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The KIT is a magnet for people interested in founding a company, founders and contact persons from the start-up scene in general. In particular, KIT supports start-up projects of students, employees, and alumni of KIT with a variety of offers and services, such as financial support through public and private funds and the scaling of the idea to a successful company. The integration of selected network partners and investors in the areas of qualification, mentoring and growth financing is another focus of the work. In selected cases, KIT is also involved as a partner in its technology-based spin-offs.

KIT offers the following services:

• The Technology Transfer service of the KIT innovation and relation management (IRM) helps to bridge the gap between company partners and research:
  • The offers for companies are primarily concerned with access to current research results and support in the transfer process from identification and mediation to the conclusion of the contract.
  • For KIT employees, this internal service is responsible for consulting and process support from the initial idea and its patent protection through to commercialization, addressing potential industrial partners and its own project and financing options.
• The KIT belongs to important regional, national and international networks dealing with research exploitation and entrepreneurial culture promotion issues
• Start-up “Gründerschmiede” including consultations, lectures and coachings, mentor programs and financial support. It is one of the largest university start-up centers in Germany. It serves as an initial contact point for technology-based start-ups and sees itself as a breeding ground and accelerator for innovative business ideas around the central future topics of our time such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, mobility, and energy. Its services include:
  • Start-up consulting
  • Teaching and Training
  • Financing
  • Connecting like-minded founders
  • Providing high-tech incubators 
• Links to important regional strategic partners

KIT has an independent department that deals exclusively with the acquisition and distribution of research funds for young scientists and start ups. The spectrum ranges from scholarship programs, support of scientific projects and specific infrastructure to dialogue-oriented cultural events of science, economy, and society that enrich academic life on campus.

• For students, especially the “KIT-Stiftung” (https://www.stiftung.kit.edu/) and the “Deutschlandstipendium” (https://www.irm.kit.edu/english/Application_Process-deutschlandstipendium.php) are good points of contact to talk about funding and funding opportunities. Both scholarships are open to all interested citizens and companies and offer innovative forms of private commitment to science.
• More support programs can be found at https://www.irm.kit.edu/english/support-programs.php.
• For talented computer science students, KIT offers special support (https://begabtenstiftung-informatik.de/). This includes not only financial support, but also very close supervision of the student by professors or doctoral students.
• For investors, more information on how support students and researchers and how to participate in one of the above mentioned programs can be found at https://www.irm.kit.edu/english/107.php

The Technology Transfer service offers consulting services with focus on legal patent protection. KIT participates as a strategic partner (of the founders and investors) in high-tech spin-offs that are created on the basis of KIT research services or KIT intellectual property (IP). KIT is the owner of the intellectual property. In this way, KIT strengthens the transfer of knowledge and technology through start-ups and participations and supplements the classic exploitation channels of contract research, research cooperations and licensing of industrial property rights. By bundling IP with the know-how carriers in a company, the probability of exploitation of technologies is increased. KIT thus makes an active contribution to the exploitation of technologies at a very early stage of development.

An FAQ on the subject of patents is avavilable at https://www.irm.kit.edu/english/2813.php. The guidelines for handling intellectual property at KIT, and information for inventors and inventor remuneration can be issued by KIT on request.