Bauhaus-Universität Weimar: neudeli Fellowship

Turn your »maybe someday?« into a »why not!«

Do you have a project, a thesis or research paper, a prototype, or a creative idea with start-up potential? The neudeli Fellowship gives you six months of time, coaching, workshops, community, and a budget of up to €2,500 to take the next step.

The neudeli Fellowship is aimed at students, alumni, doctoral candidates, and academic and artistic staff from all departments of Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Whether your idea comes from research, your studies, design, teaching, or practice, ideas from all disciplines are welcome in the neudeli Fellowship. What matters is not that everything is already finished, but that you are motivated to take the next step.

Apply now by September 30, 2026!

Not sure whether your idea is a good fit for the neudeli Fellowship? No problem! Just stop by neudeli or schedule an online appointment. In a personal consultation, we’ll work together to find out whether the six-month start-up program is the right next step for you and your idea. Whether you’re applying on your own or as part of a team, we look forward to getting to know you!

What does the neudeli fellowship offer me?

Individual coaching and workshops
Networking with the neudeli startup community as well as mentoring
Financial support of up to 2.500 euros for the implementation of your idea
6 ECTS within a Bauhaus.Modul & Certificate

What elements does the fellowship include?

The neudeli Fellowship provides you with a framework of different event formats that help you to develop your idea in a structured way. Within six months, you will attend mandatory workshops, our so-called startup workshops. These are supplemented by community events, peer group learning and individual coaching sessions:

Startup Workshop:	In our startup workshops you will learn exciting methods and tools that will lead you from your idea to a successful innovation in the market. These include design thinking, brand building, user research and business modeling. You can acquire more in-depth knowledge on startup-related topics in advanced neudeli workshops.
Coaching:	In personal one-on-one sessions, you work together with the neudeli coaches on your project-specific challenges and receive constructive feedback to develop your project step by step.
Community:	At neudeli community events you have the opportunity to exchange ideas with other founders and supporters, make new contacts in a relaxed atmosphere and strengthen your network.

Dates for the Fellowship Winter Round 2026/27

October 30, 2026, 9 am to 2pm	Jury meeting for the neudeli Fellowship at the Thüringer Aufbaubank in Erfurt
November 2, 2026, 3 pm	Kick-Off
November 4, 2026, 1.30 to 5 pm	Startup-Workshop »Problem Solution Fit« with Josephine from the neudeli-Team Central questions: What specific problem do my potential users have, and why is it truly relevant to them? What assumptions am I making about users, the problem, and the context—and which of these do I want to deliberately validate? How can I gain real insights through conversations and interviews, rather than just getting confirmation for my idea?
tba	Startup-Workshop »Project management for Startups« with APROPRO Projektmanagement Central questions: How do I design effective time management for my project? What are SMART goals? Which project management tools are useful for me as a startup? What milestones should I set during the Fellowship—and which ones beyond it? The workshop will be held in German. Please note: The workshop will take place at Schopenhauerstr. 7, 99423 Weimar.
December 9, 2026, 1.30 to 5 pm	Startup-Workshop »Value Proposition Design« with Josephine from the neudeli Team Central questions: What key insights about my target group have I gained from user research? How can these insights be translated into jobs, pains, and gains? How does my offering specifically respond to them (products & services, pain relievers, gain creators)? Does this result in a coherent fit—or do gaps and new research questions emerge?
January 6, 2027, 1.30 to 5 pm	Startup-Workshop »Sustainable Business Modelling« with Charlene from the neudeli Team Central questions: What is a business model? How can I apply a business model to my own project? How can business model patterns help open up new solution spaces and trigger innovation? Which key assumptions underlie my business model? How can I test these assumptions and further develop my business model?
January 27, 2027 1.30 to 5 pm	Startup-Workshop »Brand Building« with Charlene from the neudeli-Team Central questions: How do products and ideas become brands? Which assumptions and strategic choices shape their identity? How can a clear core brand be developed and visualised, and what legal aspects should be considered early on?
February 27, 2027, 1.30 to 5 pm	Startup-Workshop »Entrepreneurial Mindset« with Charlene from the neudeli-Team Central questions: What attitudes shape my entrepreneurial actions? Which skills and competencies do I bring into my venture, and which ones do I want to develop further? What gives me energy on my entrepreneurial journey, what challenges me, and how do I deal with these challenges? Which people, structures, and resources can support me in further developing my venture?
tba	Startup-Workshop »Pitch Training« with Fellowship-Alumna Sophi Lick (MINDLEAGUE) Central questions: How do I build a pitchdeck? How can I present my foundation idea appealing? What content is relevant at my pitch? How do I appear at my pitch?
March 17, 2027, 3 pm	Final Pitch & Community Come Together

How do I become a neudeli Fellow?

