The transfer of life science ideas into commercial exploitation is associated with numerous challenges such as long development times, high default risk, regulatory hurdles and high capital requirements. In particular, ideas from early phases of innovation often fail because they are not geared towards later commercialization from the start. For this reason, the BMBF has launched the “GO-Bio initial” funding initiative.

The aim of GO-Bio initial is to identify and develop early life science research approaches with recognizable innovation potential, preferably in the fields of "therapeutics", "diagnostics", "platform technologies" and "research tools".

In the core module of the funding measure, research and development projects at universities and non-university research institutions are eligible for funding. In the first funding phase - the so-called exploratory phase - commercialization ideas are to be developed conceptually. Any subsequent feasibility phase will then serve to provide the technical "proof of principle". As a result of the funding, a degree of maturity of the research approaches is to be achieved which will enable the continuation of the projects in other established funding programs of validation, start-up and company cooperation funding.

In addition, an additional module can be used to support experimental structural projects at legally independent technology transfer institutions dedicated to increasing the transfer success of life science project ideas.

Outlines of exploratory projects in the core module can be submitted by 15 February 2020.
Applications for projects in the supplementary module must be submitted by 29 May 2020 at the latest.

Further information on the funding initiative is available here (in German).