GENERAL PROGRAMMES | STRUCTURAL PROGRAMMES
IDEAS BECOME REALITY
INITIATIVES FOR YOUNG
ENTREPRENEURS
AplusB CENTRES:
REGIONAL CONTACTS IN AUSTRIA
Around 31,000 new businesses are set up in Austria each year. Most of these are classed
AplusB centres support start-ups from universities, universities of applied sciences and
non-university research institutions. The following centres are available across Austria:
as small and medium-sized enterprises. These young businesses make an important
contribution to the growth of the Austrian economy by helping to enhance the environment for research and innovation and to reduce structural deficits. The Austrian Research
Promotion Agency (FFG) is offering young businesses and their founders support in
bringing their ideas to fruition with its Start-up Funding initiative as part of the General
Programmes and with the services of its AplusB centres as part of the Structural Programmes. The FFG bears the majority of the development risk within Start-up Funding.
In the academic world, the FFG’s AplusB centres provide advice and support to new
entrepreneurs as they develop their businesses.
AplusB NETWORK OF INCUBATORS
The AplusB centres partner the commercial implementation of academic ideas in the preseed and seed phases. They support young academics for an eighteen month period as
they progress from having a good idea to setting up a business. The centres offer in-depth
advice and hands-on support by providing infrastructure and capital. In addition, the centres give academic spin-offs and start-ups access to networks from the worlds of science,
business and finance. To receive support from the centres entrepreneurs must have an
innovative idea which they intend to develop into a start-up project with growth prospects.
The AplusB centres are designed to encourage an entrepreneurial approach in academic
thinking. AplusB is an initiative of the Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Tech-
accent start-up service, Lower Austria, based in Wiener Neustadt and Krems
www.accent.at | [email protected]
nology (BMVIT) and is managed by the FFG.
build! start-up centre, Carinthia, based in Klagenfurt and Villach
www.build.or.at | [email protected]
Services of the AplusB centres:
CAST Center for Academic Spin-offs Tyrol, based in Innsbruck
www.cast-tyrol.com | [email protected]
AplusB centres support the setting up of companies from universities, universities of applied
INiTS university incubator, based in Vienna
www.inits.at | [email protected]
sciences and non-university research institutions as well as from industry through the following initiatives:
• Advice on business management and professional consultancy and coaching by the
SPG Science Park Graz, Styria, based in Graz
www.sciencepark.at | [email protected]
centre’s project supervisors and external experts (IPR, sales, etc.)
• Provision of infrastructure (laboratories, offices, meeting rooms, etc.)
• Financial support (in the form of grants and/or loans)
• Inclusion in a network of partners from the worlds of science, business and finance
tech2b start-up centre, Upper Austria, based in Linz
www.tech2b.at | [email protected]
ZAT Centre for Applied Technologies, Styria, based in Leoben
www.unternehmerwerden.at | [email protected]
START-UP FUNDING INITIATIVE
Start-up Funding targets newly established, technology-driven, innovative businesses. The aim is to improve the
way in which projects are financed and funded in order to increase the number of business start-ups in the high
tech sector. Individual projects from research and development are promoted without favouring or restricting
support to any particular field of technology. Firms from all branches and sectors of industry are invited to submit grant applications for research and development projects. This FFG funding initiative is designed to support
young innovative businesses from their initial idea right through to market launch and production. Co-operation
with provincial governments makes the submission process easier through a joint application and also increases
AplusB
the funding available.
Projekt.Start
CUSTOMISED SUPPORT
FOR YOUNG BUSINESSES
Up to 70% project funding Against the background of a generally less favourable environment as regards
Product idea
Start-up-Funding
Development
Pre-seed
Prototype
Markt.Start
Production, exploitation, expansion
Seed phase
Growth phase
funding (Basel II and III), the FFG offers long-term back-up for implementing technically risky and commercially interesting projects by funding up to 70% of the third party costs (material and personnel costs)
of the project.
AplusB - FACTS & FIGURES
5 years before loan repayment The FFG provides substantial support to business start-ups as loans do not
• Open to innovative and technology-driven ideas from potential business founders from the
academic sector
have to be paid back until five years after the completion of the project. This gives the young enterprise
• Support in the pre-seed and seed phase
time to lay the foundation stone for a successful market launch and generate the first revenue.
• Assistance and support through advice, infrastructure (offices, laboratories, etc.) and financial
support
Funding of feasibility studies Feasibility studies provide information as to whether new ideas are also techni-
• In-depth support for an eighteen month period
cally feasible. The Start-up Funding initiative covers up to 60% (max. € 48,000) of the study costs. So young
• Inclusion in an Austrian network from the worlds of science, business and finance
entrepreneurs can obtain high quality analyses at reasonable cost.
• Contact and admission to the centre possible at all times
• The business should not yet be set up
Markt.Start market launch funding FFG’s Markt.Start market launch funding bridges the ‘valley of death’ and,
building on a research and development project, boosts exploitation activities to increase investor readiness,
overcome the liability of newness and achieve proof of market.
Cooperation for innovation This service within FFG’s Start-Up Funding initiative helps young innovative enterprises make contact with established businesses to facilitate possible future collaborative ventures, the
exchange of expertise and cooperation.
Venture forums as a point of contact with investors The FFG does not simply regard Start-up Funding as
offering support during the development phase. Working closely with investors, start-up community and the
AplusB centres the FFG brings together potential funding providers and attractive start-ups in venture capital
forums. Participation in FFG’s venture capital forums is free of charge.
START-UP FUNDING - FACTS & FIGURES
• Open to innovative projects from all sectors
• Max. funding: up to 70% of total eligible project costs with a mix of grants and loans
• On-going submission possible with no fixed deadlines
• Must fulfill EU’s criteria for SMEs (annual turnover under € 50 million, balance sheet total less
than € 43 million, not more than 250 employees)
• Business must have been established within the past five years
• Involvement of a large enterprise must not exceed 25%
• Consortium: no partnership required
4th EDITION 05/2015
FFG: PARTNER FOR
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Innovation and applied research in Austria have a
strong partner: the Austrian Research Promotion
Agency (FFG). We can help you to make the most of
your innovative potential and to exploit new market
opportunities by putting new knowledge to work.
www.ffg.at/start-up
Austrian Research
Promotion Agency, FFG
Sensengasse 1, 1090 Vienna
Tel +43 (0)5 77 55 – 0
Fax +43 (0)5 77 55 – 97900
[email protected]
www.ffg.at
AplusB Programme
Tel +43 (0)5 7755 – 2203
[email protected]
www.ffg.at/aplusb
Start-up Funding
Tel +43 (0)5 7755 – 1212
[email protected]
www.ffg.at/startups