Connecting with Berlin?
Ecosystem connectors with Berlin Innovation Fellowship program will get you setup
Individual program with aim to create long term results.
Apply NowWith 100+ local partners in Berlin
About Berlin Innovation Fellowship
3 Weeks - Concrete Results - In your own time
The core objective of the program is to build long-term partnerships enabling sustainable growth, cross-border collaboration, and long-term access to German market via Berlin.
1-1 designed program, only individual sessions, without joined activities or lectures
Direct introductions to stakeholders from a wide community of Berlin ecosystem.
Assigned Key Expert knowledgable of Kyiv and Berlin, with experience in both cities.
Participants receive financial support to cover travel and stay, allowing them to focus fully on building meaningful partnerships within Berlin’s startup ecosystem.
Direct match for concrete partnership, Fellows will be matched with leading Berlin ecosystem players based on their specific objectives.
Join webinar with all fellows to understand components of the program. Afterwords schedule 1-1 calls with Key expert to design your unique fellowship and enable the Expert to identify and connect you with right stakeholders
You can choose a time that fits best for your business (until November 2026), the targeted result and partner organisation. Recommended stay in Berlin is minimum 2 weeks and up to 3 weeks.
The Call for Applications is open to 10 Innovation support organisations, startups and scale-ups, ecosystem builders and program managers from Kyiv.
The program is best fitted for organisations with existing ties too Berlin or a good understanding of its ecosystem and players.
This is an individualistic scaling program, not suitable for early exploration stage.
- Your service / product shows potential for growth and can be scaled to the EU market
- You operate in a sector with significant growth and collaboration potentials in both Kyiv and Berlin
- Your startup is active in Kyiv, has raised traction and is looking to expand to the EU market.
- This program is best fitted for startups with YoY revenue growth of min 30%
- Your organisation is supporting startups in Kyiv
- You are looking to create partnerships with similar organisations in Berlin
- Your organisation can support Kyiv-based startups in scaling their work or creating partnerships with businesses in Berlin
- You (as representative for your organisation) are willing and able to actively participate in the project and share knowledge and experience with other participants.
- You (as representative for your organisation) are able to travel outside of Ukraine for onsite fellowship
Companies that already have established partnership or selected partners in Berlin will be given higher score in evaluation and priority
Berlin Innovation Fellowship (BIF) is a follow up initiative of Ecosystem Connectors Berlin Kyiv that focuses on connecting ecosystems of both cities.
The project is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The project is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through the “Bund-Länder-Program-German Government and Federal States Program (BLP)” in cooperation with the international cooperation programme STEP IN 2 EU and implemented by betahausX.
The international cooperation programme STEP IN 2 EU is co-funded by the German and Norwegian Governments, and the European Union under its EU4Business initiative and implemented by the German federal company “Deutsche Gesellschaft fürInternationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH”.
The programme aims to support the Government of Ukraine institutions in the EU accession progress on economic chapters and create better economic conditions and financing options for Ukrainian companies to benefit from integrating into the EU single market
