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Application guidelines

Please read the instructions and documents available on this page before you submit your application.

Save the date for the jury meeting

The projects are selected in a three-step process, with the last step being a presentation at the jury meeting. Reserve the date for the jury meeting already now.

The jury meeting for the selection of Bio&MedTech Entrepreneur Fellowships will take place on 2 July 2025.

What are the prerequisites to apply?

  • You have a clear startup idea in the area of BioTech or MedTech.
  • You have a strong motivation to develop a product or novel service based on UZH research and to transfer it to the market.
  • You have a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, PharmD, DMD or DVM) in life sciences or related fields. Doctoral students who plan to complete their thesis within six months after the application deadline can also apply.
  • You submit the project as a single applicant.
  • An UZH professor (host professor) is ready to act as a mentor during the fellowship and will provide the necessary lab space and infrastructure to carry out the project.
  • Readiness to fully dedicate your time to the proposed project as an employee at UZH for the duration of the Entrepreneur fellowship.

How can the funding be used?

The Entrepreneur fellowship funds can be used to pay salaries, materials and other project-related expenses. The adequate salary level depends on the education level of the applicant and on other costs expected in the project. Entrepreneur fellows are to be employed as Scientific Assistants (Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeitende). Funding obtained or requested from other sources that is related to the project must be declared.

Which are the selection criteria?

The projects are selected in a a three stage selection process including the steps 1) eligibility check, 2) internal pre-selection and 3) interview with the jury.

The UZH Entrepreneur fellowships, Bio & MedTech are awarded based on the following criteria:

  • Project is based on excellent scientific work done at the UZH
  • High innovation potential (e.g. unique and defensible technology, existing intellectual property protection or a plan to do so.)
  • Compelling market opportunity and business case (while this may not be fully determined at proposal stage, a broad outline has to be presented)
  • Feasibility (convincing project plan, resources, competences, team)
  • Personal potential of the applicant (motivation, entrepreneurial spirit)

Tips for a successful application

To increase your chances to obtain the Entrepreneur Fellowship you should develop a strong value proposition for your innovation and an intellectual property strategy before you submit your application.

You can join the UZH Innovation Grants program to get support to develop a quantified value proposition. You can also reach out to the experts at the Translational Medicine Accelerator (TMA) to get support in identifying the unmet need your innovation can address.

The participation in Module A of the BioEntrepreneurship & Innovation (BEI) program is highly recommended before submitting your application, as it provides valuable preparation and feedback on your pitch deck.

If you have not submitted an invention disclosure yet, the techtrans managers at Unitectra can help you with any questions you might have regarding preparing this document and your IP strategy.

Preparing the pitch video

With your application you will submit a 3 min video. Describe your idea, which problem you aim to solve, the market potential and your motivation to bring this solution to the market. Record your video using the technology of your choice (smartphone, zoom etc.). The focus should be on how you tell your story. We want to see you, use slides only to support the argumentation.

Is a reapplication possible?

Rejected applications may be resubmitted. However, a project and/or applicant may not re-apply for the UZH Entrepreneur Fellowships more than twice. Furthermore, the jury expects to see a substantial progress of the project and/or business case in the reapplication.

 

Rights and obligations of Entrepreneur fellows

The Entrepreneur fellowship has been designed to allow researchers at the UZH to fully dedicate their time to the creation of a startup based on UZH research. All persons in the project that obtain salaries from the fellowship funding are hired at the UZH and the general employment conditions apply. This also means that the  rights to the research results and any intellectual property created in the course of work (including but not limited to inventions, algorithms, software, data, documents and know-how) are owned by the UZH. To commercialize  such research results and intellectual
property by the startup, a license agreement between the UZH and the company need to be set up.

All details to the rights and obligations of Entrepreneur fellows can be found in the general terms.

 

Submit the application

Create a profile on the submission platform and fill in your contact information. You can leave your application as a draft and make changes before finally submitting it at a later date.

Weiterführende Informationen

General terms

Learn about the terms for the Entrepreneur Fellowships.

Principles for Startups & Spinoffs

Learn about the principles for UZH Startups and Spin-offs.