Name in original language
EXIST – Existenzgründungen aus der Wissenschaft
Initiative overview
EXIST (Existenzgründungen aus der Wissenschaft) is administered by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) with co-funding from the European Social Fund (ESF). It was launched in 1998 and has supported over 5,000 startups to date. The programme has three main components: EXIST-Gründerstipendium — funding for individual founders and small teams (up to 12 months) to develop a business plan for a knowledge-intensive innovation; EXIST-Forschungstransfer — a two-phase programme supporting teams conducting proof-of-concept R&D (Phase 1: up to EUR 250,000; Phase 2: up to EUR 180,000) with a commercial application in mind; and EXIST-Potentiale — funding for universities to build startup ecosystems and entrepreneurship culture. For AI ventures, EXIST-Gründerstipendium provides monthly stipends for founders (from EUR 1,000 for students to EUR 3,000 for senior scientists), plus up to EUR 30,000 in material costs and coaching. AI has been among the fastest-growing EXIST application areas in recent years. The programme is particularly relevant for AI startups emerging from Germany's AI Competence Centres, DFKI, and university AI groups.
