Info Desk for Bio&MedTech Fellowships

Congratulations to your UZH Entrepreneur Fellowship!

On this website we have collected all the information you need to know about the Fellowship program. Please note that all documents for onboarding and reports need to be uploaded on the grant platform.

Stage I: Right after you got the approval

• Read the Leaflet (PDF, 118 KB). It guides you through the steps of receiving the funding and arranging with employment matters.
• Go through the General Terms (PDF, 74 KB) .
• Agree on a date for the 30 min onboarding  video call with UZH Innovation Office.

Stage II: When you are about to start the Fellowship

• Complete and sign the Release of funds (DOCX, 58 KB) document. (You will receive a reminder via E-Mail.)
• Provide a profile text as well as a photo of you (landscape format) for your fellow web profile. (You will receive a reminder via E-Mail.)
• Upload all documents and info directly on the grant platform.
• Plan when to visit the training modules of the BioEntrepreneurship and Innovation program
• Contact the manager of the UZH IncubatorLab to understand how you may use this resource during your Fellowship

Stage III: Project kickoff, hand in project plan

• Set up a kick-off meeting with the TMA  within the first two weeks of your Fellowship. The TMA  experts will use their experience to support you in reflecting on your project and analyze gaps you need to get passed to achieve your project goal. Use their advice to prepare your project plan.
• Hand in your updated project plan (PDF, 107 KB) and budget plan (XLSX, 40 KB) on the grant platform one month after the start of your Fellowship. Your budget should contain comments on any changes since your application. If you have received any additional funding that will be used for the project, please include this.
• Set a first meeting with your Techtrans manager at Unitectra.

Stage IV: Interim report and review meeting

• Submit the interim report (DOCX, 68 KB) and an updated timeline plan and financial report (XLSX, 40 KB) eight months after you started your fellowship. You will receive an invitation via E-Mail containing a link to upload your interim report on the grant platform.
• Prepare a 10 min presentation describing the progress of your project and how you have progressed on the work to close the gaps towards the goal of your project.
• Schedule the review meeting with the UZH Innovation Office nine months into your Fellowship. At the meeting, representatives from all units of the support program will be present

Stage V: At the end of your Entrepreneur Fellowship

• Close Account: Make sure that all your bills are settled and that the account is not overdrawn. If we do not hear from you, we will close your account 30 days after your fellowship has ended.
• Final reportNo longer than 6 weeks after your funding has ended we ask you to complete the final report (DOCX, 87 KB). You will receive an invitation via E-Mail containing a link to upload your interim report on the grants platform.
• Leaving UZH: If the ending of your Fellowship means that you are also leaving the university, please get in contact with your HR responsible for the correct procedure in your institute.
• Also, make sure that we have a valid email adress so that we can contact you for updates and events in the next years.

All fellows take part in the BioEntrepreneurship & Innovation (BEI) Program offered by the Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM). In this program you will learn the fundamentals of starting up a company in the area of BioTech and MedTech and you will develop your entrepreneurial and leadership skills. Additionally, the many input sessions with experts help you to establish a network and to connect with potential industry partners.

The two modules A and B are consecutive and participation in the full training program is compulsory for every fellow. If there are any issue concerning the timing of the modules in relation to your fellowship, you must contact us in due time.

All fellows are supported by the Translational Medicine Accelerator (TMA). Experienced coaches provide you with professional expertise in project management and business development . They can support you on topics such as fundraising, team building, recruitment, governance and outsourcing etc. Every fellow is requested to schedule a first meeting with TMA during the first two weeks of the fellowship.

Contact Michio Painter to schedule your first meeting!

Unitectra is the Technology Transfer Office of the University of Zurich. They will support you on commercialization issues, such as the protection of intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyright) and the creation of spin-off companies. Unitectra is also your negotiation partner for the license to use UZH patents. We advice you to meet with Unitectra at the beginning of the fellowship to lay out a plan for exchange throughout the funding period.

Contact Wolfgang Henggeler or your assigned Techtrans manager to schedule a first meeting!

As part of the UZH Entrepreneur Fellowships and the UZH Innovation Grants programs, the UZH Innovation Office has launched a new event series "Innovator Mornings". 

The event series aims to foster exchange among the UZH Innovation Community. It gives the grantees and fellows the opportunity to get feedback on their projects from a diverse audience, network and make use of synergies and experiences. The event focuses on internal exchange within UZH innovation community (Entrepreneur Fellows, Grant recipients, Coaches and researchers interested currently preparing to apply for these programs). 

The event program features finishing grantees sharing key takeaways, introduction of new entrepreneur fellows, an inspirational interview with a startup founder, and lots of networking opportunities that allows to connect with peers and coaches. 

As an UZH Entrepreneur Fellow you can be granted access to the UZH IncubatorLab. This fully equipped research infrastructure is a shared MedTech and BioTech laboratory space hosted by the Institute for Regenerative Medicine and located at the Bio-Technopark in Schlieren. The lab host quarterly meetings for all Entrepreneur Fellows with expert input on relevant topics.

Send an email to the lab manager to find out more about this offer.

If you wish to discuss any questions or obtain feedback on issues regarding financing and accounting issues (financial planning, valuation, projections, budgeting, etc.), feel free to contact David Oesch to schedule a meeting. David Oesch is Professor for Financial Accounting, Department of Business Administration at the University of Zurich.

The TDA can support you with basic legal considerations and can put you in contact with a lawyer to draft legal documents regarding your startup project. Send an email to Michio Painter to find out how they can help!

Note that any documents concerning collaboration between the university of Zurich and external parties are handles by Unitectra.

Overview of other opportunities to get additional funding, participate in a competition, get support from an accelerator, or acquire business skills from a training. The list ist updated twice a year by the UZH Innovation Office. 

List of Funding Opportunities (20230705) (PDF, 103 KB)

Please follow these instructions for how to refer to the Entrepreneur Fellowship in your communication on slides, website, social media, publications etc.

Slides and Website

Use the Entrepreneur Fellowship Logo (PNG, 104 KB)

Posts on LinkedIn

Tag the UZH Innovation Hub LinkedIn profil

Publications

(You find the reference number on your letter of approval.)

Regulatory

Regulatory consulting – Digital Trial Intervention Platform | ETH Zurich

UZH Innovation Hub News

MS channel for news, event announcements and offering around Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Zurich.

As soon as you have incporporated a company based on your Entrepreneur Fellowship you can apply for the UZH Startup Label.

Go to application form.

The UZH Entrepreneur Fellowship recipients are required to submit an interim report 8 months after the project start. We ask you to submit a final report within 6 weeks after successful completion of the fellowship.

Why reports are so important

• Opportunity for you to reflect on the progress of your project
• A basis for the review meeting and an opportunity for you to get holistic feedback and advice from all units of the support program
• Source of information to help us improve the UZH Entrepreneur Fellowship program
• Source for statistics that are vital to ensure funding of future fellowships

The reports are confidential and we do not share any content of the report with third party without your consent.