International innovation funding meets high-tech expertise
25.09.2025
Emma Schmitt
Backstage
From September 16 to 23, 2025, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) welcomed three technology-oriented start-up teams from East Africa to the Institute for Information Processing Technology (ITIV). The stay is part of the second phase of the international innovation program TECH4Transition – known as Soft Landing – and serves to further develop promising high-tech ideas.
TECH4Transition: Strengthening innovation – connecting globally
A total of six participants from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda were selected as winners of the first phase of the TECH4Transition program. Launched in Africa, the innovation program supports technology-oriented founders in further developing their products and strengthens the local innovation ecosystem in the long term.
In Germany, the teams undergo an intensive work phase:
- further development of their prototypes,
- preparation for investor pitches,
- exchange with experts from the German innovation environment.
The program is complemented by cultural activities on the weekends – a contribution to promoting intercultural understanding and strengthening international cooperation.
Technical support from ITIV
ITIV plays a central role during the stay. Doctoral students Felix Frombach (Prof. Jürgen Becker’s group), Janik Weis, and Markus Lehner (both Prof. Wilhelm Stork’s group) support the teams in the technical implementation of their ideas. They are available as sparring partners for complex development questions and also actively help shape parts of the supporting program.
A particular highlight was the lecture by Prof. Wilhelm Stork, who provided the participants with valuable scientific input for the further development of their product ideas.
Insight into the German innovation ecosystem
During their stay, the start-up teams gained insights into various research and development areas at KIT as well as into local start-up ecosystems. The program included, among other things:
- Exchange with local KIT start-ups
- Insights into product development by Felix Pfaff from IPEK – Institute for Product Development at KIT
- Individual consulting sessions on business model development, market strategies, and prototyping
These encounters provided valuable guidance for the further scaling of the projects – both technologically and economically.
A joint project for sustainable impact
The soft landing at KIT is part of the larger TECH4Transition project, in which the KIT Start-up Incubator, ITIV, and Innovation and Relations Management (IRM) work closely together. This international cooperation is made possible by the partnership with GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation).
Together, the partners pursue a central goal: the sustainable strengthening of African innovation ecosystems through knowledge transfer, capacity building, and international networking.
