SME pages
GERMANY Government Initiatives The BMBF establishes a new project called “NanoChance” in
early 2006 to help existing early stage companies to establish themselves in the
market.
‘EXIST- University-based start-ups’ programme intends to improve the start-up culture in universities and to increase the number of start-ups from academic institutions. EXIST is one element of the public support given by the Federal Government for innovative start-ups and, with its special objectives, it contributes towards improving the transfer of knowledge and technology from the universities.
INSTI is a nationwide network which aims to increase the use of patent information and the creation of an innovation-friendly climate. INSTI is the first contact point for questions concerning the commercial utilisation of inventions.
BMWA - Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour
The BMWA not only provides financial support, but also training, consultation, coaching and competitions to assist the founding of start-ups and their development into autonomous organisations.
National Contact Point for Nanotechnology
National Contact Point for SMEs
Regional Initiatives
The IRC network promotes technology partnerships and transfer mainly between SMEs.
The network of German IRCs consists of eight regional consortia for the regions.Verband Deutscher Gründungsinitiativen
Verband Deutscher Gründungsinitiativen is an umbrella organisation for regional initiatives for company foundation based in Berlin.
Regional Start-up initiatives
In addition to nationwide start-up initiatives many states have established their own networks and initiatives. Portals for specific states are:
ADT - Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Technologie- und Gründerzentren
The ADT was founded 1998 and represents 166 innovation centres in Germany.
Public and Private Initiatives
The initiative consists of three
projects:
• StartUp-Competition: winners on the local and regional level are supported with 200,000 euro all together.
• German Founder Prize: companies in four phases of their development are assigned each year.
Investors
This is a new measure to provide venture capital for young technology enterprises. Entrepreneur supply 20% of the investment and the High-Tech Gründerfonds finance the rest (up to 500,000 euros). The initiative is not specific for nanotechnology, but it is expected that nanotechnology companies will use a large part of this fund.
German Venture Capital Association e.V. (BVK)
The BVK is the organisation of German venture capital and private equity companies and representatives of foreign venture capitalists operating in Germany. At present, BVK has 275 (full and associate) members.
VC companies specialised in nanotechnology
Nanostart AG is a listed nanotechnology investment company and a sub advisor to one of the world's first nanotechnology equity funds. Nanostart AG invests in young, fastgrowing nanotechnology companies.
Nanoventure AG
Nanoventure invests in micro and nanotechnology companies in the pre-IPO phase. Investments are up to 4 million Euros.
VC companies known for investments in nanotechnology
The investments and partnerships are focused on innovative chemical-based technologies and materials.
Enjoyventure Management GmbH
Enjoyventure Management GmbH offers venture capital in all phases of company development with the main emphasis on seed- and start-up financing. Nanotechnology is one of eight target sectors.
Target Partners GmbH
Target Partners' investment strategy is focused on "early stage" German technology companies. Areas of focus include software, services, electronic components and devices in the information technology, telecommunications and medical technology categories.
Wellington Partners Venture Capital GmbH
Wellington Partners has been investing venture capital in young and creative ICT and Life Science companies. It invests in early-stage companies throughout Europe with a €400 million under management and typically invests between €1 and €10 million.
Ventizz Capital Partners Advisory AG
VENTIZZ focuses investments in the areas high-tech engineering, IT, telecommunication, electronics, medical technologies and life sciences.
TechnoStart Beratungsgesellschaft für Beteiligungsfonds mbH
The focus is on seed and early stage technology companies in the fields of applied physics, life sciences, chemistry and new materials. The company has a special interest in nanotechnologies as a combination of applied physics and new materials.
Peppermint Financial Partners
Peppermint is specialised in industrial technologies (medical technology, microtechnology, telecommunication, hardware, and infrastructure) and life sciences and nanotechnology.
PolyTechnos Venture-Partners GmbH
PolyTechnos Venture-Partners focuses on early-stage companies in the fields of IT and life science, and companies arising from the convergence of these fields. The investment size is 5 to 15 million euros over several financing rounds per company, with initial investments of typically 1 to 5 million euros.
3i is active across all stages of funding. From early-stage venture capital to growth capital and buyouts, they invest €1.3bn a year in some of the most exciting and ambitious companies in the world.
Creathor Venture
Creathor Venture is a venture capital company which likes to get involved as lead or colead investor in the first round of financing. The company concentrates on fast growing new markets, in particular:
communication and IT (software, hardware, internet, media, content, and services), nanotechnology, microsystems and new materials, electronics, components and optical technologies, medical and biotechnology.Saarländische Wagnisfinanzierungsgesellschaft mbH (SWG)
The focus of investments is on ICT, new materials, biomedicine, and micro and automation techniques.
Fraunhofer Venturegroup
The Venture Group of the Fraunhofer Society offers its services as a partner to start-up entrepreneurs, Fraunhofer institutes and companies.
Freudenberg Venture Capital GmbH (FVC)
FVC invests in companies with Freudenberg-related activities. Technologies of interest include new materials, nano and surface techniques, mechatronics, information technology, special chemistry, and production techniques.
Regulatory and Legislative Agencies
DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V
DIN, the German Institute for Standardisation, has been recognized by the German government as the national standards body and represents German interests at international and European level. DIN and VDE (the Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies) organised a workshop about standardisation needs in nanotechnology in June 2005.
GMA - VDI/VDE Society for Measurement and Automatic Control
GMA is a joint federation of the two engineering associations VDI (Association of German Engineers) and VDE (Association of German Electrical Engineers). GMA is the German member organisation in IFAC International Federation of Automatic Control) and in IMEKO (International Measurement Confederation). Nanotechnology is located in the subject group 3.43 “Metrology in Micro- and Nanotechnology”. The work is focused on the production and reproducibility of calibration standards and physical basics of measurement methods.
DKE - German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies of DIN and VDE
DKE is the German organisation responsible for the elaboration of standards and safety specifications covering the area of electrical engineering, electronic and information technologies. DKE is the German member within International and European standardisation organisations (IEC, CENELEC, and ETSI).
The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) is the national metrology institute providing scientific and technical services. The nano and micrometrology department helps to develop and improve measurement methods and facilities in the area of hardness, thickness of layers, roughness, gauge block and volume as well as measurement of structures of microsystems, and calibration of respective reference standards.
The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) is a technical and scientific senior federal institute under the authority of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour. BAM advises the Federal Government and industry on safety aspects of materials and chemical technology. It assists in the development of standards and technical regulations for the evaluation of substances, materials, structures and processes with reference to damage prediction and prevention, environmental protection and preservation of national economic values.
Trade alliances and networks
The Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) began establishing competence centres for nanotechnology in 1998. Besides coordination of research and public relation activities, one of their major functions is the support for SMEs in all questions concerning nanotechnology. This includes advice on research questions, mediation of contacts to specialised lawyers, and finance institutions as well as consultation concerning funding possibilities. At the moment BMBF supports nine competence centres.
In addition to these nine centres, a large number of networks, often regional, have been established over the last few years. An overview of these is available in the organisation database on www.nanoforum.org and in the Nanoforum report “European Nanotechnology Infrastructure and Networks”.
DECHEMA - Subdivision Nanotechnology
The DECHEMA (Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology) is a non-profit making scientific and technical society based in Frankfurt on Main. The nanotechnology division organises events, fosters international contacts and promotes the exchange of experience.
VDI - Field of Competence Nano Technology
This field of competence links the most heterogeneous disciplines from engineering to the natural sciences, applications to analytical methods.
Events
START is the leading German Exhibition for Start-ups, Franchising and Entrepreneurs. START is held every spring in Bremen and every autumn in Essen.
