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They enable research results from the university to be directly transferred into economically relevant and interesting products or services, and create jobs.
INSPIRED ideas competition restarted
The INSPIRED ideas competition is an EU-co-financed project that aims to identify innovative ideas and startups from academia and support their transfer to industry.
It promotes the development of innovative startup ideas from the University of Greifswald , the University of Rostock , Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences , Stralsund University of Applied Sciences, Wismar University of Applied Sciences , and other research institutions throughout the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania research region, and is intended to increase the chances of success for these ideas.
Who is eligible to participate?
Eligible to participate are natural persons of legal age who meet the following requirements:
- enrolled students
- Trainees
- research assistants
- PhD students
- Postdocs
- Professors
- Graduates
- Members of the participating research institutes
- Craftsmen:
- Third parties interested in starting a business
The business idea must not have already received an award in another competition with public funding, and the company must not yet have been founded or registered.
The idea must have been developed independently by the participants and must not infringe on the rights of third parties.
- How does the INSPIRED ideas competition work?
You can submit and present your idea individually or as a team. This will initially take place before a jury at the local level, i.e., at the participating college and university locations.
This jury will then award prizes to the best ideas. The submitted ideas will be divided into the categories "Students & Trainees" and "Researchers, Graduates & External Participants".
The submission deadline varies at each participating university and also the competition prizes differ. You can find more information on the respective websites.
However, all competitions have in common that the winners of the local competitions can then present their ideas to a renowned jury at the statewide competition, and the winners will be honored at a formal awards ceremony. This event will take place on July 8, 2026 .
What can you win at the state competition?
Firstly, there are further training vouchers :
Category “Students”
- 1st place: Further training voucher worth EUR 3,000
- 2nd place: Further training voucher worth EUR 2,000
- 3rd place: Further training voucher worth EUR 1,000
Category “Researchers, Graduates and External Participants”
- 1st place: Further training voucher worth EUR 5,000
- 2nd place: Further training voucher worth EUR 2,500
- 3rd place: Further training voucher worth EUR 1,500
With these training vouchers, you can access consultations that help you prepare for starting your own business, including its commercial and tax structure. Furthermore, the voucher can also be used for strategic advice on topics such as business model, product, sales, marketing, innovation protection, or financing.
Successful participation at the state level also secures the winners a ticket for the Berlin Valley Tour . During their two-day stay in Berlin, the teams will get to know various startups and benefit from their wealth of experience. They will also strengthen their contacts within the startup scene and further develop their own ideas in various workshops.
A look back
In recent years, there has been a wealth of innovative ideas, research findings and products. Some of these have already led to the establishment of companies and have successfully established themselves on the market.
Just a few examples include NOVA Campus (2020), cell2green (2021), and schoolkit (2022).
Others are still in the founding process, and some have not yet been able to realize their ideas.
But in any case, participation in the competition has been worthwhile for everyone.
Besides all the experience gained, another important aspect was forging connections with other founders and the startup network in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania!
Website "Inspired - The ideas competition. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern."
