Technology Transfer at the Medical Faculty
The Knowledge and Technology Transfer team at the Medical Faculty will help you turn initial ideas from applied research into real products that can benefit society. We work closely with the Transfer Center enaCom.
Our services and what we can do for you:
- Support you in writing grant applications for transfer and innovation funding
- Help you in preparing a winning pitch
- Guide you in establishing a thorough business plan, including a business model, revenue model and go-to market approach
- Advise you on regulatory and IP issues
- Connect you with industry partners and potential investors
More than 50% of the scientists we support get funded. And we have helped science teams win more than 100,000 EUR from pitch competitions. Don't hesitate to contact us, we're excited to help.
Do you want to address medically relevant issues and bring your research or invention to the patient or doctor?
Send us a brief email to wissenschaft.transfer@ukbonn.de and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. We are happy to discuss any idea you may have.
On this page you will find information about:
What researchers say about working with us:
"We had really helpful support from the Tech Transfer team in preparing for the 1st Medicine Pitch Contest. It was fun, our pitch improved a lot and we gained a better understanding of many other topics of the start-up phase such as financing, IP and market analysis. We now know that we can get valuable support here and will definitely stay in touch."
– Dr. Katerina Deike-Hofmann, Neuroradiology
"The Technology Transfer team at the Medical Faculty was very committed to advising us on all aspects of our project with their well-founded expertise. The valuable support - from writing the application for funding, preparing a one-pager to strategic considerations, have been essential to our success The change of perspective that they made possible for us was particularly helpful."
– Johannes Striebel, Experimental Ophthalmology
"In the intensive coaching of the Tech Transfer team, I learned how to create a really strong pitch presentation. In addition, various funding opportunities for my project were opened up to me. These are things that scientists may not have in mind and that my project develops took it to a whole new level."
– Arthur Jordan, Epileptology
Get in touch!
Eva Worst
Wissenschaftsmanagement - Transfer
Venusberg-Campus 1
53127 Bonn
Dr. Stefan Fasbender
Science Management - Transfer
Venusberg-Campus 1
53127 Bonn
Here is how to find us:
Deanship of the Medical Faculty
Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 33, 53127 Bonn
(right next to the canteen)
Newsletter Innovative Medicine
Sign up for the newsletter to receive information about:
- Upcoming events
- Funding programs
- Important articles
- Insipiring stories
- Collaboration calls
Research & Incorporation Funding
Link: Start-interaktiv
Submission deadline: 15.01 and 15.07
Focus:
- Digitally supported health and care
- Liveable spaces: smart, sustainable and innovative
Funding:
- Module 1: Eligible for funding are expenditures for the implementation of R&D projects (personnel, material and travel expenditures as well as project-related investments that are not attributable to the applicant's basic equipment). No maximum funding amount has been specified (we recommend the range around 400,000 euros).
- Module 2: In the case of startups with little capital, it is checked whether funding of eligible project-related expenses, usually 80%, could be necessary. Maximum funding: 400,000 euros.
Duration: 18-36 months
Link: Validierungsförderung VIP+
Submission deadline: Continuous application possible
Focus: Topic agnostic
Funding: Up to 1,500,000 euros
Duration: Up to 36 months
Link: Go-Bio initial
Submission deadline: 15.02 of each year, BUT prior consultation with PROvendis necessary (no later than 15.01), so begin timely!
Focus: Life sciences
- Therapeutics
- Diagnostics
- Medical technology
- Platform technologies
- Research tools
Funding:
- Exploratory phase: Personnel, travel, consulting services, patent applications / FtO analysis, material and consumables, up to 100,000 euros.
- Feasibility phase: Staff, travel, consulting services, patent applications / FtO analysis, material and consumables, subcontracts, up to 1,000,000 euros.
