1. I have already formed a startup. Can I apply? 

Yes, if the company is genuinely pre-seed or at proof-of-concept stage, has not raised external investment 

capital, and an eligible institutional affiliation can be identified. 

2. I live abroad. Can I apply? 

Yes. Residence and nationality alone do not exclude you. The proposal must identify a team member based in 

Greece and affiliated with an eligible Greek host institution, and funded work must be carried out principally in 

Greece. 

3. Can I apply alone? 

Yes, if you satisfy the Greek institutional affiliation requirement. At least two named team members are required 

by the funded-team decision. If the project remains a one-person team, it is not eligible for funded-phase 

consideration but keeps the programme outputs already earned. 

4. Why is a Greek institutional affiliation required? 

The programme uses an institutional route to receive and administer any later award and to address the host 

support required for contracting and intellectual property. 

5. When must my institution confirm participation? 

Identify the institution and affiliated member at application. Formal confirmation from the host institution is 

required before funded status and contracting. 

6. Can specialist services outside Greece be funded? 

Yes. Essential services or collaboration outside Greece can be included in the approved proof-of-concept budget 

where permitted by the award rules and the Greek host’s procedures. BioInnovation Greece pays the award to 

the Greek entity or partner, which administers any eligible expenditure abroad. 

7. Will every admitted team receive funding? 

No. Admission is to the venture-development programme. Only a smaller number of teams may later receive 

conditional proof-of-concept funding of up to €20,000 per team through the approved selection, institutional and 

contracting process. 

8. What does an admitted but unfunded team receive? 

Training, mentoring, the venture evidence package it keeps, structured feedback, next-step recommendations 

and BioSTART community or onward-referral benefits. 

9. Will I receive feedback if I am not selected? 

Every applicant receives a written evaluation report with substantive comments drawn from the evaluators’ 

assessments. 

10. Who owns the intellectual property? 

Ownership depends on the Participant Terms and Award Agreement, applicable law, researcher status, 

institutional rules, pre-existing intellectual property, contracts and prior funding. Participation alone does not 

transfer intellectual property to BioInnovation Greece or its delivery partners.

11. What happens if my host cannot contract? 

The team may nominate one substitute eligible host within the stated cure period. If no eligible substitute 

contracts in time, the conditional award lapses, while programme admission and outputs already earned remain 

unaffected. 

12. I have only just seen the call. Should I still apply? 

Yes. The entry application is intentionally light and does not require a complete proof-of-concept plan. Apply if 

you can provide the requested short materials by the deadline; admitted teams develop the detailed plan during 

the programme.

13. May an unsuccessful applicant reapply? 

Yes. An unsuccessful applicant may apply in a later call if the project then meets the published eligibility rules. A 

previous application does not create priority or prejudice a new assessment.

14. What happens to my application data? 

Application data are handled under the published privacy notice, which identifies the controller, purposes, 

recipients, lawful bases, retention periods, rights and contact route. Applicant material is retained only for the 

stated period and shared only as described in that notice.

BioSTART Fellowship 2027 - Call for Applications

Date: 1 October 2026

1. About the BioSTART programme

BioSTART is a proof-of-concept and venture-development programme of BioInnovation Greece for scientists and clinician-researchers working to translate promising life-science research in Greece into a viable biotech venture.

It supports the stage between early scientific evidence and an investable opportunity: testing the product concept, the evidence needed next, the intellectual-property and regulatory pathway, the market need and the route to company formation.

2. What admitted teams receive

Every team admitted to the programme receives the following, whether or not it is later awarded proof-of-concept funding:

• Entrepreneurial and venture-development training delivered through the BioSTART–EGG strategic partnership;

• Life-science venture support covering product definition, evidence planning, intellectual property, regulatory strategy, market development, company formation and financing;

• A named lead mentor during the venture-preparation phase, with access to relevant specialists where available;

• A venture evidence package, developed and retained by the team, including a venture and proof-of-concept plan, value proposition, competitive and market assessment, legal and regulatory map, and milestone and financial plan;

• Structured written feedback during the programme, and mentor-supported next-step recommendations, at completion;

• BioSTART community access and onward referrals, where appropriate.

Every applicant receives a written evaluation report with substantive comments drawn from the evaluators’ assessments.

3. Conditional proof-of-concept funding

Admission to the development programme does not create a right to funding. A small number of teams may later be selected for conditional proof-of-concept funding after the venture-development phase.

Selected teams may receive non-dilutive proof-of-concept funding of up to €20,000 per team. The number of awards depends on the funding available and the quality of eligible proposals.

Funded teams additionally receive an agreed milestone baseline, proportionate progress and final review, pitch preparation, and investor or industry introductions, where appropriate.

4. Who can apply

4.1 Applicant profiles

The Fellowship is open to:

• PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and early-career researchers;

• Clinician-scientists and interdisciplinary teams;

• University students and recent graduates, where the innovation is sufficiently developed for the programme;

• Founders of genuinely pre-seed, or proof-of-concept ventures.

Nationality and place of residence do not by themselves restrict eligibility.

4.2 Application eligibility

An application must satisfy all the following requirements:

1. Greek institutional affiliation. The proposal should include at least one team member who is based in Greece and affiliated with an eligible Greek host institution.

