The De-TECH Venture Builder Competition 2025 begins!

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The De-TECH Venture Builder Competition 2025 begins as four European universities seek deep tech startups to launch into the market

On 20 June, the application period opens for the Deep Tech European Venture Builder Competition 2025, a competition within the EU-funded Deep Tech European Venture Builder (De-TECH) project under the EIT HEI program. The competition invites researchers, PhD students, and recent graduates from startups affiliated with the four consortium universities to apply for a 10-week tailored training and mentoring program.

The goal is to accelerate the market entry of deep tech innovations developed within the university research environment through expert-led training, one-on-one mentoring, and access to a dynamic innovation ecosystem. Participants who complete the program will be eligible to compete for €15,000 prizes.

Coordinated by the Estonian Business School, the competition focuses on high-impact, deep-tech innovations with significant market potential or the capacity to generate meaningful social impact. These may include fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, health and biotech, advanced materials, space technologies, or other data- and science-driven domains. To ensure relevance and maturity, technologies must have reached a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4 or higher.

The deadline for applications is 15 August, and the program will begin in September. Selected participants will be invited to travel to Istanbul on 11 December 2025 for a DEMO DAY with other European competitors.

What does the Deep Tech European Venture Builder Competition 2025 offer?

  • The chance to turn your research into a high-impact innovation project.
  • Practical, market-ready skills tailored to the needs of deep tech spin-offs.
  • Access to a network of experts, companies, researchers, and investors.

The De-TECH Venture Builder Competition 2025, part of the Deep Tech European Venture Builder (De-TECH) project and funded by the EIT Higher Education Initiative, invites researchers, postgraduate students, and recent alumni (graduates within the last five years) from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Estonian Business School, Istanbul Technical University, and Leibniz University Hannover to apply for a 10-week customised training and mentoring programme.

Participants who successfully complete the programme will be eligible to compete for monetary prizes of €15,000 each.

Eligible applicants must be working on deep tech innovations developed within these universities, or the technologies must have originated at these institutions, even if their development and commercialisation have since been transferred to a spin-off or startup.

Below you will find all the information you need to participate:

– Call for Applications Deep Tech European Venture Builder Competition 2025
– Application Form Deep Tech European Venture Builder Competition 2025

The application deadline is 15 August.

More information: https://detechproject.eu/methodology-activities/

What is the Deep Tech European Venture Builder Consortium?

The consortium is coordinated by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and includes the Estonian Business School, Istanbul Technical University, and Leibniz University Hannover. It also involves two industry partners: Technoport, a high-tech incubator based in Luxembourg, and Effectia, a Spanish innovation consultancy, as well as one public sector partner, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

The European Union funds the Deep Tech European Venture Builder Competition 2025 through the EIT HEI Initiative. It is built around four key steps to bring university-based innovation to market:

  1. Identify promising technologies developed within partner universities through collaboration with Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) and assess their market potential.
  2. Organise innovation challenges that connect universities and businesses with real-world needs and encourage creative, entrepreneurial thinking among students and researchers.
  3. Launch the De-TECH competition, supported by an intensive startup support program that includes training, mentoring, and financial assistance. Winning projects will receive funding and pitch their ideas to investors at DemoDay events.
  4. Deliver entrepreneurial and technological skills training for students, researchers, and university staff to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and equip participants with the tools needed to lead innovation.

More information: https://detechproject.eu/

Stay Connected with De-TECH: Follow Our Channels and Partner Networks

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As the De-TECH project moves forward, staying informed and engaged is easier than ever. Whether you’re a student, researcher, mentor, policymaker, or entrepreneur, we invite you to join our growing innovation community through our communication channels and those of our partners.

De-TECH is committed to transparent, dynamic, and inclusive communication, sharing project updates, opportunities, events, and success stories across multiple platforms.

 

 

 

Official Channels of De-TECH

🔹 Website – Your main gateway to all project activities, competitions, training offers, and resources:
🌐 [www.de-tech.eu]

 

🔹 LinkedIn – Follow us for professional updates, news, and event announcements:
🔗 [linkedin.com/company/de-tech-eu] (coming soon)

 

 

 

Stay Up to Date via Our Partners’ Networks

Each De-TECH partner also shares relevant project content through their institutional channels. Follow them to gain additional insights into their local actions and initiatives:

 

Help Us Grow the Community

By following and sharing our updates, you contribute to expanding the reach of De-TECH and bringing more students, researchers, and innovators into the deep tech ecosystem. Tag us, use the hashtag #DeTECH_EU, and stay tuned for upcoming competitions and events!

 

 

 

De-TECH Project Kicks Off with a Clear Roadmap Across Work Packages

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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]


De-TECH Launches: A European Project to Turn University Innovation into Market Solutions

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The European project De-TECH (Deep Tech European Venture Builder) has officially launched with a clear mission: to bridge the gap between academic research and market-ready innovation. Funded by the EIT HEI Initiative and coordinated by the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), De-TECH aims to turn scientific breakthroughs in deep tech into high-impact startups.

Despite Europe’s strength in scientific research, many innovative ideas remain within university walls. De-TECH addresses this challenge by focusing on deep tech sectors such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing, and space technologies, helping academic teams bring their innovations to the real world.

The project brings together a consortium of seven partners: four higher education institutions (UPM, LUH, ITU, and EBS), one tech incubator (Technoport), one innovation consultancy (Effectia), and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM).




Main Objectives of De-TECH

  • Train over 1,000 students, researchers, and staff in entrepreneurship and innovation through cross-disciplinary programs.

  • Build a pan-European mentorship network, linking experienced professionals with emerging entrepreneurs.

  • Organize Open Innovation Tech Challenges, connecting universities with industry to solve real-world problems.

  • Run the De-TECH Competition, a 10-week program to support early-stage technologies with mentoring, training, and seed funding.

  • Launch at least 4 research-based spin-offs, promoting economic resilience and sustainable growth.




Running from 2025 to 2027, De-TECH is structured in three phases: design and pilot, implementation and expansion, and full institutionalization. The project aims to establish universities as self-sustaining innovation hubs, fully integrated into the European entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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



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