Falling Walls Lab and Venture (India)

Falling Walls Lab is a unique competition that provides young researchers and entrepreneurs a platform to present their research project business plan or social initiative. Their projects come from different backgrounds and are at different stages of research/ founding a start-up/ commercialising their start-up. A high-ranking jury from a multi-disciplinary background, from India and Germany chooses the winner of the lab who has the best idea.

The winner gets to contest in the global finale in Berlin and pitches their idea among 100 such international Lab winners to win the ‘Falling Walls Young Innovator of the Year’ award. The winner also gets to participate in the prestigious Falling Walls Conference where leaders from science, industry and policy-making meet. The top candidates from the Falling Walls Lab in India also get personalised coaching from start-up coaches from universities and research incubators in Germany.

The Innovation Week aims to give young and talented international researchers a very hands-on experience of starting a science-based start-up in Germany. The most entrepreneurial idea at the Falling Walls Lab in India and the innovator wins an ‘Entrepreneurship Prize’ and gets to participate in this program.

It is organised by the Research in Germany initiative of the DAAD, the TU9 Alliance of Universities in Germany. The DWIH New Delhi financially supports the participation of the winner. The Innovation Week offers the young entrepreneurs an opportunity to attend networking events, pitch training, and workshops with peers, investors, experts, and support in developing a business plan based on their idea and learn how to successfully become a next-generation entrepreneur in Germany.

Falling Walls Venture is a global platform for the most promising science start-ups nominated by academic institutions from across the world. The format provides a stage for mature start-ups who have successfully turned science into business, proving entrepreneurial solutions to help solve today’s most pressing challenges. Every year, emerging companies compete across various industry clusters. The winner of the competition is awarded the title “Science Start-Up Breakthrough of the Year”.

Throughout the year, universities and research institutions from all over the world are called upon to nominate their most innovative science start-up for the competition. The most promising young companies are invited to pitch on the Falling Walls Venture stage. Additionally, they gain access to exclusive networking events and the Falling Walls Community.

The DWIH New Delhi supports with identifying science-based start-ups from India and offers financial support for their participation in the pitch in Berlin.