Science to Business!
The University of Tartu invites researchers to the "Science to Business!" programme for developing ideas in science-intensive entrepreneurship.
Programme objectives:
- Identify the business potential of participants' research.
- Introduce researchers to various opportunities for creating and developing science-based companies.
- Provide support in finding alternative commercialisation options (e.g., creating a spin-off company or licensing research results).
Why join this programme?
- In the seminars, experts provide the necessary information for starting and developing a business.
- Business mentors and a network of experts support researchers and teams through various stages.
- Universities take on the costly and complex analysis of intellectual property.
- Opportunity to participate in community events and business festivals.
- Participants are informed about future accelerators and funding opportunities.
- Acquisition of practical skills (business model creation, elevator pitch training).
Learn about the "Science to Business!" autumn 2024 programme:
In the pre-incubation programme, participants will gain the most important skills and knowledge for founding their science-based company and commercialising their research over a 10-week period.
Seminars will take place from 25 September until the beginning of December, typically every consecutive Wednesday from 16:00 to 18:00 at UT Delta Centre in Tartu.
Physical attendance in the seminars is highly recommended. Depending on the participants, the programme will be conducted in Estonian or English. For eligible participants, the programme is for free.
Seminars are interactive, and after having covered specific topics, participants can also arrange separate 30-minute consultations with experts.
The programme is designed for researchers and research teams from the University of Tartu who have a product or service based on intellectual capital and/or infrastructure and have a keen interest towards entrepreneurship. Registration is open until 15 September.
| 25. September | Kick off seminar: From science to business |
| 2. October | Prototyping and product development - Markko Karu |
| 9. October | Intellectual Property Management - Alina Paas |
| 16. October | Organisational Development - Veikko Valkiainen |
| 23. October | Market Development - Andres Kuusik |
| 30. October | Founders Agreement and Legal Aspects - Alex Luik |
| 06. November | Investors Perspective. KTH Methodology. - UniTartu Ventures |
| 13. November | Pitch Training - Maret Ahonen |
| 20. November | Networking event |
| 27. November | Pitch Training |
| 6. December | DemoDay - Pitch presentation |
Please see a list of all the mentors here
The seminars will be held in Delta centers's demo room (1030) 16:00-18:00 o'clock.
The schedule could be changed at any time.
Do you have to establish a company in the end of the program?
No, there is no obligation to establish a company.
Are also the students welcome to the program?
Yes, if they have a science-intensive idea and/or represent a research group.
Can all team members participate in the program?
Upon entering the program, all team members can participate in the seminars.
Is the participation in the program limited by certain field of research?
The program is interdisciplinary, and there are no restrictions.
What happens if I am unable to complete the program?
The program starts again in the autumn, providing another opportunity to join again.
Can meetings be attended remotely?
Physical presence is recommended for seminars but there is an option to join online.
Do I need to already have a business idea to join the program?
You need to have a research based idea you wish to commercialize. During the program, you will determine which is the most suitable way to proceed
Spin-offs are active partners for the university
A spin-off company of the University of Tartu is a company which, in agreement with the university, wishes to highlight its connection with the university for business development and whose founders and / or shareholders are the university administration company and / or its UT employees / students and uses the university's intellectual capital and / or infrastructure. Knowledge, information, intellectual property, experience, etc. are considered intellectual capital.
Any company meeting the criteria can become a spin-off. This gives the company an opportunity to use the university's brand and increase the credibility of its products and services by referring to scientific research.
We want an active partnership from our spin-offs, which, in addition to shared knowledge, also includes activities that support the university's core activities - teaching and research. In order for the cooperation to run smoothly, we provide each spin-off company with an account manager who helps to coordinate the wishes of the company and the university.