UCT Prague has succeeded in the EIT funding initiative for the 2nd time
Prague, 9 October 2026 – A new international grant, “SFF Deep Tech Valleys: STEM2Venture Pathway”, in which UCT Prague is a participant, will help transfer academic R&D into real-world applications and the creation of innovative companies. The grant-funded project connects nine European countries. Over two years, it will support entrepreneurial education for more than 5,000 students, researchers, and university staff and help launch at least 12 new companies. UCT Prague was successful in this EIT Higher Education Initiative for the second time.
The main goal of this project is to bridge the gap between academic R&D in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields and the commercial sector by supporting the creation of sustainable start-ups and spin-off companies capable of transferring scientific discoveries into real-world applications.
To this end, a network of interconnected regional innovation ecosystems—so-called “STEM Valleys”—will be established. Each will be based on regional R&D priorities ranging from artificial intelligence and digital services (Attica region in Greece) to cybersecurity (Scotland) to advanced manufacturing (Prague) to clean technologies (Slavonia region in Croatia).
“As an experienced EIT initiative partner, we are responsible for coordinating activities focused on training over 5,000 students in entrepreneurship. Of course, UCT Prague will also participate in other project activities, including support for start-ups,” Assoc. Prof. Lenka Švecová said, adding that UCT Prague’s involvement will open up further opportunities for developing entrepreneurial competencies for both students and researchers, supporting technology transfer, and connecting university research with the needs of industrial partners.
Support for over 5,000 participants and dozens of start-ups
Over the course of two years, entrepreneurship training will be offered to more than 5,000 students, researchers, and university staff. Training activities will be based on the EntreComp European competence framework, which defines the knowledge and skills needed for developing an entrepreneurial mindset.
The project will also include a joint incubation program, the Open STEM-Incubator, for supporting 35 start-ups in two cycles. At least 12 new companies should be created. University technology transfer offices will additionally get shared tools for protecting and commercially exploiting intellectual property assets.
In addition to business education, project activities will also connect technology transfer experts, mentors, and investors, thus supporting research teams in probing the market potential of their ideas, dealing with intellectual property issues, and preparing for negotiations with potential investors.
In November 2026, the first educational programs will begin at the participating universities and an open call for research teams and start-ups interested in participating in the first cycle of the Open STEM-Incubator program will be announced. This program will launch in January 2027.
Both incubation cycles will culminate in meetings (Demo/Investor Days) with investors and industry representatives. The first meeting will take place in Athens (June 2027); the second, in Munich (June 2028). At these meetings, selected teams will present their project ideas to potential investors and industry partners.
An international team and € two million
In addition to UCT Prague and the coordinating partner, Athens University of Economics and Business (Greece), coalition partners include International Burch University (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Edinburgh Napier University (United Kingdom), the University of Osijek (Croatia), the Unknown University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE, Germany), and Heirloom Labs (Belgium). The European network Start for Future serves as an associated partner.
With nearly € two million in grant funding from the EIT Higher Education Initiative (HEI), the project will run for 24 months (September 2026 to August 2028).
Participation in EIT HEI is nothing new for UCT Prague. In 2023-2024, the university coordinated the DETECT! (Deep Tech Creativity) project focused on fostering international entrepreneurship and creativity and developing innovations based on advanced technologies. At that time, UCT Prague was the only Czech project coordinator in EIT HEI.
DETECT! brought together universities, innovation organizations, and industry partners from several European countries. Following the successful completion of its first phase (2023), it received continued support in 2024. The new SFF-DT project is an opportunity to build upon UCT Prague’s established competency in fostering technology-based entrepreneurship and international cooperation.
The University of Chemistry and Technology Prague (UCT Prague) is a natural center of study and cutting-edge research. One of the largest educational and research institutions in Central Europe, it specializes in technical chemistry, chemical and biochemical technologies, material and chemical engineering, food chemistry, and environmental studies. Remarkably, of the more than 4,000 students at the school, 700 are enrolled in PhD programs on average. Some of the study programs on offer at UCT are unique in the Czech Republic and are key to the future of the entire country. The school collaborates with more than 100 academic institutions, namely within Europe but also in the USA, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, and elsewhere.
Contact: Michal Janovský, spokesman, telephone: +420 733 690 543, e-mail: michal.janovsky@vscht.cz