TUM Proof of Concept Förderung: bridging IP from lab to commercial reality

TUM's pre-spin-off funding stack runs roughly: IDEA Award (idea validation, €15k) → Proof of Concept (technology validation, €50k) → Bridge-to-Innovation (lab-to-market push, €50k) → EXIST Gründerstipendium or Forschungstransfer (the federal step). Proof of Concept specifically funds the validation work that turns an invention disclosure into a defensible commercial IP package - the work that makes the rest of the stack viable.

TUM ForTe (the Tech Transfer office) reviews proof-of-concept applications against three criteria: (a) the IP must already be disclosed to ForTe (Erfindungsmeldung filed); (b) the planned validation work must close a specific commercial-readiness gap (e.g. scale-up validation, materials substitution, regulatory pre-test); (c) a credible founding team or licensing partner must be visible within ~12 months. Pure scientific characterisation without a commercial route is funded elsewhere.

Application is filed through TUM ForTe with: a 5-page technology brief, the existing Erfindungsmeldung referenced, a work plan with 3-5 milestones, a budget, and a one-page commercialisation outline. Reviewed by an internal TUM panel (no external reviewers). Funding is paid through the supporting chair against incurred costs; the team has full operational control of the validation work.