2. Eligible host institutions. The proposed host should be a Greek higher-education institution or public research centre with a statutory research account able to receive an award, administer the budget, and confirm contracting and intellectual-property authority.

3. Location of work. Funded work should be carried out principally in Greece. Necessary specialist services or collaboration outside Greece may be supported, where essential to the proof of concept and permitted by the award rules and the Greek host’s procedures.

4. Lead applicant. One lead (principal) applicant submits the proposal. The Greece-based, institution-affiliated member is identified at the time of application.

5. Company status. Company involvement is not required. An existing company may apply if the proposal is genuinely pre-seed, or at proof-of-concept stage, and an eligible institutional affiliation can be identified.

6. Prior investment. The project and any company formed around it must not have raised external investment capital.

7. Rights and disclosures. Applicants must be entitled to submit the proposal and disclose known institutional, employment, funding and pre-existing intellectual-property obligations.

8. Applicant seniority. Principal applicants should have received their highest academic degree within the past seven years. More senior team members can be involved in an advisory capacity.

9. Application submission. Applications may be submitted between 1 October 2026 and 23:59 EET on 30 November 2026. The application must be submitted before the deadline, in the required format.

4.3 Eligibility for funded-phase consideration

Each team member must have a defined role in the proposed work and provide a written statement of expected contribution and time commitment.

The team must also provide formal confirmation that its host institution is willing and able to contract and administer the proposed work.

5. Application processing and evaluation

The Fellowship follows five stages:

1. Application and eligibility screening. Applications are checked against section 4.

2. Selection for admission. Eligible proposals are independently evaluated and the admitted cohort is selected.

3. Venture development. Admitted teams undertake entrepreneurial and life-science venture training and develop the venture evidence package.

4. Mentoring and preparation. Teams refine the proof-of-concept plan, milestones, budget, institutional route and team.

5. Conditional funded-team decision. A smaller number of teams may be selected for institutional diligence and conditional proof-of-concept funding.

After a conditional decision, the team and host complete institutional diligence, the final budget, contracting and the milestone baseline. Proof-of-concept work begins only after the required agreements are signed and the first disbursement conditions are met.

The funded proof-of-concept period is six months from receipt of funds by the Greek recipient host institution. An extension can be granted under exceptional circumstances, contingent on progress evaluation and approval by the BiG BoD.

6. How to apply

The initial entry application is intentionally simplified. Applicants are not asked for a full proof-of-concept plan at entry; that plan is developed during the programme.

The application includes:

• Lead-applicant and team details, including the Greece-based affiliated members and proposed host institution;

• The scientific or technical concept, the problem and unmet need, and the proposed solution;

• Current stage of development and evidence already available;

• Potential application, customer or user, market context and competing approaches;

• Known intellectual-property status, institutional ownership or obligations, and pre-existing intellectual property;

• What must be demonstrated next and why BioSTART is relevant;

• A short video (5 min max);

• Eligibility declarations, conflict disclosures and the required privacy information.

Applications are submitted in English.

7. Evaluation and selection

Applications first undergo an eligibility check against section 4, with a stated reason for any decision of ineligibility. Each eligible application is assessed independently using the published criteria below.

Reviewers are briefed and complete a calibration exercise before scoring. Every reviewer declares conflicts before allocation and recuses from any application where impartiality could reasonably be questioned.

The general evaluation criteria are:

• Credible pathway to company formation — 25 points;

• Founding team quality, complementarity and commitment — 20 points;

• Scientific quality and de-risking potential — 20 points;

• Intellectual-property position and potential for defensibility — 15 points;

• Unmet need and market relevance — 15 points;

• Quality and feasibility of the proposed next-step plan — 5 points.

The Selection Panel produces a ranked recommendation with proper justification. The BiG BoD ratifies the result and may not approve it solely on procedural, legal or budget grounds.

Funders, sponsors and delivery partners have no vote or veto in the selection. Any investor access to applicant material is governed by the safeguards in section 9 and is separate from the assessment process. BioInnovation Greece will publish the number of awards made and their host institutions. 

8. Funding and host administration

Any award is paid to a Greek entity or Greek partner, not directly to a recipient abroad. Under the institutional route described in section 4, the award is received through the host institution’s ΕΛΚΕ or equivalent statutory research account and administered under the host’s rules on eligible expenditure, procurement and reporting.

The funded workplan, budget, milestones, reporting requirements, and administrative/contractual procedures are recorded in the Participant Award and Terms Agreement.

9. Intellectual property confidentiality and privacy

The programme operates under a published privacy notice. Applicants should disclose only what is necessary for the proper evaluation and support of their application. Reviewers, mentors and panel members provide appropriate confidentiality and conflict of interest statements before receiving participant material.

Intellectual property rights remain with the applicants and are managed in accordance to the national law, institutional bylaws, and other relevant provision stated in the Participant Award and Terms Agreement.

BioInnovation Greece takes no equity in participating teams or companies.

10. Participant commitments

Admitted teams must attend all required sessions, develop the venture and proof-of-concept plan, engage with mentors in good faith, make accurate disclosures, protect confidential information, comply with the Participant Award and Terms Agreement, and contribute to proportionate follow-up reporting.

The Participant Award and Terms Agreement governs attendance, withdrawal, suspension, milestones, reporting, changes to the workplan, intellectual property, confidentiality, data use, publicity and the consequences of non-compliance.