We are a Startup Factory!

In future, startup factories will be the central contact bodies for innovation in Germany. As NXTGN, we have now won the lighthouse competition organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Viability and Energy and are one of 10 funded startup factories in Germany.

The lighthouse competition

Federal government promotes startup factories

The Federal Government is expanding EXIST funding to include the „Leuchtturmwettbewerb Startup Factories“. The aim is to establish five to ten supra-regional and internationally visible start-up factories as central contact points for innovations and thus increase the number and quality of knowledge-based spin-offs.

NXTGN from Baden-Württemberg is moving on to the next round of the competition and is one of the 15 winners of the first activation phase.

Ulm University is part of the new NXTGN Startup Factory
NXTGN consortium applies as Startup Factory

The NXTGN ("Next Generation") consortium, which includes Ulm University, three other universities and a university from Baden-Württemberg, is building a central innovation platform for start-ups in the southwest. The federal government and industry are providing up to 20 million euros for the NXTGN Startup Factory with international appeal. Ulm University is contributing its many years of experience in technology transfer and research-based start-up support. The goal: a new wave of start-ups!

Press release

We want to make a major contribution to the transformation by 2030:

  • 15,000 participants

15,000 participants in programs of the cooperation partners and joint formats with a share of 30% female founders and 10% international participants and targeted promotion of low-barrier formats and migrant founders.

  • 300 + new deep tech start-ups

Targeted support for the activation of researchers through new formats, involvement of business partners, faster IP transfer and more efficient access to laboratory and production space.

  • 1,000 matches

Linking start-ups with the specific transformation needs of business partners to generate effective matches, orders, partnerships, investments, etc.

  • 1 billion in brokered venture capital

Building scalable startups that mobilize more than one billion euros in venture capital for their international growth.

  • 10,000 new jobs

Creation of jobs in Baden-Württemberg.

Associated partners

For the Startup Factory application, we have teamed up with strong partners from science and industry.
The partners are represented by the KIT Gründerschmiede, the Institut für Entrepreneurship und Innovationsforschung and Traces of Stuttgart University, hei_INNOVATION of Heidelberg University, Entrepreneurs Campus of Ulm University, the Generator of the Hochschule der Medien, Campus Founders and IPAI.