Every two years, the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs awards a award to innovative research projects from the life sciences sector in Bavaria. BioM, the Munich biotechnology cluster, coordinates the M4 Award. The focus of the award is on supporting projects in the early development phase with the potential to become market-ready startups.
The M4 Award supports projects that aim to achieve clear medical or biotechnological benefits. Possible topics include:
- innovative active ingredients and therapies (including NCEs, biologicals, ATMPs, vaccines)
- innovative platform technologies in the field of prediction, prognostics, or diagnostics in biotechnology
- innovative platform technologies in the field of drug discovery and development
- innovative approaches in the field of digital health in biotechnology
Winners of the award receive up to €500,000 over a period of two years to validate their approaches. In addition, the funded projects receive comprehensive support on their journey to business establishment, including mentoring and access to relevant contacts.
Multi-stage application process for the M4 Award
Teams of scientists from Bavarian universities, university hospitals, and non-university research institutions are eligible to participate. Interested applicants must submit a five-page brief description of their spin-off project by November 21, 2024.
Teams that receive a recommendation for the second stage can submit a 15-page project outline by February 13, 2025. A jury of industry experts and investors will review the outline and invite selected projects to present in May 2025. Based on the outlines and presentations, the jury will ultimately recommend the most promising projects for funding.
