From Passion to Startup, Bridging Science and Business: Key Takeaways from the BSR DeepTech Launch Workshops Across Three Partner Countries

Bridging Science and Business: A Transformative Step for Deep Tech Entrepreneurship

The BSR DeepTech Launch project embarked on a transformative journey across three partner countries: Lithuania, Germany, and Poland, aiming to bridge the gap between scientific research and entrepreneurial ventures. The BSR DeepTech Launch workshop series marked a crucial phase in shaping the future of deep tech entrepreneurship across the Baltic Sea region. Hosted in all three partner countries, these hands-on sessions provided a unique testing ground to refine methodologies, assess student needs, and identify the most effective approaches for transforming scientific research into viable startups. Moreover, the workshops highlighted the importance of addressing specific regional needs, ensuring that support mechanisms are both relevant and effective.

Identifying Gaps and Tailoring Content

Each participating country began by conducting comprehensive analyses to pinpoint specific needs and challenges within their local contexts. These insights informed the development of customized workshops, ensuring that the content was both relevant and impactful. By addressing identified gaps, the workshops provided targeted support, enhancing the entrepreneurial readiness of participants.

The workshops were designed to be highly interactive, fostering an environment where participants could actively engage with the material. Activities included hands-on makerthons, startup case studies, and interactive learning experiments. This experiential approach allowed attendees to apply theoretical knowledge in practical settings, thereby solidifying their understanding of deep tech entrepreneurship.

Each workshop addressed a key challenge: how to equip deeptech, STEM researchers, educators, and innovation facilitators with the right tools to navigate the complex journey from passion to business. By integrating startup methodologies, interactive makerthons, and real-world case studies, the sessions fostered entrepreneurial thinking in deep tech fields like quantum technology and photonics. Participants explored business model development, prototyping, and the art of pitching their ideas—gaining first-hand experience in bridging research with commercialization.

Key Takeaways from the Three Countries

Germany : Training the Trainers in Deep Tech Education
The German workshops focused on empowering educators, startup mentors, and innovation facilitators with effective teaching methodologies tailored for deep tech entrepreneurship. Through interactive learning formats, gamified exercises, and deep tech-specific case studies, participants explored ways to make entrepreneurship education more engaging and applicable to students in STEM fields. The sessions emphasized hands-on exploration, demonstrating how creative learning methods can spark entrepreneurial thinking in highly technical disciplines.

Lithuania: Unlocking the Entrepreneurial Potential of Researchers
In Lithuania, the three workshops covered different but complementary aspects of deep tech entrepreneurship, exploring how to support researchers in launching their startups, focusing on key business skills such as market validation, funding strategies, and IP protection. The workshops also tackled commercialization pathways for deep tech innovations, helping participants understand how to translate scientific discoveries into viable business models. These workshops collectively reinforced the importance of structured support in guiding researchers from academia to entrepreneurship.

Poland: From Passion to Startup
The Polish workshop series provided an immersive experience for aspiring entrepreneurs, helping them move from an initial idea to a viable startup concept. Participants engaged in hands-on business modeling, worked on idea validation, and developed effective pitching techniques to communicate their innovations to investors and potential partners. The workshops also highlighted the role of mentorship and early-stage support, equipping researchers with the knowledge and confidence to take their first steps into the startup world.

Fostering a Collaborative Ecosystem

Beyond individual skill development, the workshops played a pivotal role in cultivating a collaborative ecosystem. By bringing together universities, research institutions, innovation hubs, and public agencies, the initiative created a supportive network for deep-tech innovators. This interconnected framework not only facilitated knowledge exchange but also established a foundation for sustainable partnerships, thereby enhancing the overall innovation landscape in the Baltic Sea Region.

The Road Ahead: The DeepTech Toolbox and Beyond

The successful execution of these workshops marked a critical milestone for the BSR DeepTech Launch project. The insights gathered from these workshops now serve as the foundation for developing the DeepTech Toolbox, a comprehensive resource tailored to support young scientists in launching their ventures. This Toolbox will incorporate feedback from all stakeholders, ensuring its effectiveness in diverse regional contexts and facilitating international collaboration. What is more, a polished final Exploratory Workshop Scenario will be crafted—leveraging the learnings from this series—to provide a structured, scalable framework for future deep tech entrepreneurship training.

By testing, refining, and co-creating these methodologies, the BSR DeepTech Launch project takes a significant step toward empowering the next generation of deep tech innovators, ensuring they have the knowledge, networks, and resources to turn scientific breakthroughs into market-ready solutions.

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