UNITE - an association of over 50 partners from the fields of science, business, politics and society in Berlin and Brandenburg - will receive funding of ten million euros over the next five years as part of the federal government's EXIST lighthouse competition "Startup Factories". This was announced by Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche on July 10, 2025. It is intended to serve as start-up funding that will enable the establishment of Unite as the central innovation and start-up center of the capital region in the coming years. Together with the funds previously raised from private donors, this will provide UNITE with a total of around 21 million euros over the next five years. The aim is to generate technology-driven start-ups from science and further develop the capital region into a leading international innovation ecosystem. ASH Berlin is one of the founding members of the UNITE network and contributed perspectives such as social entrepreneurship to the application process.
Unite plans to launch programs and public offers at the beginning of 2026.
UNITE is one of the 15 consortia that has already successfully completed the competition of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK; now: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy) for the first funding phase (concept phase) and was funded for nine months from July 1, 2024 with a total of 150,000 euros.
Press release from the Senate Department for Science, Health and Care: https://www.berlin.de/sen/web/presse/pressemitteilungen/2025/pressemitteilung.1579430.php
