University of Bern UniBE Venture Fellowship guidelines Bern

University of Bern UniBE Venture Fellowship guidelines Bern

Bern, 27 October 2025

UniBE Venture Fellowship Guidelines

1. Fellowship Objectives The UniBE Venture Fellowship aims to foster the creation of knowledge-driven ventures and promote an entrepreneurial culture at the University of Bern, the Bern University Hospital (Inselspital) and the University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPD). The Fellowship supports academics in translating cutting-edge research into new products and services. Through the program, financial support is provided, allowing the Fellows to:

• further develop application-focused research to validate their proof of concept (PoC) and determine its commercial potential with the intention to create their own venture, and • acquire entrepreneurial skills and develop a relevant network essential for their venture creation.

2. Eligibility Criteria

• Individuals affiliated with the University of Bern, the Inselspital or the UPD, holding a Master’s, PhD, or medical degree — and students enrolled in these programs who are within six months of completing their degree — are eligible to apply.

• Basic research projects are not eligible.

• The candidate must be supported and hosted by the lead professor or researcher of their respective research group at the University of Bern (Head of Research Group), the Inselspital, or the UPD, which confirms the Fellows’ access to the necessary infrastructure during the entire Fellowship (see section 4.2.).

• Applicants must not yet have founded a company related to the product or the service described in the application. Exceptions may be considered, provided the

project is still at an early stage. • Upon specific request or recommendation, applications of individuals - with at least a Master degree - who are not affiliated with the University of Bern, the Inselspital or the UPD at the time of submission may be accepted on a case-to-case basis, provided that they are supported by a Head of Research Group of either institution. The University of Bern (Innovation Office) is free to reject applications without further explanation. Furthermore, note that in case of an initial rejection, applicants may re-submit the same project provided that substantial improvements have been made to the proposal. Candidates may not apply more than twice for the same project.

Applicants employed at the University of Bern or the Inselspital or the UPD (e.g. as postdoctoral researchers, assistant physicians, or scientific staff) must end their current employment contract before the start of the Venture Fellowship. The accepted Fellow must start the Fellowship within six months of being accepted into the program. There is no legal entitlement to the awarding of the UniBE Venture Fellowship to any person nor entity.

3. Funding Sources and Scope of Research The Fellowships are funded jointly by:

• the Vice-Rectorate Research and Innovation of the University of Bern, • the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, • the Directorate for Teaching and Research (Direktion für Lehre und Forschung – DLF) of the Inselspital. Additional Fellowships may be funded through sponsors in collaboration with the UniBE Foundation.

4. Application Requirements 4.1. Application Form The applicant applies through the application form in English, which includes:

• An executive summary outlining the proposed solution’s innovation potential, market potential, and the planned steps to realize these potentials through the Fellowship. • A brief motivation statement outlining the applicant’s motivation for pursuing a research-driven venture creating project and how it aligns with their long-term career goals. • A detailed description of the idea based on the applicant’s research. The description should focus on:

o addressing the problem for which the proposed solution is intended, o which type of product or service the proposed solution will be developed into, o why the product or service is considered innovative (e.g. providing a unique solution to an existing market, addressing a new market, creating a new business model or revenue stream, providing the first solution to a long- standing problem, etc.) o a business plan, which details the target market and its needs, as well as the unique value proposition (UVP) of the product or service, o technical feasibility and market analysis, and o current or potential stakeholders (e.g. research partners, first customers, business angels, etc.). • A project plan outlining the main activities to be carried out during the Fellowship, with clear milestones, deliverables, and expected outcomes. • Information related to IP protection (see section 4.3). • A budget plan detailing the intended use of the grant (e.g. salary1, consumables, etc.). • A full disclosure of any potential conflicts of interests and/or any other factors that may adversely affect the applicant’s successful completion of the Fellowship.

4.2. Annex In addition to the application form, the following documents are required:

• A completed and updated Curriculum Vitae of the applicant. • A letter of support issued by the Head of Research Group, which states the following: o The motivation to support the applicant in pursuing the Fellowship. o A confirmation that the Institute or the Department will grant the Fellow access to the necessary infrastructure to conduct the research for the entire duration of the Fellowship. o An acknowledgement of the terms and conditions as outlined in the Venture Fellowship guidelines, particularly those related to the financial responsibility and accountability.2 4.3. Basic Intellectual Property Assessment

Applicants are required to disclose the invention/discovery/idea to Unitectra with explicit reference to the UniBE Venture Fellowship application prior to the start of the UniBE Venture Fellowship. Unitectra is the organization responsible for protecting and licensing of research results produced at the University of Bern. Applicants are also required to meet with the relevant Technology Transfer Manager for an initial assessment of the IP protectability. Please refer to Unitectra’s website for more information.

