All scientific employees or assistants of the university, including the Faculty of Medicine, are eligible to apply. Applicants should already be preparing the foundation of a start-up or spin-off from their research. Start-up projects in the preparation, validation and development of marketable products or services are supported. During the funding period, the underlying research result should be further developed towards marketability in order to take the next step towards founding a company or to be eligible for public start-up funding. The Transfer Center enaCom supports all successful applicants with a comprehensive consulting and coaching program.
Among others, funding is provided for material resources or contracts with service providers in compliance with university procurement guidelines. Successful applications are accompanied by one or more indicative price offers. The Transfer Center startup coaches provide guidance during proposal preparation.
The prototyping grants were launched in 2022 and have already been awarded to seven founding teams. The topics of the projects approved or underway so far range from "Healthy Sugar, Digital Health Solutions and Improved Cancer Prevention" to "3D Printing, Digitization and Improved Diagnostic Procedures."
The prototyping grants are tendered by the Transfer Center enaCom and funded by the ESC individual project "U-Bo-Grow" of the University of Bonn. They are funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy (MWIKE) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.