Duration:
- Exploratory phase: Up to 12 months
- Feasibility phase: Up to 24 months
Link: EXIST-Forschungstransfer
Submission deadline:
- Continuous application possible
- Project evaluation takes place starting 31.04., 31.08. and 30.11. every year
Focus: Topic agnostic
Funding:
- Phase 1: From 500,00 up to 1,500,000 euros. Personnel expenses / costs for a maximum of four personnel positions as well as material expenses / costs are financed. The material expenses / costs include, for example, commodities, consumables, capital goods, property rights, market research and the awarding of orders and coaching measures. Student assistants can also be funded. The expenses/costs for student assistants and material expenses/costs are generally eligible up to a total of 250,000 euros. Projects of the research institutions of the FhG, HGF, Max Planck Society, Leibniz Association that are jointly funded by the federal and state governments can be funded up to 90%, those of universities and other research institutions up to 100%.
- Phase 2: Non-repayable subsidy of up to 180,000 euros, but no more than 75% of the specific costs of the project. As a prerequisite for funding, the company provides its own funds and, if necessary, equity capital in a ratio of 1:3 (up to 60,000 euros).
Duration:
- Phase 1: 18 - 36 months
- Phase 2: 18 months
Link: EXIST-Gründerstipendium
Submission deadline: Continuous application possible
Focus: Topic agnostic
Funding:
- Founders with a doctorate degree: 3,000 euros/month
- Graduates with a university degree: 2,500 euros/month
- Technical employees: 2,000 euros/month
- Students: 1,000 euros/month
- Child supplement: 150 euros/month per child
- Material expenses: up to 10,000 euros for individual start-ups (max. 30,000 euros per team)
Duration: 12 months
Link: KMU-innovativ
Submission deadline: Depends onthe individual technology field
Focus:
- Bioeconomy
- Electronics and autonomous driving
- Supercomputing
- Research for civil security
- Medical technology
- Information-and communicationtechnologies
- Interactive technologies for health and quality of life
- Material research
- Photonics and quantum technologies
- Production technology
- Resource efficiency and climate protection
Funding: 20 to 100% of the eligible costs, depending on applicants and type of costs
Duration: N/A
Link: ERC Proof of Concept
Submission deadline:
- 14.03.2024
- 17.09.2024
Focus: Only PIs from one of the ERC main grants (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, Synergy) may apply.
Funding: 150,000 euros
Duration: 18 months
Link: EIC Pathfinder Open & Challenges
Submission deadline:
- 07.04.2024
- 17.10.2024
Focus: EIC Pathfinder Open is open to all topics. New topics are published for the EIC Pathfinder Challenges every year. Consortia are usually required for EIC Pathfinder Open, but individual applications are also permitted for EIC Pathfinder Challenges.
Funding: up to 4,000,000 euros
Duration: N/A
Link: EIC Transition Open & Challenges
Submission deadline:
- 18.09.2024
Focus: EIC Transition Open is open to all topics. New topics are published for EIC Transition Challenges every year. Only projects that are funded with EIC Pathfinder, ERANET FET programs or ERC Proof of Concept may apply.
Funding: up to 2,500,000 euros
Duration: up to 36 months
- Deutsche Förderprogramme finden (BMWK)
- Deutsche Förderprogramme finden (Bundesregierung)
- Medizin.NRW: Allgemeine Info + Aktuelle Förderaufrufe
- EKFS Translatorik-Förderlinie
- Bundesagentur für Sprunginnovationen
- Start-up Transfer.NRW
- Gründerstipendium NRW
- IHI Future Opportunities
- RWP MDR & IVDR Beratung
- ZukunftBIO.NRW
- Innovationswettbewerb Gesünder.IN.NRW
- DFG Erkenntnistransfer
- Preis der Deutschen Hochschulmedizin
- BMBF Forschungszulage
- NRW Patent-Validierung
- DATIpilot
Tips
- Most funding programs are topic-independent and accept projects from the areas of therapeutics, medical technology, biotechnology, diagnostics and digital health.
- Individual projects are usually 100% funded, while industrial collaborations (be it with a startup or a larger company) require partial self-financing between 10% and 50%.
- Some programs require a legal entity based in NRW.
- We would be happy to help you choose the right funding program for your stage and needs.
What researchers say about working with us:
“I found our cooperation more than helpful! What was particularly great was simply the absolute willingness to help and quick responses to questions, especially about the pitch contest. The detailed information about the investors who were to be present was super helpful in order to be able to optimally prepare the pitch deck and also to be able to prepare for possible questions. Going through the grant options with us to get the best possible result was also very helpful. That is simply incredibly motivating and you just feel super supported. In addition, the conversations and meetings were always super pleasant and you just felt that you were in good hands, especially as a person."
