Call for Applications

Innovators Connect - Tandem 2024

Innovators Connect – Tandem is two weeks immersion programme for young researchers interested in start-up founding and early-stage start-up founders from India and Germany. Participants will work in teams to generate innovative ideas, undergo training for bringing research ideas to market and get exposure to start-up and innovation ecosystems of India and Germany. The programme will include design thinking workshops, information sessions, mentoring, networking sessions, lab visits and more.

When?

Location: India – Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar and Bengaluru

Dates: 11 November – 22 November 2024

Who can apply?

Applicants from India

PhD (ongoing or completed) / Postdocs (PhD not older than four years) with a lab to market idea and registered (full time) at any of the partner institutions of the programme
OR
Early stage-start-up founders (less than two years of incorporation) with minimum bachelor’s degree and preferably a master’s degree incubated onsite at one of the partner institutions

Applicants from Germany

PhD (ongoing or completed) / Postdocs (PhD not older than four years) with a lab to market idea and currently affiliated with a university, university of applied sciences or a research institution in Germany
OR
Early-stage start-up team members/ early-stage start-up founders (<2 years of incorporation) with minimum bachelor’s degree and preferably a master’s degree affiliated with a university, university of applied sciences or a research institution in Germany

What is in it for you?

  • Direct access to innovation ecosystem in India and Germany
  • Intensive hands-on- training with mentors from India and Germany
  • Work in international and interdisciplinary team
  • Develop an idea ready for incubation
  • Network of mentors, funding agencies, VCs and more
  • Become a part of our Indo-German entrepreneurship network !

What does the programme look like? 

Programme Elements

  • Mentoring
  • Design Thinking
  • Pitching session
  • Workshops
  • Information sessions
  • Networking
  • Intercultural training
  • Connect with VCs
  • Exchange with start-ups
  • Pitch training
  • Teamwork
  • Expert talks & more

Download the agenda of the programme: Innovator’s Connect – Tandem 2024

Focus areas

Participants should have a research background in
  • Life Science
  • Pharmacy
  • Material Sciences
  • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Robotics
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Machine Learning (ML)
  • Blockchain
  • Cybersecurity
  • Chemistry

With their lab to market ideas / start-up ideas in
  • Digital Health
  • MedTech
  • Energy
  • Mobility
  • Cleantech
  • Antimicrobial Research
  • Drug Discovery,
  • Smart Manufacturing
  • Aerospace

Number of participants

30 (15 from India and 15 from Germany).
One team will (ideally) have two participants- one from India and one from Germany

Application details

Application deadline: 25 August 2024

Applications for the programme are now closed. 

Got questions? Please write to Aadishree Jamkhedkar, Head of Programmes, DWIH New Delhi at jamkhedkar@dwih.org

Financial support for participants

DWIH New Delhi together with the incubators will cover the financial costs for the participants to a large extent. For details see below

Participants from Germany
  • Local transport in Germany (public transport to and from Airport)
  • Air travel to India and back
  • Local transport in India (to and from the airport and related to the programme in India)
  • Meals during the programme, wherever applicable
  • Accomodation in India during the entire programme
  • Visa

Participants from India
  • Local transport and air travel in India for programme in cities other than the city of their institution
  • Accommodation for programme in cities other than the city of their institution
  • Travel and accommodation for the concluding programme#
  • Meals during the programme, wherever applicable

# Week 2 offers a concluding programme for all the participants in Hyderabad. Accommodation and transport will be covered for non-local participants whose host incubators for the programme are outside of Hyderabad

Participants are expected to take care of day-to-day commute during the programme and meals to an extent on their own.

Winners Get

At the end of the programme, all teams will present the ideas they have worked on, to a jury comprising of start-up founders, industry experts and researchers. The winning team(s) get the opportunity (financially supported) to meet in Germany in 2025 to work on their ideas and participate in a leading start-up conference in Germany. Teams will get further mentoring and support to raise grants for product development.

Success stories of ideas generated in the past editions by Indo-German teams

  • 1 EXIST women grant in Germany
  • 1 grant for prototype in Germany
  • 2 international innovation competitions won in USA and Germany
  • 1 patent application in Germany
  • 3 EXIST grant applications in pipeline
  • Several innovative ideas mentored for product development

Programme Partners

Germany
  1. KIT Gründerschmiede, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  2. Transfer Centre (TRACES), University of Stuttgart
  3. Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Rostock
  4. Fraunhofer Venture, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft 
  5. Hei_INNOVATION, Heidelberg University

India

Hosts and main partners

  1. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (CCAMP)
  2. ASPIRE Technology Business Incubator, University of Hyderabad
  3. Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID) , Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc)
  4. KIIT-Technology Business Incubator (KIIT-TBI), Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT)
  5. Atal Incubation Centre – Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB)
  6. Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) – International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH)

 

Associate partners

Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre– Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur 

A glimpse into the 2022 and 2023 editions