The De-TECH (Deep Tech European Venture Builder) project, funded by the EIT HEI Initiative, has officially launched with a structured work plan built around six coordinated Work Packages (WPs). The project’s mission is to strengthen the role of European higher education institutions (HEIs) in fostering deep tech innovation and supporting the creation of research-based startups.

Over the next three years, seven partners from five countries will collaborate to equip universities with the tools, networks, and expertise needed to bring cutting-edge technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum science to market.



 

Work Package Overview

🔹 WP1 – Coordination and Management (Led by UPM)
This package sets up the project’s governance and ensures smooth coordination across partners. It also includes the design of long-term sustainability strategies, both financial and ecosystem-based, beyond the project’s funding period.

🔹 WP2 – Technology Scouting and Valorization (Led by UPM)
WP2 analyzes current tools and practices used by partners for identifying marketable research. It aims to define a shared scouting and valorization mechanism and train Technology Transfer Office (TTO) staff to apply it across the consortium.

🔹 WP3 – Open Innovation Tech Challenges (Led by LUH)
This package organizes three rounds of open innovation challenges, in which companies present real-world problems for students and researchers to solve. The goal is to bridge academia and industry and accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies.

🔹 WP4 – De-TECH Competition and Spin-off Support (Led by EBS)
WP4 runs a 10-week venture-building program in two editions, supporting selected technologies with expert mentoring, tailored training, and seed funding. The program ends with DemoDay events connecting teams to potential investors.

🔹 WP5 – Entrepreneurship and AI Education & Mentoring (Led by ITU)
WP5 delivers cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship training for bachelor’s, master’s, PhD students, and staff. It builds a European mentoring network and opens AI courses developed by LUH to the full De-TECH ecosystem.

🔹 WP6 – Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation (Led by Effectia)
Responsible for outreach and stakeholder engagement, WP6 runs monthly digital campaigns, open information events, and a long-term strategy to position HEIs as key players in Europe’s innovation landscape.



 

 Key Early Milestones (Months 1–4):

  • Establishment of the governance structure and project website launch.

  • Publication of the impact and dissemination plan.

  • Design of the entrepreneurship education program.

  • First Open Innovation Tech Challenge call launched.

  • Mapping of scouting tools across partner institutions.



De-TECH is a transformative initiative that aims to turn academic excellence into entrepreneurial impact. By the end of the project, partner universities will be positioned as self-sustaining innovation hubs with long-lasting influence on Europe’s tech-driven future.

More information: [www.de-tech.eu]