– Julia Pawlick, Experimental Ophthalmology
Startup or license?
Each approach has its advantages and challenges. We’ll help you develop a commercialisation strategy that fits your invention. Contact us!
IP Protection & Licensing
Do you have an idea that might have widespread application? Disclosing your invention is a crucial first step towards protecting your interests and your innovation’s potential.
How to get started
There is some initial information we need before we can prepare your invention disclosure. This helps us to determine the ownership of the invention, the scope of patent protection, which inventors should be put on a patent application and more. Here is an overview:
- General information about the invention
- Information concerning the inventor(s)
- Description of the invention
- Description of the market
- Additional results
- Confirmation of the inventor(s)
- Confirmation of the university
- Assignment of PROvendis*
To provide us with this information please download the Standard Invention Disclosure or the Software Invention Disclosure, fill it in and send it to us following the instructions inside. If you need help in any way, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Note: While it is important to include the required information in pursuit of completing this form, please do not delay your submission due to a lack of simple, granular information (e.g., an address). These types of details can be collected later in the process.
Note: Making a public disclosure before patent filing may jeopardize our ability to protect your IP.
*As the official patent service for NRW universities we closely work with PROvendis GmbH for all invention disclosures, patent applications and licensing deals.
Protect your intellectual property when collaborating with third parties, whether they are non-profit or for-profit institutions.
MTAs specify the rights, obligations and restrictions of both the providing and receiving parties with respect to issues such as ownership, publication, intellectual property and permitted use and liability.
All contracts need to be presented to the responsible internal team and have to be checked and approved by them. Please reach out to Martin Trillsch, or alternatively contact us.
Different inventions require different licensing strategies. For example, a basic new scientific tool that is likely to be widely used is typically licensed on a non-exclusive basis. In contrast, an invention which requires significant investment of resources by a company is typically licensed on an exclusive basis. The exclusive license provides the licensee with an incentive to undertake the risky capital investments and commit the resources required for product development.
Key starting points for customising a licensing approach for each entity include knowing:
- The product benefits relative to existing products
- The expected customers
- Market channels
- Potential sales and margins
- Additional aspects of the proposed or existing business
Standard features of a license will typically include negotiated financial terms, such as annual fees, milestone fees, a royalty on product sales and reimbursement of patent costs. The non-financial terms of the license are equally important and will include:
- Degree of exclusivity: nonexclusive, exclusive, or restricted by field of use
- Reservation of rights for the federal government (if the invention is derived from federally-funded research) and for the University and other non-profit organizations for their research and educational activities
- Performance (or “diligence”) requirements to assure that the company has the resources to develop the technology and is committed to doing so. These diligence terms allow for tracking the progress of the technology toward commercialisation.
1. Invention Disclosure. The inventors provide a description of the technology and an explanation of the critical solution it could provide to benefit society by submitting an Invention Disclosure Form. This is the first step of the Patent Application preparation process.
2. Preliminary Invention Assessment. Each disclosure is evaluated for commercial potential and patentability by NRW's specialised service provider PROvendis. Factors considered include:
- Novelty
- Inventive approach
- Manufacturing feasibility
- Potential applications
- Market size
- Potential competitors/partners
- Potential challenges to patenting and commercialisation
According to the Arbeitnehmererfindergesetz PROvendis has four months from the time of notification to consider the chances that a technology can be successfully patented or licensed before investing in the cost of obtaining patent protection (approximately 30.000 – 45.000 EUR in Germany alone).
If PROvendis decides to make a claim, it is obliged to file a patent application with the inventors in Germany and to pay inventor remuneration in the event of financial exploitation (see Royalty Sharing below). If PROvendis decides against it, the invention is released and the inventors are allowed to file by themselves.
3. Patent Application. To obtain a patent, PROvendis files an official request for examination with the DPMA and starts a process that may take up to 2.5 years. If the result of the examination is positive, the patent owner is granted the exclusive right to exploit the invention for a maximum period of 20 years.
