-driven materials researchResearch data is regarded as key to materials research in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Five Berlin-based research institutions have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish long-term collaboration in the fields of research data, data infrastructures and AI.
- Green hydrogen with PEC electrolysers: New insights into transport processesOne method of storing solar energy is to use PEC electrolysers to produce hydrogen. However, scaling up this technology remains challenging. Now, a team at the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels has used 2D fluorescence imaging and particle velocimetry to observe the movement of ions and dissolved gases within the electrolyte during electrolysis. These new insights may prove useful in the development of larger PEC electrolysers.
- New contact material boosts the efficiency of perovskite solar cellsA newly developed material for the electron contact improves the efficiency of single perovskite solar cells and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. The new material is based on a carborane molecule. It offers several advantages over the standard material C60, as shown by the study led by Steve Albrecht’s team. The new material has since been patented and is already commercially available.