Advice on funding
Advice on funding
Research and development activities in the biotech sector are complex, time-consuming and capital-intensive. Therefore, funding programmes are of great importance for new and young companies in this industry. In fact, they can have a crucial impact on the success or failure of a start-up. However, new entrepreneurs or researchers still working in academia usually have little experience in applying for funding and cannot assign employees to handle the applications for them.
This is why BioRegio STERN Management GmbH offers new business founders and entrepreneurs in the life sciences industry detailed funding advice. A framework agreement has been in place with external consultant Dr. Gerhard Wilhelm since 2008. He provides expert advice in the search for suitable funding programmes, checks funding applications in an initial consultation and provides important advice and guidance – on our behalf and at no cost to you. BioRegio STERN Management GmbH also regularly holds central consulting days – sometimes also by private appointment.
Be it venture capital or private equity financing, funding for biotech start-ups in Germany is currently in short supply. Investment in the biotech sector has fallen considerably in recent years. The situation has been exacerbated by the financial crisis. As a result, young companies are increasingly being faced with shortfalls in financing, particularly in the start-up phase, which is characterised by high costs, long development times and high risks.
This is why federal government, state and EU funding programmes are all the more important. These are geared towards new business founders and companies in the start-up phase with the aim of facilitating complex research and development projects and innovative approaches. But how can companies keep track of all the different programmes on offer? Which funding is right for a particular company? And how do new business founders with good ideas find funding?
The funding advice service of BioRegio STERN Management GmbH provides an overview of the funding available in Germany and Europe. This service is aimed at young scientists just starting out on their own, new business founders in the start-up phase and established companies interested in setting up an innovative R&D project with the aim of using new products to open up new markets. Dr. Gerhard Wilhelm, who worked for 16 years at Project Management Jülich on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), advising countless biotech companies and research institutes and coordinating and managing projects, is pleased to act on our behalf in offering advice on your funding options. He provides advice and guidance, checks your funding applications and offers support in the planning and application submission stages.
Our funding advice service has already helped numerous companies in the region successfully gain funding. After receiving funding advice, the founders of Cellendes GmbH, for example, were successful in applying for the EXIST Transfer of Research founder grant. The two founders, who are looking to launch a new technology for 3D cell culture, believe the advice they received was vital to the success of their business. The managing directors of CureVac GmbH took up the option of funding advice having founded their company at the end of 2000, because they were interested in gaining access to public funding to support their research into RNA-based cancer vaccines. Curetis AG is another success story. The company, which was founded in 2007 and is developing a new diagnostic technology platform for infectious diseases, recently secured EUR 20 million in its first round of financing. Co-founder Dr. Anne Thews still appreciates the advice they received during the start-up phase: “As a young company, the advice we received on funding was extremely helpful.”
Your Contact
Gerhard Wilhelm, Dr. rer. nat.
E foerdermittel [at] bioregio-stern [dot] de
T +49-711-870354-0
»Approval of funding applications should depend solely on the quality of the project ideas and implementation methods – not formalities.«
Funding currently available
We'll keep you informed of the funding currently available in the life sciences industry.