4. Invention Commercialisation. The main goals are to ensure that the technology will be used for the public benefit, complying with federal and University policies and if successful will provide a reasonable financial return to the University and the inventors. Few possibilities exist for the commercialisation of patents such as:
- Licensing agreements
- Raising third party funding
- Starting a business
The approach may vary on case by case basis and will depend on various factors, including the interest of the market. PROvendis and the University will market the technology to companies and organisations who might be interested in dedicating money, people and resources to develop it for broader use.
5. Royalty Sharing. In the case of the successful commercialisation of the patent application, following the University's Patent Strategy the gross income or royalties are divided the following way:
- 30% goes to the inventors
- 5-15% goes to PROvendis, depending on the gross income
The University uses the remaining income to refinance the patenting costs as well as transfer-related activities and to incentivise the Institute of the inventors.
In the case of multiple inventors, the University will divide the inventors' share equally unless all the inventors have agreed to a different allocation.
- Arbeitnehmererfindergesetz
- PROvendis GmbH
- German Patent and Trademark Office
- Euopean Patent Office
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
- Espacenet Patent Search
- Patent (and Other) Protection Available for Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Related Inventions (Video)
- Basics of Copyrights, Data, and Software (Video)
Who is an inventor? Unlike authorship on a research publication, inventorship is a legal determination made by a patent attorney. An inventor on a patent is someone whose ideas and experimentation are responsible for (or substantially contributed to) the conception of an invention. In a university setting, inventors might include the faculty member in whose lab the IP originated, students or postdocs who carried out work in the lab, and collaborators or others who contributed to the invention.
What can be patented? To be patentable, an invention must be useful, novel, and not obvious.
- Compositions of matter – new chemical or biological entities, but not isolated products of nature
- Machines – mechanical or electronic devices, including medical devices
- Articles of manufacture – new products made by defined process
- Processes – methods of making compositions, methods of making articles, and even some methods of gathering or evaluating data or of performing business
Researchers also generate other types of intellectual property in addition to inventions, such as copyrightable creations, including content-based scholarly works, and unpatented materials, such as cell lines.
Who owns what I create? Ownership depends upon the employment status of the creators of the invention and their use of University resources. Considerations include:
- What was the creator's employment status at the time the intellectual property was made?
- Were University resources used in creating the intellectual property?
- What are the terms of any agreement related to the creation of the intellectual property?
As a general rule, the University owns inventions conceived or reduced to practice in whole or in part by members of the faculty or staff (including student employees) of the University in the course of their University responsibilities or with more than incidental use of University resources.
Templates & Resources
Some of the templates and information you need to work on when handling your intellectual property. We can help you customize them.
What researchers say about working with us:
"I have given many scientific talks, but preparing a pitching presentation was very different. The trainings made me think about some business aspects of our project that I didn’t know that I didn’t know! It was a fantastic crash course!"
– Dr. Behnam Javanmardi, Institute for Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics
Attention!
Our ability to protect IP falls in jeopardy if you publish, present, or share your findings with others on a non-confidential basis before we file a patent application. If you plan to disclose any information about your innovation to others, please contact us immediately.
For Founders
Launching a startup company can be an exciting and fulfilling opportunity. We can help you analyze several factors to determine whether this is the most appropriate path to commercialisation for your technology, including:
- The potential of the core technology to provide a solid platform for multiple markets or product opportunities
- The competitive environment
- Likelihood of interest from existing companies in licensing the technology
- Availability of venture capital, together with the interest, capabilities, and track record of likely investors
- And more
Here is a list of startups from Uni Bonn.
We are here to help. This help can take various forms and cover many directions, including:
- Set up a collaboration between the university and industry
- Provide expertise in various technology, business, legal and leadership fields
- Help you find application for your invention
- Help you protect your invention
- Help you apply for grants and VC funding
- Help you start your own company
To get started just contact us.
There are few popular routes when it comes to getting funding for an academic startup.
Grants. Involves the borrowing of money without the obligation to repay them. Grants are, essentially, a gift. See Innovation Funding section above for a list of grants we can help you apply for.
