UniBE Digital Venture Fellowship

What is goal of the UniBE Venture Fellowship?

The University of Bern aims to strengthen the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Bern across all disciplines.

The goal of the UniBE Digital Venture Fellowship is to promote the transfer of innovative research and teaching by means of innovative, human-centered, digitalization-related products or services into society and the economy and to support entrepreneurial young researchers. During the Digital Venture Fellowship, the underlying research of the innovation is to be continued in order to validate the technical feasibility (proof-of-concept) and to prepare for commercialization.

In alignment with the University of Bern’s Digitalization Strategy 2030, the Digital Venture Fellowship encourages participants to leverage digital transformation as a catalyst for scalable, sustainable, and impactful innovations, while addressing societal, environmental, and economic challenges.

What is supported?

The project must be focused on establishing a proof-of-concept with regard to the development of an innovative, human-centered, digital-related product or service, and creating the entrepreneurial foundations for successful implementation in society and the economy. Applications with a focus on basic research will not be considered.

The Digital Venture Fellowship includes a funding budget of CHF 100’000, which must not be exceeded. The employment is based in principle on 80% employment. The duration of the Fellowship is usually twelve (12) months (might be shortened if necessary). With the contribution of the UniBE Digital Venture Fellowship, the following costs can be covered:

• Salary costs (including employer social security contributions)
• Material costs directly related to the project’s implementation, including digital infrastructure and services (e.g. data storage, cybersecurity measure, licensing fees, etc.)
• Costs for project-related travels and networking events
• Expenses for recommended entrepreneurship training
• Costs for the protection of intellectual property, including patent searches and digital rights management

How does it work?

• MA and PhD applicants can submit their application at the earliest up to six (6) months before the graduation date. Postdoctoral applicants and scientific staff of the University are also eligible to apply but will need to end the current employment contract before starting the Digital Venture Fellowship.
• Researchers and physicians employed at the Bern University Hospital (Inselspital) and the University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPD) are not eligible.
• The candidate must be supported and hosted by the lead professor or researcher of their respective research group (Head of Research Group) at the University of Bern, which confirms the Fellows’ access to the necessary infrastructure during the entire Digital Venure Fellowship.
• The application includes a detailed project description (in particular a description of the problem, the innovative aspect of the solution and the business model), a project plan, information on intellectual property issues (in particular on the question of patentability and, if applicable, the status of the patenting procedure) and a project budget.
• The applicants may reach out to the advisors of the Innovation Office for support in preparing their UniBE Digital Venture Fellowship application by contacting innovationoffice@unibe.ch.
• The application must be submitted to the Innovation Office. The Innovation Office will provide the necessary forms. The Innovation Office will check whether the submitted applications are complete and meet the eligibility criteria in due time.
• Applications that meet the formal criteria will be assessed and evaluated by the UniBE Digital Venture Fellowship Jury. The jury will then make a recommendation to the Digitalization Commission. The final funding commitment is made by the Executive Board of the University of Bern. The following formal and substantive criteria are used as the basis for assessing the applications received:
  • Research quality and innovation potential
  • Market and product
  • Business model
  • Entrepreneurial skills/attitude and team
• Rejected applications may be submitted a second time on the basis that substantial improvements have been made.
• The exact rules and regulations can be found in the guidelines.
• Timeline:
  • Application deadline: 19 September 2025
  • 1st round of jury deliberation (based on submitted written applications): 17 October 2025
  • 2nd round of jury deliberation (in-person shortlisted candidates’ pitch presentations): 30 October 2025
  • Final decision by the University's Executive Board: 02 December 2025