In the late 90s, when internet and communication technologies were emerging, the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBWFT) launched the first EXIST competition. Universities were to cooperate with institutional partners in order to support students and scientists in setting up a company. The competition met with an enormous response: over 200 universities submitted 109 idea papers and five model regions were selected.
The objectives of EXIST include the permanent establishment of an entrepreneurial culture, the commercial exploitation of scientific research and the promotion of business ideas. With the introduction of EXIST-SEED in 2000, a personal start-up support program was established to provide financial and networking support to students and scientists. This support proved to be decisive for the success of many start-ups.
EXIST has evolved over the years to meet the needs of the start-up scene. In 2007, the EXIST Business Start-up Grant and EXIST Research Transfer were introduced, which are now regarded as a seal of quality in the start-up scene.
The promotion of university start-ups was further intensified with programs such as EXIST Start-up Culture and EXIST Potentials, and the program received an additional boost in 2006 when responsibility was transferred to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). Since then, EXIST has made a decisive contribution to establishing a broad and sustainable start-up landscape at German universities (WIM University of Cologne).
EXIST as a learning program
EXIST was not originally planned as a long-term funding program, but has been continuously developed based on the experiences of the previous phases. Fraunhofer ISI therefore described it as a "learning program", which was unique at the time.
The 5 EXIST program phases:
- 1997/98 - 2005: I Funding for 5 EXIST model initiatives (20 universities)
- 2002 - 2006: II Funding for 10 EXIST transfer initiatives ("EXIST Transfer") (37 universities)
- 2006 - 2011: III Funding of 47 EXIST III projects (86 universities)
- 2011 - 2018: IV Funding of 22 EXIST IV projects (24 universities) ("EXIST start-up culture - the start-up university")
- 2019 - 2024: V Funding for 101 projects (142 universities) (EXIST potential)
Always in view: necessary adjustments and new target groups
EXIST has proven its flexibility and adaptability time and again over the past 25 years, most recently during the coronavirus pandemic. New target groups such as AI start-ups received specific support in four pilot projects. The "EXIST-Women" program, which was launched in autumn 2023, also attracted a lot of interest and offers women at universities who are interested in starting a business an early insight into start-ups and self-employment.
Outlook: From EXIST-Potentiale to the Startup Factories lighthouse competition
After EXIST-Potentiale, the Startup Factories lighthouse competition is now eagerly awaited. While EXIST-Potentiale promoted the development of start-up support at universities, Startup Factories focuses on the start-up ecosystem around universities. The aim is to promote the growth and consolidation of start-ups and to give universities the opportunity to professionalize their start-up support. Ten supra-regional and internationally visible start-up factories are to be established as lighthouses. The concept phase starts in July 2024. You can find out more here.