Equity financing. Involves selling a portion of a company's equity in return for capital. The main advantage of equity financing is that there is no obligation to repay the money acquired through it in case of a failure. The downside is that one has to consult with the new partners any time one makes decisions affecting the company.
Equity financing is the most popular financing path for startups with innovative solutions. It usually requires getting initial market traction and showing some product/market fit proof.
More common forms of equity financing include:
- Angel investors
- Crowdfunding
- Venture capital firms (VC)
- Corporate investors
- Listing on an exchange with an initial public offering (IPO)
Debt financing. Involves the borrowing of money and paying it back with interest. The advantages of debt financing include retention of control over your business, tax deductible interest payments and predictability. The downside to debt financing is that it is a bet on ones future ability to pay back the loan.
More common forms of debt financing include:
- Term loans
- Business lines of credit
- Personal loans, usually from a family or friend
- Peer-to-peer lending services
There are various regional and national startup pitching contests with prizes ranging from 1.000 to 100.000 EUR. A collection can be found on few websites, including:
Some of the more popular ones focused on medicine are here:
March:
April:
June:
August:
September:
Note: You can keep your invention a secret and still participate in a startup competitons. We can help you with that. Get in touch with us.
There are tons of great resources on the internet, here are some recommended ones.
Science startups:
- Nature Biotechnology: Building a Buisness
- Example Nonbinding Term Sheet for Research Collaboration, Option, and License Agreement
- Venture Capital 101: A Primer for Academic Entrepreneurs
- Biostar Biotech: Various Cap Table Scenarios for a Hypothetical Biotech Startup
- Investing in University Technologies: Founder's Equity
- Fast Forward Medical Innovation – Commercialization Education
Pitch decks:
- 14 Pitch Deck Examples from Successful Startups
- The early pitch decks of 29 startups before they became billion-dollar companies
Startup know-how:
Internal network at the University:
- University Transfer Center enaCom
- University Clinics
- Bonn Technology Campus
- Exellence Clusters
- Transdisciplinary Research Areas
- Science2Startup
- MIB – Medical Imaging Center Bonn
External network:
Got questions? Send them over to wissenschaft.transfer@ukbonn.de.
Templates & Resources
Some of the templates and information you need to work on when dealing with your startup. We can help you customize them.
What researchers say about working with us:
"What helped me most were the specific recommendations on how to present, business aspects that I was unaware of, the excellent support in a very short time frame and the broad expertise in the biotech and investment sector. The Tech Transfer team at the Medical Faculty has given me excellent hands on advice and I am looking forward to working with them in the near future!"
– Prof. Ines Gütgemann, Pathology
"The 1st Medical Pitch Contest and above all the fantastic preparatory offer for it by the Tech Transfer team from the Medical Faculty opened up a previously unknown door for our research work. Regardless of whether we go through it or not, it was a great enrichment."
– Dr. Theodor Rüber, Epileptology
"What helped me was the targeted preparation for the format of the 1st Medical Pitch Contest, the focus on investor ideas and the differentiation from "conventional" scientific lectures, as well as the detailed knowledge, background and critical questions."
– Dr. Thomas Ach, Experimental Ophthalmology
Memories from the 2nd Medicine Pitch Contest at the MIB Future Panel 2023
Recent news and successes:
Forschende der Carnegie Mellon University (USA), des Universitätsklinikums Bonn und der Universität Bonn haben eine Open-Source-Plattform mit dem Namen A-SOiD entwickelt, die benutzerdefiniertes Verhalten lernen und erkennen kann, und zwar nur aus Videos. Die Ergebnisse der Studie wurden jetzt im Fachmagazin „Nature Methods“ veröffentlicht.
Neue Forschungsansätze mit hohem Innovationspotential im Bereich der Lebenswissenschaften identifizieren und diese erfolgreich in marktfähige Produkte und Dienstleistungen weiterentwickeln – das ist das Ziel der Fördermaßnahme GO-Bio initial vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF). Gleich drei Projekte des Universitätsklinikums Bonn (UKB) und der Universität Bonn erhalten diese Förderung für ihre Verwertungsideen in der sogenannten Sondierungsphase: Bei „ImmunoBright“ wird an einer immunologischen Methode zur Behandlung von Krebs gearbeitet, im Projekt „Bone2Gene“ sollen mit Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) Knochenerkrankungen erkannt werden und im Rahmen von „Cominatory Asthma Endotyping Assay“ wird eine neue Diagnosemethode für Asthma entwickelt.
