Venture partnership

Whether it’s Industrie 4.0, robotics, medical engineering and biotechnology or functional materials: Fraunhofer IPA offers a wealth of marketable technical solutions, as well as a wide range of protected knowledge and registered patents. In total, we have been granted over 180 property rights and have applied for a further 140 patents - most of these are only available from us.

In addition, we have a lot of practical experience and a strong determination to launch the solutions we have developed successfully onto the market. Consequently, start-up activities have increased significantly over the last few years - which is also partially due to Fraunhofer’s particularly start-off friendly environment. Currently, 16 start-up initiatives are under way at Fraunhofer IPA alone.

Know-how and technology transfer

Know-how and technological expertise cannot be transferred on paper or via data media, devices or machines. It can only work from one mind to another. i.e. through direct collaboration, a direct exchange of information and understanding. To ensure this, we support you every step of the way. At Fraunhofer IPA, there’s a lot more on offer than just documents, systems or rights. We specialize in training courses, offer support and assistance tailored to your needs, as well as expansion and development. We do this on site at your company, or on your customer’s premises. In a nutshell: transfer that hits home and pays off.

Licensing partnership

We can find property rights for your company, too, among our wide range of protected knowledge and registered patents at Fraunhofer - with a total of more than 6 000 existing patent families.

Get in touch with us! Ask questions. In most cases, we are able to issue licenses for these property rights, often even exclusively, and not infrequently with international rights. We can also discuss about buying individual property rights, including the total transfer of rights.

Investment options and cooperation

Due to the high number of ongoing start-up activities at Fraunhofer, there is a constant interest in cooperations with investors. If review and approval procedures are successful, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft supports spin-offs with a minority holding of maximum 20 percent. This means that there is always a need for additional external venture capital. However, capital alone is not enough; active cooperation and symbiosis are also indispensable. Fraunhofer often gets start-up teams going with external partners. Both parties benefit by bundling their technological expertise, as well as market and application knowledge. The best of both worlds.

Incubation and acceleration

Do you want to get involved with the founding process or a start-up, either in a supporting role as a coach or as a business angel? We’re open to lots of ideas, aligning the type of collaboration required and finding the best solution. When it comes to start-ups, things tend to move very quickly, so there's no room for error. We therefore welcome incubation and acceleration support from experienced partners.