October 09, 2025

GeneNovate | Call for Application 2025/2026 | APPLICATION DEADLINE: 09.11.2025

Got a startup idea? Curious about entrepreneurship? Then the GeneNovate program is the perfect place to start!

Objective

GeneNovate is the first nationwide entrepreneurship program in Germany, designed to empower innovators and entrepreneurs in the field of Gene and Cell Therapies (GCT), Biotech and Medicine. The program targets early-career scientists and physicians, such as advanced students, PhD candidates, and Postdocs, but it is also open to experienced researchers and medical professionals.

The GeneNovate program runs from December 2025 to June 2026 and includes a kick-off meeting in December, six theoretical input sessions (hybrid), six full-day workshops (onsite), team-based preparation and presentation of startup pitches and culminates in the Final Event in Munich.

A key strength of the program lies in its collaborative approach, connecting participants across all GeneNovate locations in Germany.

This comprehensive program is offered free of charge.

Locations hosting the GeneNovate Workshops:

Berlin
Heidelberg
Munich
Region EAST (Dresden, Leipzig)
Region NORTH (Braunschweig, Göttingen, Hannover, …)
Region NRW 1 (Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf, …)
Region NRW 2 (Bochum, Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen, …)
Region RHINE-MAIN (Mainz, …)
Region SOUTHWEST (Freiburg, Tübingen)

Apply now!

Registration for the remaining locations will open at a later date

Participate in Berlin: Submit your application here

Participate in Heidelberg: Submit your application here

Participate in Munich: Submit your application here

Participate in Region EAST (Dresden, Leipzig): Submit your application here

Participate in Region RHINE-MAIN (Mainz, …): Submit your application here

GeneNovate_Flyer_Heidelberg_2026 Download

Program Framework

Kick-off Meeting | December 2025

Participants will form teams and will be matched with mentors
Networking opportunity
Duration approx. 4 hours
Onsite participation at your selected location

Theoretical Input Sessions | January 2026 to June 2026

6 theory sessions, held once per month, each lasting 4 hours
Onsite participation in Freiburg and Cologne, live stream for all other locations

Workshops | January 2026 to June 2026

Participants work in group exercises on the practical application of insights from the theoretical input sessions
Training from experts and experiences startups
6 interactive sessions, held once per month, each lasting 6–8 hours
Onsite participation at your selected location

Coaching Sessions with Mentors | January 2026 to June 2026

Teams meet their mentor for about 1 hour after each workshop (in person or virtual) to prepare and rehearse the pitch for their startup
Approx. 8 hours in total

Pre-selection of teams for the Final Event | June 2026

Every team pitches their startup in front of a selection committee
Teams with the strongest pitches are selected to present at the Final Event in Munich

Final Event 2026 in Munich | June 2026

All participants, alumni, experts and mentors from all GeneNovate locations come together for networking, including the possibility to approach investors
Selected teams pitch their startup in front of investors
Panel discussions of experts and investors in the field
1 full day in Munich

Overlooked Molecules in Metabolism

KIT researchers offer a new perspective on N-acetylated amino acids as potential buffers in cellular energy and metabolic balance When muscles work intensively or brown adipose tissue produces heat in response to cold, metabolism shifts into high gear. Under these conditions, levels of so-called N-acetylated amino acids increase. These are chemically modified amino acids to […]

A local barrier against respiratory viruses

Fraunhofer IGB News Brief / August 18, 2026 How can a respiratory virus be stopped before it spreads throughout the body? In the MucoShield project, Prime Vector Technologies, the NMI Tübingen, and Fraunhofer IGB are developing an intranasal vaccine candidate against human metapneumovirus (HMPV), which causes hundreds of thousands of cases of severe respiratory disease […]

Universität Heidelberg Achieves Top Placements in Shanghai Ranking

Ruperto Carola in 59th place worldwide – among the “Top 3” in Germany Heidelberg University has achieved top placements in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities. As in the previous year, it is one of the “Top 3” universities in Germany. In the global comparison, Ruperto Carola is in 59th position in this so-called […]