Innovation Office University of Bern’s Post

On #InternationalWomensDay, we celebrate the next generation of #WomenInEntrepreneurship | As an #EXISTWomen university, RWTH Aachen University actively supports women in starting their business. Women are heavily underrepresented in the start-up scene. This is why the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz launched a new funding line in the EXIST - Existenzgründungen aus der Wissenschaft initiative: EXIST-Women, a funding initiative for women who want to set up their own business, which we are proud to implement in our #RWTHecosystem. In January, we published our first call for applications for one of 10 EXIST-Women scholarships. We asked women at #RWTH if they would like to start their entrepreneurial journey - and the response was loud and clear. 30 women from all walks of life applied - whether student, researcher, administrative or technological staff, or self-employed. And the innovative ideas they want to pursue are no less diverse, including #software, #medicine, #robotics, #biotechnology and much more. While their ideas were as diverse as it gets, the applicants had one thing in common: "It was fascinating to see that all women share the same intrinsic motivation to improve the world with their idea, to make a meaningful impact on people's lives and shape the future of our planet," say Christina Mertsch and Miroslava Saager, who met with all women to dive deeper into their start-up ideas. Impressed with the determination of the applicants, the jury will now select the ten best proposals to be granted the EXIST-Women scholarship. The selected women will benefit from a 12-month workshop program teaching the basic skills to start a business, and receive business-related financial support. Last but not least, we want to thank all applicants! The first round of EXIST-Women at RWTH is a strong testimony to the innovative power of women in entrepreneurship. We are proud to have you in our community and we are sure that - whether selected or not - you will find the support you need in the Aachen start-up ecosystem to turn your ideas into reality. Stay tuned for more information on the selected EXIST-Women projects. Tobias Recker | Jan Poblocki | Florian Fuchs #EXIST #IWD #WEareWomenEntrepreneurs #FemaleFounders #diversity #technology #transfer #innovation #startups #entrepreneurship #deeptech

Introducing HerTechVenture: Empowering Women in Tech Innovation and Entrepreneurship! 🌟   HerTechVenture is a dynamic project co-funded by EU aimed at creating inclusive ecosystems in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to combat gender stereotypes and encourage women to pursue careers in technology. The project focuses on boosting confidence, developing entrepreneurial skills, and fostering a passion for tech business careers among female students. Activities include research and training for HEI educators, development of the GenderWise training program, entrepreneurship programs, mentoring, and hackathons for female students, culminating in a final awards event. The project is expected to benefit 100 female students across 5 countries, providing them with the tools and support needed to become the future tech innovators and entrepreneurs of Europe 💡 #HerTechVenture #WomenEmpowerment #GenderEquality #STEMEducation #WomenInTech #TechEntrepreneurship #FemaleEntrepreneurship #TechInnovation #GenderEquality #HigherEducation

🌟"Empowering Women in Academia: Driving Innovation through Entrepreneurship" 🌟   In today’s dynamic innovation landscape, empowering female academics to launch and scale startups isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential. Female-founded ventures bring diverse perspectives, new ideas, and unique approaches to problem-solving. Yet, women remain underrepresented, particularly in academic institutions.   While entrepreneurship is expanding in Switzerland, there’s still work to do: only 17% of startups and spin-offs at Swiss universities and institutions were founded by women, as noted in the FEM REPORT 2023. This underscores the need for enhanced support structures, resources, and networks to level the playing field for female academic entrepreneurs.   This is where initiatives like #FemSpin make a powerful impact. In 2021, leading Swiss universities united to form a consortium dedicated to fostering female academic entrepreneurship. The FemSpin project https://femspin.ch/ has focused on building support networks, sharing expertise, and spotlighting role models—all tailored to empower female founders. Now, as FemSpin concludes its first phase, we’re celebrating its achievements, reflecting on its impact, and planning bold next steps. Keep watching this space!   Supporting female-led startups is about more than helping individual women; it’s about cultivating an inclusive and thriving innovation ecosystem that benefits all of society. Let’s champion this change, support female founders, and help build a balanced, prosperous future for entrepreneurship in Switzerland and beyond! #FemaleEntrepreneurship #Innovation #FemSpin #AcademicEntrepreneurship #Switzerland #FemaleFounders

