Deep Tech Entrepreneurship Launchpad - developing efficient model for fostering STEM entrepreneurship among students and young researchers, to increase deep tech innovation in economy
BSR DeepTech Launch

This wrap-up has been compiled by the Programme

PROGRAMME 2021-2027
Priority      1 Innovative societies
Objective   1.2 Responsive public services

BSR DeepTech Launch

Wrap-up of project achievements

Many talented STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students and young researchers have breakthrough ideas but lack the entrepreneurial skills, networks and transnational perspective to turn them into successful businesses. To address this, the Interreg project BSR DeepTech Launch developed a practical Toolbox for students, young researchers and intermediaries, supporting technology entrepreneurship and empowering talented innovators to create the next generation of deep-tech start-ups.

The project BSR DeepTech Launch addressed the challenge of the technology talent gap by developing a Toolbox that supports deep-tech entrepreneurship among students and young researchers, helping them move toward innovative businesses.

The project main achievement was:
• Toolbox for fostering DeepTech entrepreneurship

A DeepTech Entrepreneurship Toolbox comprises methods, tools, workshop scenarios and guidelines to support business innovation at the pre-incubation stage. The Toolbox can be used by business support organisations, career centres, technology transfer offices, higher education institutions and sectoral agencies to mentor, train and support students and young researchers interested in running businesses in the deep-tech sector. Students and young researchers can also make use of the Toolbox to strengthen their entrepreneurial competencies.

The Toolbox provides a structured framework to guide students and young researchers from the earliest stages of idea generation to the first steps of business validation. As many of them have limited entrepreneurial experience and often approach opportunities from research rather than a commercial perspective, the Toolbox helps bridge this gap by introducing essential business knowledge, skills and practical experience. Its content is organised into five maturity stages, ranging from users with no start-up idea or entrepreneurial experience to those already operating a company.

Each maturity stage is divided into three learning components (Think, Learn and Act), ensuring users follow a step-by-step process and apply new knowledge directly to their own ideas. This structure makes the solution easy to replicate and scale, supporting the creation of research-based start-ups and strengthening regional deep-tech ecosystems. One of the practical tools in the Toolbox is the AI-powered Pitch Training App , which lets users upload their business pitch and receive comprehensive, context-aware feedback tailored to their technology domain and target audience.

The Toolbox was developed in line with needs and expectations identified through regional surveys. Additionally, a series of exploratory workshops organised in Warsaw, Vilnius and Berlin served as a piloting and evaluation ground for the Toolbox. Representatives of business support organisations, sectoral agencies, universities and research institutions from Poland, Lithuania and Germany, together with students and young researchers as end users, tested the Toolbox through hands-on exercises, interactive sessions and simulations.

By applying theoretical knowledge in practical contexts, participants strengthened their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, while increasing their awareness of entrepreneurship. Their feedback helped assess the Toolbox’s usability, relevance and practical value for supporting early-stage deep-tech entrepreneurship.

    The transnational approach applied in the Toolbox development was a key strength of the project, helping equip future innovators with the mindset and tools needed to begin their entrepreneurial journey. This practical value is already recognised beyond the partnership, including by the Warsaw University of Technology, which has started using the Toolbox in its work with students and researchers.

      Project Wrap-Up

      Thanks to the Interreg funding and transnational cooperation, the project DeepTech Launch helped close a technology talent gap in the deep-tech sector in the Baltic Sea region. Talented students and young researchers with deep-tech business ideas are now better prepared to turn them into sustainable business ventures. . 

       

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