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With UNITE, the mission of the Berlin University Alliance is having an impact: EUR 10 million in funding for UNITE – Startup Factory Berlin-Brandenburg

UNITE – Startup Factory Berlin-Brandenburg has been recognized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as one of ten nationwide flagship projects for science-based startups. The award comes with funding of up to EUR 10 million over five years. Private investors had already pledged an additional EUR 10 million in the event that funding was approved. The project is thus starting on strong financial footing and is set to become the central transfer platform for technology-driven spin-offs from the fields of science and industry in the capital region.

News from Jul 14, 2025

The Berlin University Alliance—comprising 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 interdisciplinary 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 startup center of the BUA universities.

The participation of the Berlin Excellence Network is an important step that will significantly strengthen and structure the Berlin-Brandenburg region's knowledge and innovation landscape.

A 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 foster a new generation of technology-driven startups from the scientific community. The focus will be on artificial intelligence, health, and green technologies.

Prof. Günter M. Ziegler, spokesperson for the Berlin University Alliance, President of Freie Universität Berlin, and Chairman of UNITE Science e.V.:

“UNITE is being honored with good reason: the project impressively demonstrates the enormous potential that comes from close cooperation within the Berlin-Brandenburg science region. Universities, universities of applied sciences, and leading non-university research institutions in both federal states work closely together—in collaboration with industry, municipal institutions, and committed private sponsors. The partners of the Berlin University Alliance are at the heart of a new, powerful transfer platform that translates knowledge into concrete results. This broad, cooperative foundation provides an excellent basis for sustainably expanding a high-performance, future-oriented science, business, and innovation region in Berlin-Brandenburg. Its impact can already be felt today—and it will make even more of a difference in the future.

This is a good day for Berlin as a center of science and for the cooperation between the two federal states, and it boosts our efforts to further stimulate the transfer of ideas from science through spin-offs.”

Dr. Ina Czyborra, Senator for Science, Health, and Care of the State of Berlin, says:

“I want to congratulate UNITE on this outstanding achievement. I am very proud that UNITE’s application has received funding through the EXIST competition organized by the Federal Ministry of Economics. The additional financial resources for UNITE will help significantly advance startup support at Berlin’s universities and research institutions. Berlin is one of Europe’s leading centers of science and research, and a hotspot for knowledge-based spin-offs. UNITE, a central innovation and startup center for the capital region, was founded to better leverage our location’s enormous potential with regard to knowledge and technology transfer. I strongly support UNITE’s goals and remain committed to creating the necessary political conditions so Berlin can further expand its leading position in the field of knowledge and technology transfer. In particular, that means ensuring startups can quickly, fairly, and sustainably use IP rights for scientific inventions and developments in their innovations.”

Laura Möller, CEO of UNITE:

“UNITE provides holistic startup support for a new generation of startups. As a Startup Factory, we are internationally focused, research-oriented, and supported by nearly 30 partners from academia, with well over EUR 10 million in private funding from industry and society. With the award from the EXIST flagship competition and strong support from state politicians in Berlin and Brandenburg, we will be able to work with our partners to redefine the conditions for deep-tech and AI startups. This sends a strong signal in support of excellent technology transfer, bold startups, and the enormous potential of the capital region.”

The Berlin University Alliance

The Berlin University Alliance—a network of excellence comprising Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin—is positioning Berlin as one of the world’s leading knowledge and innovation hubs for integrated collaboration across various disciplines and sectors of society. Together, this ecosystem contributes to the sustainable success of major transformations. The Berlin University Alliance is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMFTR) and the State of Berlin as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.

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