Lokal Fett abbauen durch einfache Wirkstoffgabe auf die Haut: Eine klinische Studie der Universität Bonn und des Universitätsklinikums Bonn (UKB) soll die Wirksamkeit dieser innovativen Methode nun bestätigen. Das Projekt „Miraskin“ erhält dafür bis 2026 eine Förderung in Höhe von 1,7 Millionen Euro aus dem Programm „VIP+“ vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF).
Following last year's successful launch, the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bonn and the Medical Imaging Center Bonn (MIB) at the UKB invited researchers and representatives from industry and start-ups to the MIB Future Panel. Around 200 guests joined the pitch participants on November 16 and were informed about the latest developments in the field of medical imaging in four sessions.
Digitale Modelle und Algorithmen zur Unterstützung der Behandlung von Patientinnen und Patienten in Krankenhäusern und Arztpraxen versprechen zukünftig enorme Verbesserungen der Patientenversorgung. Um sicherzustellen, dass solche Innovationen auch sicher für die behandelten Patienten sind, sind diese Entwicklungen in der EU streng reguliert. Die Entwicklung und das Inverkehrbringen solcher als Medizinprodukt klassifizierter Software stellt Mediziner, Forscher und Software-Experten vor enorme Herausforderungen. Um digitale Innovationen in der Medizin schneller zur Marktreife zu bringen und Ausgründungen aus Hochschulen zu erleichtern, riefen das Universitätsklinikum Bonn (UKB), die Medizinische Fakultät und das Transfercenter enaCom der Universität Bonn deshalb 2021 den „Bonn Hub for Algorithmic Innovation in Medicine“ (BoHAIMe) ins Leben. Das Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Industrie, Klimaschutz und Energie des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (MWIKE) unterstützt das Vorhaben mit rund 1,8 Millionen Euro. Mit der offiziellen Zertifizierung des in BoHAIMe aufgebauten Qualitätsmanagementsystems nach EN ISO 13485 konnte nun eine entscheidende Voraussetzung für die Entwicklung und das Inverkehrbringen streng regulierter, patientensicherheitskritischer Software als Medizinprodukt geschaffen werden.
In Kooperation der Standorte der Universitätsmedizin Bonn und Düsseldorf präsentierten innovative medizinische Gründungsprojekte beider Einrichtungen ihre visionären Ideen und pitchten vor einer hochkarätigen Jury aus Investor:innen, Branchenexpert:innen und erfahrenen Gründungspersönlichkeiten in der O.A.S.E. der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf.
Forschende der Universität Bonn entwickeln gemeinsam mit dem Biotech-Startup Ningaloo Biosystems GmbH eine neuartige Technologien zur Herstellung von Biopharmazeutika. Dazu erhalten die beiden Kooperationspartner bis Ende 2025 eine Förderung des „Zentralen Innovationsprogramms Mittelstand“ (ZIM) des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz in Höhe von ingesamt 440.000 Euro.
Gibt es eine gesunde Alternative zu Zucker? Wie messe ich Veränderungen der Denkleistung? Und wie kann die Krebsvorsorge noch zuverlässiger werden? Diese Fragen stehen im Zentrum der drei innovativen Validierungsprojekte „Sweeternative“, „Trackognize“ und „HPV & Cervix all-in-one Test“, die in Ausschreibungsrunde #2 der Prototypisierungsgrant vom Transfer Center enaCom gefördert werden. Die Teams der Universität und des Universitätsklinikums Bonn (UKB) erhalten jeweils einen Prototypisierungsgrant, um ihre innovativen Forschungsergebnisse für geplante Vermarktungen zu entwickeln. Die Grants mit einer Fördersumme von bis zu 50.000 Euro werden regelmäßig vom Transfer Center ausgeschrieben.
150+
Professors at the Medical Faculty
650+
Fundings Closed
∞
Commercial Possibilities