The Fashion Practice Academy Berlin and the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin) are jointly setting up a start-up programme in the fashion sector. The ‘How to EXIST in Fashion’ Incubator is intended to support promising teams in receiving funding from the federal EXIST scholarship. The Fashion Incubator will take place for the first time in March 2025 at the HTW Berlin campus in Schöneweide. Students, alumni and young professionals from all German fashion and textile degree programmes can apply until 12 February 2025 at (office(at)fpa-berlin.de).
Berlin/Germany, 20 January 2025: The ‘How to EXIST in Fashion’ Incubator is a new format during the lecture-free period. During the four-week programme, participants complete their application documents for the current EXIST funding programme of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) under expert guidance. The teams can receive funding totalling up to 130,000 euros. The federal scholarship is designed to last one year and includes 2,500 euros per month for up to three scholarship holders, 30,000 euros in material resources, 5,000 euros for coaching and any supplements – for example for founders with children.
A partnership that benefits everyone
‘According to Wirtschaftswoche, HTW Berlin is one of the top start-up universities in Germany. It is therefore only logical for us to further expand our successful start-up activities and work closely with subject-specific partners,’ explains Prof Dr Stefanie Molthagen-Schnöring, Vice President for Research, Transfer and Science Communication at HTW Berlin.
‘The Fashion Practice Academy is an independent start-up centre in the field of fashion and textiles. We promote creative talents and creative entrepreneurs who are able and willing to change the textile industry for the better with convincing innovations. The focus here is on the practical transfer of scientific knowledge. HTW Berlin, with its successful Fashion Design and Clothing Technology degree programmes, is an ideal partner for us,’ says Prof. Oliver MacConnell, founder of the Fashion Practice Academy Berlin, Professor of Business Administration and fashion designer.
‘Berlin is one of the top fashion locations in the world. The School of Culture and Design at HTW Berlin offers its students in fashion design and clothing technology excellent career opportunities and the best contacts in the industry through cooperation with numerous partners – the new Fashion Incubator is another example of this,’ says Prof. Horst Fetzer, Vice Dean of the School of Culture and Design (Faculty 5 – Design and Culture) at HTW Berlin and professor in the Fashion Design programme.
Target group and application
The target group of the Fashion Incubator are advanced students, alumni and young professionals from all German fashion and textile degree programmes (management, technology and design). Interested parties can find more information and apply to take part at office@fpa-berlin.de. The deadline for participation in March is 12 February 2025.
A panel of experts will select the most promising business approaches. The central assessment criterion for participation in the Incubator is the comprehensible and significant relevance of the start-up idea as a potential driver of a more ecologically and economically sustainable and socially responsible textile industry.
Dates and procedure
The ‘How to EXIST in Fashion’ Incubator takes place twice a year in the lecture-free months before the start of the semester, i.e. in March and September. The first ‘How to EXIST in Fashion’ Incubator will take place from 3 to 28 March 2025 at HTW Berlin. The programme will take place on site and partly hybrid. Each week has a focus topic from the business idea to the team and entrepreneurial realisation through to resource planning. All of the Incubator’s lecturers are recognised experts in their field. They have an outstanding professional and/or academic background and are experienced in acquiring funding for fashion start-ups. The maximum number of participants is limited to six teams per incubator. The language of instruction is English or German, depending on the knowledge of the participants.
About the Fashion Practice Academy Berlin
The Fashion Practice Academy is an independent start-up centre with a professional focus on the practical transfer of scientific knowledge in the fashion/textile industry. The thematic focus is on study support, start-up counselling and career mentoring. As part of the start-up advice, support is also provided for young professionals when applying for the EXIST start-up grant (‘How to EXIST programme’). These grants are applied for via Project Management Jülich/Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH.
About HTW Berlin
HTW Berlin is the largest state university of applied sciences in Berlin with two campuses (Treskowallee and Wilhelminenhof) offering a wide range of degree programmes in the fields of engineering, computer science, business, law, culture and design. The central Start-up and Innovation Centre offers a comprehensive range of start-up support for students, researchers and start-up teams. With the HTW EXIST Runway, it has established a successful format to enable suitable teams to access the EXIST start-up grant and, as a start-up network, to support scholarship holders after a successful application.
Translated with DeepL_com
Further Information
(https://www.htw-berlin.de/einrichtungen/zentrale-referate/kommunikation/pressemitteilungen/neuer-fashion-incubator-macht-talente-fit-fuer-eine-gruendung-im-modebereich/)
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