SFF DEEP CONNECT
Building Europe´s Interconnected Deep Tech Talent and Venture Ecosystem
SFF DEEP CONNECT strengthens Europe’s deep-tech STEM innovation capacity by connecting talent development, Asset-Matching Living Labs, cross-university incubation, Founder Passport mobility, and EIT KIC-aligned venture pathways under Topic 1.
Project Coordinator, Hochschule Munchen University of Applied Sciences Contact
Selected under Topic 1: EIT-HEI-2025-STEM-CAPACITY-BUILDING, SFF DEEP CONNECT supports Higher Education Institutions in becoming more interconnected engines of deep-tech talent, research commercialisation, and venture creation. The project responds to a persistent European challenge: strong STEM research and entrepreneurial support exist across universities, but they often remain fragmented, locally bounded, and insufficiently connected to scalable cross-border innovation pathways.
At the centre of SFF DEEP CONNECT is an integrated architecture that links STEM entrepreneurship education, research assets, incubation, ecosystem access, and venture mobility. The project will develop an international STEM Talent Programme focused on entrepreneurship, AI, deep tech, IP awareness, and commercialisation. It will also establish Asset-Matching Living Labs, where research results, IP, infrastructure, students, researchers, founders, companies, and ecosystem actors are deliberately matched to form new venture-ready teams.
SFF DEEP CONNECT further expands the SFF Open Incubator 2.0 into a shared cross-university incubation pathway, supported by the Open Hubs digital platform and the SFF EIT HEI Founder Passport. The Passport will provide a traceable record of founder development, asset contributions, mentoring, infrastructure access, and ecosystem mobility. By aligning with 28DIGITAL, EIT Food, EIT Culture & Creativity, EIT Manufacturing, and EIT Urban Mobility, the project aims to create a more interoperable European pathway from STEM talent and research assets to deep-tech ventures, market validation, and cross-border growth.
Partners on this project
Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences (Lead Partner)
Dundalk Institute of Technology
EURA AG
Edge Solutions
Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences
Guglielmo Marconi University
Masaryk University
The Hague University of Applied Sciences
University of Applied Sciences Campus Vienna
University of Macedonia
IDEA-RE s.r.l.
JIC (South Moravian Innovation Centre)
JINTEK
Junior Achievement Bulgaria
K Digital s.r.l.
Local Enterprise Office Louth
Overhaul
Start for Future Cooperative
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