The real estate and infrastructure company GARBE and the startup Factory Futury are jointly launching the “Futury Vordenker Fellowships powered by GARBE” funding program. The one-year fellowship is aimed at master’s students, doctoral candidates, postdocs and professors who work individually or in teams of up to three people on innovation ideas in the areas of Finance & Investment, Engineering Intelligence and Energy & Building Systems . The aim is to identify promising research approaches at an early stage, to develop them further and to transfer them into marketable concepts with spin-off potential. A total of 10,000 euros in funding is planned with further active support and mentoring.
“We specifically promote talents who are working on the solutions of tomorrow, both technically and in the investment sector. With the Thought Leader Fellowship, we are creating a framework in which scientific innovations with substance are given concrete opportunities for implementation,” says Thomas Kallenbrunnen, Managing Director at GARBE Capital & Strategy and GARBE Infrastructure.
Melissa Ott, Managing Director at Futury, adds: “Our goal is to promote market-relevant research projects and pave the way for them to enter the market. In doing so, we rely on our access to industry networks and entrepreneurship know-how.”
Fellows are selected via a nationwide open call in the Futury network and at partner universities. The final teams will be selected by a jury of representatives of GARBE, Futury and external experts at a Selection Day on 29 April. Up to seven teams are invited. The winning teams will be announced on June 16 at the GARBE Thought Leaders Conference in Hamburg. The conference is an established event on trends and innovations in the real estate industry.
In addition to financial support, the Fellows receive executive mentoring from GARBE executives as well as access to coaching and workshop formats. In addition, they are integrated into the Futury community and supported in the development of their projects to market maturity and possible spin-offs.
“With the fellowship, we are combining our experience in promoting early innovation phases with GARBE’s industry expertise,” says Charlie Müller, Founder & Managing Director at Futury. “In this way, we can provide targeted support to the teams in developing their projects and leading them towards market maturity.”
Applications are possible until April 15, 2026. Further information on the program is available at the following link: Futury Vordenker Fellowships powered by GARBE
