“We don’t care where you come from – we care where you want to go!”

Under this motto, age, country of origin, or background are not selection criteria – everyone is equally welcome. For Track B, any inventor – professor, research group lead, industrial scientist, post-doc, PhD student – with unused yet promising patents in green chemistry is eligible for the program. 

Institutional applications will not be considered at this stage.

The innovate! call is an intensive business and technology validation program specifically designed for the needs of green chemistry innovations. In a nutshell, in Track B we enable the formation of spinout teams around intellectual property submitted by you. We also make it available to pre-existing teams seeking complimentary technology to their own. In both cases, these teams will work in parallel on business modelling and lab-based technology validation for up to 12 months. All teams receive comprehensive support to fast-track innovations – including philanthropic funding, dedicated laboratory space, and expert mentorship – all within Berlin's dynamic innovation ecosystem.

If your IP is selected for the innovate! call, you must be available for technical consultations with teams for at least one month to help them grasp the technology fundamentals. In addition, patent holders and teams also need to establish collaboration frameworks between them, having us at their side to ensure transparent and fair deals that unleash the potential of green chemistry innovations. If needed, we can support in conversations with any relevant third-party rights holders (e.g., your employer) to ensure founder-friendly terms are secured.

Our lab-embedded validation program is adapted from the Founder Institute's proven curriculum and customized specifically for green chemistry ventures. It combines business modelling, technology validation, and expert mentorship to help you de-risk your science-based business. You'll work through structured modules covering customer discovery, intellectual property strategy, regulatory pathways, and other topics – all supported by leading industry experts.

Learn more about the program schedule and mentors here: https://fi.co/greenCHEM

While patent holders who submit their IP won’t receive direct funding through the innovate! call, the development of their patents will be funded through stipends to selected team members and a budget of up to € 40,000 per team. In addition, all teams will receive a budget of 30 hours, that can be used for mentors accredited in the program. So, there is a high chance that funded talents will work on your unused patent.

No, there is no equity component in the innovate! call, nor any other hidden strings attached. You keep full control of what you have already built and created and what you will build and create in the future. Our funding is 100% philanthropic.

Check out the Participation Guidelines here.

Submit your application online by March 15th, 2026; we will review all entries and shortlist candidates. Shortlisted candidates in Track B will be invited to pitch their patents for the Selection Committee either online or in person in Berlin on March 26th and 27th, 2026. Selected patents will then be made available to green chemistry entrepreneurs who will pick those they would like to further develop on a business and technological level.

Our mission is to unlock the sustainability potential of green chemistry innovations. That is why the innovate! call exists: to help innovators build successful, impactful businesses. In line with this mission, we act as neutral helpers – we do not impose conditions on intellectual property (IP) and will never become IP owners. Inventors retain full control of their creations. This applies to both existing (Background IP) and newly developed IP (Foreground IP). Thus, in general, IP remains the sole property of its creators and does not change hands through the program, unless agreed otherwise by inventors and Inno-Talents. We do expect that Inventors enter agreements with spinout teams that want to work on their IP and that clear collaboration frameworks are established. As a neutral partner, we help everyone articulate their expectations transparently, forming the basis for fair agreements that catalyse green chemistry innovations. We will never be a party to these agreements – they remain solely between the participants involved.

Please note that applicable national regulations, such as the German Employee Inventions Act (ArbnErfG), remain in full effect. We will support the direct engagement with any institutional rights holders (such as universities or employers) to secure founder-friendly terms.‍

After the initial pitch to the Selection Committee, your primary role is to support entrepreneurs for at least one month as they get to know and onboard your technology. Your support is most crucial during this first month to ensure a team can work on your patent with strong foundational understanding of the technology and with a clear collaboration framework regarding IP rights.

Inno-Talents are the individuals selected to participate in our validation program – the innovators driving each spinout project. Regardless of the track (A or C), the Inno-Talents are the ones who will be working on your patent.

The innovate! call runs under the greenCHEM brand with the brand holder’s approval and is issued and organized by the innovate! lab gGmbH, a non-profit organization owned by Berlin University Alliance K.ö.R (BUA). As a philanthropic, non-profit legal vehicle, we are able to move fast, stay founder-first, and think entrepreneurially. “Founders helping founders”‍ ‍is at the core of everything we do –  innovate! lab gGmbH provides the legal structure to execute with startup agility while staying fully mission-driven.

We are deeply grateful for the philanthropic support of the Joachim Herz Foundation, as well as the Berlin University Alliance’s commitment and courage to establish this legal structure, enabling an agile, founder-first operating model.

Our only goal is to help you build impactful green chemistry ventures. No equity. No hidden obligations. No strings attached.

The innovate! call by greenCHEM is supported by a long-term philanthropic commitment from the Joachim Herz Foundation and executed through innovate! lab gGmbH – a non-profit legal entity fully owned by the Berlin University Alliance (BUA).

This setup ensures a stable, mission-driven foundation: philanthropic funding enables impact-focused action, while the BUA provides the institutional backbone and long-term public-interest alignment.

We do not take equity, do not claim intellectual property, and do not benefit financially from your success. Our incentive is purely mission-driven: accelerate green chemistry innovations, empower the next generation of founders, and unfold impact.

In short: your success is our impact. Period.