#Serie - EU Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Join us in this insightful #series as we highlight the top #EUinitiatives supporting #womenentrepreneurs in building successful #innovativebusinesses. Every Thursday, over the coming weeks, we'll dive into the details of EU transformative programs, sharing valuable insights and resources to help you navigate the entrepreneurial landscape. From #funding opportunities to #mentorship initiatives, these EU-backed schemes are designed to propel women-led startups and established businesses to new heights. Follow along and discover how to leverage these powerful tools to turn your #innovativeideas into #reality. #1 Women & #HorizonEurope #2 #EUeic supporting female founders and innovators #3 The EU fostering women’s participation in #STEM #4 Women entrepreneurship & Enterprise Europe Network #5 EIT - European Institute of Innovation and Technology & Deep-Tech women innovators #WomenInnovation #WomenLeadership European Commission EIT Health Parc Científic de Barcelona Parc de Recerca UAB Biocat, BioRegion of Catalonia European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) ICEX

Yesterday in Ankara, we were honored to attend the second meeting of the 𝑾𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆, hosted by T.C. Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı | Republic Of Türkiye Ministry of Industry and Technology and the 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲. The session began with insightful remarks from Damla Turan, PhD, Head of the Technology Entrepreneurship Department. Following her, İlayda GÜLAYDIN, shared her research on women’s entrepreneurship. After this enlightening presentation, Ahu Buyukkusoglu Serter facilitated dynamic discussions that led to the formation of specialized working groups focused on various facets of women’s entrepreneurship. The meeting presented compelling data, highlighting Türkiye’s leadership in educating women in engineering and STEM fields, according to OECD statistics. Despite low numbers of female entrepreneurs globally and in Türkiye, women constitute 35% of the workforce. This underscores a significant opportunity: enhancing women’s participation could markedly accelerate economic growth. At Fark Labs & Arya Women Investment Platform, we are passionately committed to supporting women entrepreneurs and boosting female involvement in technology by forming gender-balanced founding teams. This commitment helps unlock their potential and drives significant progress. We are grateful for the T.C. Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı | Republic Of Türkiye Ministry of Industry and Technology's continued support and commitment to this crucial issue. #BetterFutureTogether #WomenEmpowerment #GenderEquality #MilliTeknolojiHamlesi

✨Women are steadily overcoming obstacles to make meaningful impact in their respective fields, serving as inspirations for future generations. As Marie Curie once said, “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” 🚀Do you know other inspiring female scientists turned entrepreneurs? Share with us in the comments below! 👇

✨Women are steadily overcoming obstacles to make meaningful impact in their respective fields, serving as inspirations for future generations. As Marie Curie once said, “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” 🚀Do you know other inspiring female scientists turned entrepreneurs? Share with us in the comments below! 👇

✨Women are steadily overcoming obstacles to make meaningful impact in their respective fields, serving as inspirations for future generations. As Marie Curie once said, “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” 🚀Do you know other inspiring female scientists turned entrepreneurs? Share with us in the comments below! 👇

✨Women are steadily overcoming obstacles to make meaningful impact in their respective fields, serving as inspirations for future generations. As Marie Curie once said, “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” 🚀Do you know other inspiring female scientists turned entrepreneurs? Share with us in the comments below! 👇

Are you an advanced materials and manufacturing company that is pre-revenue and in early-stage operations with a curriculum designed to support underrepresented entrepreneurs such as rural, minority, women, and others? Then, you might be a good fit for the AMMP (Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Program) Accelerator coming up this summer! Apply at the link in the comments below! #ammpaccelerator #advancedmaterials #advancedmanufacturing #entrepreneurs #applynow