Building bridges, forming tandems, bringing skills into the team that you cannot cover yourself – that is how success works. And if a startup in this sense Fraunhofer Society , the largest research organization for application-oriented research in Europe, the signs are pointing towards success. The BMBF-funded project TechBridge Fraunhofer Venture aims to specifically promote precisely these collaborations between startups and research organizations.
The Munich startup Mecuris produces customized 3D-printed orthopedic devices. To improve the usability of their prosthetic foot, the "NexStep," the young team wanted to conduct further tests, especially to quantify the stability and comfort of the prosthesis. To collect this data, the startup needed a strong partner – and cooperated with the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA). Jannis Breuninger by Mecuris explains:
"Without these tests, we wouldn't have gotten these quantitative results. Through our collaboration, we also realized the differences between subjective feedback from the wearer and objective optimization. And we discussed very creatively the further development possibilities of our prosthetic foot."
This collaboration was made possible by the BMBF-funded TechBridge project of Fraunhofer VentureThis project was launched to bring together startups and Fraunhofer Institutes with the aim of using combined knowledge to advance technology projects. Dr. Radostina Ruseva, TechBridge's program manager and founder, the benefits of this collaboration are clear:
"The Fraunhofer startup collaboration between Mecuris and Fraunhofer IPA is an example of how research organizations and young companies can meaningfully complement each other's strengths. This allows founders to continue to focus on sales and their markets, while researchers can focus on the development and technical optimization of products. With TechBridge, we are not aiming for short-term contracts, but rather partnerships in which both sides can grow together. We are currently pursuing our mission of bridging the gap between startups and research organizations with formats like TandemCamp, which has already enabled 15 startup research teams to take their first step towards joint cooperation."
Benefits for both sides?
A cooperation that should be beneficial for both sides: On the one hand, startups gain access to Fraunhofer technologies, expertise, and, above all, infrastructure. They can also use the knowledge available there to obtain advice on their products and services. last but not least: Particularly promising projects can also hope for financial support.
And what do the Fraunhofer Institutes gain from such a collaboration? They gain insights into innovative industry developments, practical applications, and opportunities for exploiting their technologies. A win-win situation, then? For Mecuris, definitely. Jannis Breuninger clarifies:
"For the exact testing we needed, there aren't many options [besides Fraunhofer]. This equipment is very rare. There may be a few companies that have it, but there are no official bodies where the testing could have been conducted."
When asked how the collaboration with Fraunhofer IPA worked out, he continued:
"I still know many colleagues at the Fraunhofer Institute IPA in Stuttgart personally because I worked there as a research associate for seven years. So, I already knew what kind of technological infrastructure the institute has: a large motion lab and various robots for simulations. And, of course, the fantastic and highly experienced team. Contacting Fraunhofer is really easy via TechBridge, and the team directs startups to the right researchers."
Even if startups don't have extensive experience with one of the Fraunhofer Institutes, they can apply for TechBridge. The Fraunhofer Startup Gate then matches them with a suitable institute, literally opening the door to the Fraunhofer world.
“The great thing about TechBridge is that everything was uncomplicated and quick”
But what exactly did the Tech-Bridge project bring to Mecuris?
"TechBridge made it possible for us to cooperate with Fraunhofer in the first place. Firstly, through the funding of the project and secondly through the project kick-off day with a coach, where we created the project roadmap for our collaboration. The great thing about TechBridge is that everything was uncomplicated and fast: From the application to the kick-off day to the decision on whether we would receive funding, it only took a few weeks,"
reports Jannis Breuninger. And adds:
“We would very much like to work with Fraunhofer in the long term to continuously develop our products.”
