Overview of the projects funded in 2025:
The start-up team "FactFlow", led by Alexa Leyens (ILR, University of Bonn) and Johannes Kopton (INRES, University of Bonn), develops an AI-powered software for the automated creation of environmental and climate assessments in agriculture. The application targets farms, food processing companies, and financial institutions, supporting them in transparently capturing environmental impacts and deriving evidence-based reduction strategies.
A team led by Prof. Dr. Martina Christina Herwig-Carl (Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn) is developing an app that assists in the assessment and classification of eyelid tumors. This should enable faster diagnosis and better surgical care.
The Neurodare team led by PD Dr. Theodor Rüber (Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Bonn) is creating a platform for the legally compliant exchange and controlled use of medical image data in neuroradiology, for example to enable earlier detection of dementia.
The bradyMX project, led by PD Dr. Michael Sommerauer (Clinic for Parkinson's Disease, Sleep and Movement Disorders, University Hospital Bonn), is developing a tablet-based app that detects early signs of Parkinson's disease.
The team led by Prof. Dr. Diana Imhof (Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn) is developing a test kit that simultaneously measures heme and hemoglobin in blood samples. This should enable faster and more reliable detection of blood or metabolic diseases.
The ProbioTex project, led by Dr. Thomas Fließwasser (Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University Hospital Bonn) and Dr. Mariangela Sociale, is developing a new method to provide babies born by C-section with important bacteria and build a healthy microbiome in newborns.
The NanoLazarus project, led by Dr. Alice Trenerry (Institute for Innate Immunity, University Hospital Bonn), aims to use nanobodies as a therapy to treat autoinflammatory diseases, which are uncontrolled inflammations caused by an immune system response. In particular, they are to be used in cases of sepsis, which can lead to high mortality rates.
The “SIRS Chip” project led by Dr. Susanne Schmidt (Institute for Clinical Chemistry & Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital Bonn) is developing an early detection system for systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), a life-threatening immune response that can occur after major surgery, for example.
"During the funding phase, the projects should be adapted to the real needs of the target group. The teams can reflect their assumptions early on with real users, learn from them, and further develop their solution in a targeted manner," explains Dr. Alexander Küsshauer, start-up coach at the Transfer Center enaCom, who oversees the funding line. The grants support the development of application-oriented prototypes, which are intended to prepare for a possible later spin-off.
New in 2026: Multi-stage application process
The application process in 2026 is multi-stage. Interested researchers can submit a short project outline, which should not exceed two pages, by March 1. A preliminary selection will be made from the submissions, and the selected teams will be invited to a workshop at the Transfer Center enaCom. The workshop will take place on March 4 and is a mandatory part of the application process. The teams then have until March 30 to hold discussions with potential users and submit these together with cost estimates for prototype development in the form of a read deck as their final application. The applications will be presented to a selection jury at the end of March, which will decide on the funding. All information is available on the website of the prototyping grants.