Startup Factories

High-tech spin-offs "made in Germany" - BMWE honors ten Startup Factories

BMWE supports ten new startup factories for high-tech spin-offs from research and universities. With significant funding to strengthen regional start-up ecosystems.
News by Marc Nemitz Marc Nemitz · Berlin, 10. July 2025

With the Startup Factories lighthouse competition, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) provides targeted support for spin-offs from universities and research institutions. Ten regional Startup Factories have now been awarded prizes, which will act as excellence-oriented innovation centers in their region in the future and support high-tech startups on their way from the laboratory idea to scaling up.

The startup factories are where the startups of tomorrow and the scaleups of the day after tomorrow are created. They take our science-based start-up system to a new level.

Katherina Reiche, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy

110 million euros in private capital and 10 million per factory from the federal government

Each factory receives up to 10 million euros in funding from the BMWE, provided that private partners contribute the same amount. A total of 126 universities and research institutions as well as 144 economic players are participating with around 110 million euros in private capital.

More and better spin-offs

The factories create a new level of infrastructural, personnel and financial support for knowledge and technology-based start-up projects throughout Germany. The aim is to establish startup ecosystems with international appeal around existing strengths in research, transfer and talent development.

The ten award-winning Startup Factories:

  • UNITE (Berlin, Brandenburg region)
  • NXTGN Startup Factory (Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Ulm)
  • ZOHOfactory (Northern Bavaria)
  • Factory_Futury (Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Mainz)
  • iFHH (Hamburg)
  • GOeFUTURE (Göttingen, Hanover, Braunschweig)
  • Gateway_Factory (Cologne, Aachen, Düsseldorf)
  • Factory BSA (Ruhr region)
  • SouthwestX (Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate)
  • boOst (Saxony, Jena)

This new structure is intended to sustainably strengthen the start-up dynamics from science and set international standards.

Further information can be found at Startup Factories


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