To apply for the neudeli Fellowship, you need to submit an idea paper. This serves as the basis for the initial review round and should present your startup idea clearly and convincingly.

Your submission will be reviewed by us in an initial screening round based on the following criteria:

Comprehensibility of the idea
Uniqueness/innovativeness
Economic potential

In a second stage, the best applicants are invited to pitch to the Fellowship jury. In this jury session, the most promising ideas will be awarded and accepted into our fellowship program.

Guideline and Downloads

Below we have once again summarised all the important documents concerning the neudeli Fellowship for download:

neudeli Fellowship Guideline:

» neudeli Fellowship Guidelines

Please also note our tips for preparing your application:

» Handout for your idea paper

Application for the neudeli Fellowship

You can apply for the neudeli Fellowship with your idea using our online form. We recommend that you have a brief conversation with us before submitting your application. This way, we can clarify together whether the program is right for you and what you should pay attention to when applying.

If you then apply, please make sure that your details are complete and use our tips for preparing your ideas paper! If you have any questions, you can contact us at any time and we will be happy to help you!

Good Luck!

Online-Application:

Founding Idea

Title of the founding idea:

Summary information:

Contact person

First name:

Last name:

Phone:

Private E-Mail:

Address:

Status:

Study programme & student ID

Additional team members

Name - Team member 2:

E-Mail - Team member 2:

Status - Team member 2:

Study programme & student number - Team member 2:

Name - Team member 3:

E-Mail - Team member 3:

Status - Team member 3:

Study programme & student number - Team member 3:

Material and coaching support

I apply for an in-kind budget in the amount of:

External Coaching:

Legal advice from GRUENDELPARTNER (worth 1.000 Euro)

Intellectual property rights research and advice from the law firm Meissner Bolte

Further consulting needs:

I would like to take the neudeli Fellowship as a Bauhaus.module:

Upload the idea sketch

Idea Sketch (max. 4 pages as PDF):

Data processing

Notes on data protection
1. The data provided by you in the form will be processed by us only for the purpose indicated according to article 6, paragraph 1, letter e, DSGVO, the processing of your data is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. In the event of a positive initial assessment by the staff of the neudeli, the personal data will be passed on to a jury. The finalists will be informed in writing of the composition of the jury. By sending the application documents, the applicant gives permission to reproduce the submitted documents for the purpose of distribution to the jury. The jury may contact the applicant directly if there are any questions.

2. Is responsible in terms of the basic data protection regulation and other national data protection laws of the member states as well as other data protection regulations:
Gründungswerkstatt neudeli
Marienstraße 7A
99423 Weimar
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 36 43/58 39 24
E-mail: neudeli@uni-weimar.de

3. The data protection officer of the responsible person is
Dipl.-Ing. Jens-Uwe Wagner
Coudraystraße 7, room 515
99423 Weimar
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 36 43/58 12 22
E-mail: datenschutz@uni-weimar.de

4. The data collected with the form will be deleted after 10 years.

5. You have the right of access, the right of rectification, the right to limit the processing, the right of cancellation, the right to be informed, and the right to object to the processing of your data. Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to complain to a supervisory authority.

The detailed regulations in terms of the DSGVO can be found in the privacy policy on our website at www.uni-weimar.de/datenschutz.

Privacy policy read:

I hereby confirm that I have read the above information on data protection.

Consent to the transfer of data:

Hereby I agree to the transmission of my data. In the event of a grant, the project and idea provider will be named on the website of the Startup-Hub neudeli. Furthermore, I assure that the idea is my own. Applying for a neudeli Fellowship implies the agreement of all listed persons to these conditions of participation.

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