02 Jul 2025
Turn Your Deep Tech Research into Startups: De-TECH Competition Awaiting Your Application!
The Deep Tech European Venture Builder (De-TECH) project, funded by the EU’s EIT Higher Education Initiative (HEI) program, sees Istanbul Technical University, along with three other European universities, seeking deep tech startups ready to be brought to market.
News: İTÜ Media and Communication Office
Within the De-TECH Project, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Estonian Business School, Istanbul Technical University, and Leibniz University Hannover have formed a consortium. This consortium has now opened applications for a specialized training and mentoring program, which culminates in an award-winning competition.
Researchers, PhD students, and recent graduates (including those who graduated within the last 5 years) from the four consortium universities are invited to apply for a 10-week specially designed and personalized training and mentoring program. Participants who complete the program will be eligible to compete for a cash prize worth €15,000.
The training aims 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.
The competition, coordinated by the Estonian Business School, focuses on high-impact, deep tech innovations with significant market potential or the capacity to generate meaningful societal 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.
Applications for the training and the Deep Tech European Venture Builder Competition 2025, which opened on June 20, are still ongoing. The application deadline is August 15, 2025.
To be considered valid, applications must meet the following conditions:
- Applicants must be working on deep tech innovations developed within the consortium partner universities, or the technologies must have originated at these institutions (even if their development and commercialization processes have since been transferred to a spin-off or startup).
- For applications to be valid, the technologies must have reached at least a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4.
Selected teams that are invited to participate in a 10-week training and mentoring programme. The program will begin in September. Completion of this programme is a prerequisite for advancing to the final stage: the in-person Demo Day in Istanbul on December 11, 2025 (TBC), where finalists will pitch their innovations and compete for €15,000 in prizes.
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.
You can find all the necessary information for participation at the links below:
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. Additionally, Technoport, a high-tech incubator based in Luxembourg, Effectia, an innovation consultancy firm from Spain, and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality are also participating in the project as partners.
The European Union funds the Deep Tech European Venture Builder Competition 2025 through the EIT HEI Initiative. This competition is structured around four key steps to bring university-based innovation to market:
- Identify promising technologies developed within partner universities in collaboration with Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) and assess their market potential.
- Organize innovation challenges that connect universities and businesses with real-world needs and encourage creative, entrepreneurial thinking among students and researchers.
- Launch the De-TECH competition, supported by a comprehensive startup support program that includes training, mentoring, and financial assistance; winning projects will be funded and presented to investors at Demo Day events.
- Deliver entrepreneurial and technological skills training for students, researchers, and university staff to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and equip participants with the necessary tools to lead innovation.
More information: https://detechproject.eu/