1 Salary must be budgeted according to the conditions and salary classification outlined in section 6.2. 2 The Fellow must create a third-party funding account (Drittmittelkonto) at the start of the Fellowship and is solely responsible for the use of funding (see section 6.1.).

5. Evaluation Process 5.1. Formal Evaluation

The Innovation Office will check the eligibility (as per section 2) and the completion (as per section 4) of the submitted applications. Incomplete and/or ineligible applications will be instantly rejected by the Innovation Office. 5.2. Evaluation Criteria

The application will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

5.2.1. Criteria 1: Quality of research project and innovation potential

• The research plan is clear, coherent, well-structured, and feasible with attainable milestones within the given timeline of the Fellowship. • The problem statement is relevant and clear. • The novelty of the proposed solution is evident. • Any questions or concerns relevant to the IP rights are addressed and clarified.

5.2.2. Criteria 2: Market and product

• Applicant successfully identifies an addressable market for the product or service and demonstrates their understanding of this market’s challenges and opportunities (e.g. through a brief SWOT Analysis, Porter’s Five Forces analysis, or any other market analysis models). • Applicant successfully demonstrates their understanding of the problems of the customers or end-users, for which the product or service will solve. • The solution provided through the product or service has a competitive advantage through its clearly defined UVP. • The product or service has a clear impact on the environment, the society, and/or the economy (e.g. by referring to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals or by using any impact innovation analysis tools). 5.2.3. Criteria 3: Business model

The applicant presents a clear and sustainable business model, which includes the following aspects: • a viable revenue model, • the scalability of the proposed solution, • a pricing strategy, • a sales channel (direct sales) or a distribution network (indirect sales), • resource requirements, and • existing or planned partnerships.

5.2.4. Criteria 4: Entrepreneurial skills/attitude and team

The applicant must: • demonstrate a strong entrepreneurial mindset, relevant skills, and high personal motivation, • have previous professional or academic experience in venture creation or within the start-up ecosystem, or has previous trainings in entrepreneurship topics, and • receive strong and relevant support from their host department, Head of Research Group, and other relevant supporter(s) or advisor(s). 5.3. Evaluation Committee

The Evaluation Committee consists of representatives from the following institutions: • The Inselspital • ARTORG, University of Bern • The Innovation Office, University of Bern • Two to three experts within the university of Bern or within the ecosystem (i.e. UniBE spin-off founders, foundations, investors, industry experts, etc.) The two partner institutions – Unitectra and Be-Advanced – can, upon request, support the evaluation process by offering insights and addressing questions from their respective perspectives. 5.4. Pre-Selection

The Evaluation Committee will conduct a pre-selection based on the written applications and may request additional input from subject matter experts. 5.5. Pitch and Final Selection

The applicants who successfully pass the pre-selection round will be invited to a 15-minute interview. The interview includes a short pitch followed by a Q&A section. The interview panel consists of the Evaluation Committee, the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, and representatives of the partner institutions (i.e. Unitectra, Be-Advanced). The Vice- Rector for Research and Innovation will make the final decision upon the recommendation of the interview panel.

6. Funding and Employment 6.1. Funding The Fellowship includes a funding budget of CHF 100’000, which must not be exceeded. 6.2. Employment Conditions

In principle, the Fellow will be employed as a research assistant (Wissenschaflicher Mitarbeiterin). The Fellowship employment is based on a workload equivalent to 80% of a full-time position. The Fellowship typically lasts 12 calendar months3. The probation period is six calendar months from the start of the Fellowship. The salary of the Fellow will be classified according to the following categories: • Candidate with a Master’s degree4: WisMa5 VI, GK 19, GS 46 • Candidate with a PhD degree: WisMa IV, GK 20, GS 46 • Candidate with at least 2 years of Postdoc experience: WisMa III, GK 21, GS 46

Note: The official salary class table of the Canton of Bern (applicable also to the University of Bern) can be consulted here. To estimate the total personal costs, an additional 20% for the employer’s social security contributions must be added to the salary indicated in the salary class table. 6.3. Employment of Additional Team Members

In justified cases, the agreed workload percentage of the UniBe Venture Fellows in the employment contract may be reduced to cover the salary costs of an additional team member, provided that the lead Venture Fellow remains fully focused on the innovation project. The additional team member is hired by the same institute that hosts the Venture Fellow. The salary class of the additional team member will be determined through the standard hiring processes of the institute. If the applicant is planning to hire an additional team member, they