Start-up support initiatives

To promote entrepreneurship, numerous programmes are available throughout Austria and in the individual provinces to support people with ideas for start-ups. Some of these initiatives are specifically aimed at students or graduates. The aim is to make it easier for them both to enter working life and to set up a business.

Adresses and links

• accent Inkubator GmbH (→ accent)
• accent is the Tough Tech incubator of the province of Lower Austria. The aim of accent is to create a basis for highly innovative start-ups in Lower Austria and to provide the best possible support. In addition to initial financial support, accent offers intensive coaching and selected impulse sessions. This professional and financial support over the first 18 to 24 months creates the basis for successful business development. accent is part of Academia plus Business (→ AplusB),^{German Text} the Austrian incubator network.
• alma mentoring platform of the University of Viennan (→ univie)
  Students and graduates of the University of Vienna who want to explore their professional future will find individual support on the alma mentoring platform. There, people seeking advice can choose the right person from all alma mentors to accompany and support them in their professional transition phase. The alma mentoring platform supports the administrative handling of the mentorship: Everything can be done online, from getting to know each other and making appointments to documentation. Furthermore, the alma platform offers topic-specific information, support, exchange and special networking events.
• Industrial Liaison Department of the University of Leoben (→ MUL) ^{German Text}
  The Industrial Liaison Department is the technology transfer point of the University of Leoben (MUL). In addition to knowledge and technology transfer in the core competencies of the MUL, the Industrial Liaison Department offers research management, funding advice and continuing vocational training.
• BIC EDUCATIONAL CENTRE Styria & Vienna (→ BIC) ^{German Text}
• The BIC EDUCATIONAL CENTRE is the largest business network in Styria, Vienna and beyond. It offers tailor-made education and training programmes for professional and personal development. Probably the most important tool here is mentoring, in which the BIC EDUCATIONAL CENTRE provides mentees with experienced managers.
• build! Gründerzentrum Kärnten GmbH (→ build)
• build! is an incubator for innovative, technology-oriented start-ups in Carinthia. The incubator offers consulting services for start-ups, business model development, subsidies and business development, infrastructure and access to a network of mentors, industry partners and investors. build! is part of the Academia plus Business (→ AplusB),^{German Text} the Austrian incubator network.
• Creative Pre-Incubator (→ CPI) ^{German Text} 
• The Creative Pre-Incubator (CPI) is a programme run at Lower Austria’s universities of applied sciences. The CPI offers selected groups of students and graduates from universities of applied sciences professional support and advice in developing their business idea and setting up a company.
• Entrepreneurship Center Network (→ ECN) ^{German Text}
• The Entrepreneurship Center Network (ECN) is the university network for students interested in starting their own business. The ECN creates awareness for entrepreneurship in the university sector, networks students from different disciplines and universities, imparts the knowledge necessary for founding a company and thereby increases the number of interdisciplinary company start-ups from universities in the long term.
• Gründungszentrum Start UpTirol GmbH (→ STARTUP.TIROL) ^{German Text}
• STARTUP.TIROL combines the strengths of many existing start-up initiatives in Tyrol with the aim of supporting entrepreneurs and start-ups and jointly creating an attractive start-up location in Tyrol. STARTUP.TIROL provides an initial overview of contact points and start-up programmes that can help. It networks with experts and mentors. It provides information about coaching and workshops. STARTUP.TIROL assists in clarifying the most urgent issues. STARTUP.TIROL’s scale-up programme supports the development of a sustainable business model. STARTUP.TIROL is part of Academia plus Business (→ AplusB),^{German Text} the Austrian incubator network.
• hub,ert – Gründen in Oberösterreich (→ hub,ert) ^{German Text}
• The cooperation hub,ert is the door to a network of independent and neutral supporters for founders, start-ups and young entrepreneurs in Upper Austria. The aim is to help founders, accompany them and optimise the framework conditions for them.
  INiTS Universitäres Gründerservice Wien GmbH (→ INiTS)
• INiTS is part of Academia plus Business Academia plus Business (→ AplusB),^{German Text}, the Austrian incubator network. Founded as a university business incubator for technology start-ups, INiTS has comprehensively expanded its range of services with the technology marketplace START:IP and the financing instrument START capital (STARTKapital), and supplemented it with the Acceleration Programme Health Hub Vienna. It is aimed not only at start-ups, but also at investors, companies, universities and research institutions. Start-ups are supported with the ‘Collaborative Business Modelling’ approach, tailor-made consulting services, START capital of up to 100 000 euros and a network of partners.
  Junge Wirtschaft (→ JW) ^{German Text}
  The Young Entrepreneurs Representation of the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO) provides support and advice on setting up a business.
• Mentoring für Migranten in Wien und Niederösterreich (→ WKO)
  The project ‘Mentoring for Migrants’ was launched in 2008 on the initiative of the Austrian Economic Chambers (WKO) together with the project partners the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) and Public Employment Service Austria (AMS). It supports qualified persons with a migration background in entering the Austrian labour market and also in founding a company. More detailed information, in particular on the objectives, participation requirements and procedure of the mentoring partnership, can be found on the WKO.
• Science Park Graz GmbH (→ SPG) ^{German Text}
• Science Park Graz is part of Academia plus Business (→ AplusB),^{German Text} the Austrian incubator network, which bridges the gap between science and business. Like the other AplusB incubators, Science Park Graz aims to increase the success rate of innovative, technology-oriented start-ups from the academic sector.
• StartUp-Center des Instituts für Unternehmensgründung und Unternehmensentwicklung (→ IUG) ^{German Text}
  The StartUp Centre of the IUG is the contact point for people interested in setting up a business at the University of Linz. It supports the planning and implementation of ideas for start-ups through networking opportunities and events.
• tech2b Inkubator GmbH (→ tech2b)
• tech2b is the incubator for the Upper Austrian economy. tech2b offers technology- and innovation-oriented founders from Upper Austria support in the development of their project from idea to company. tech2b is part of the Academia plus Business (→ AplusB) ^{German Text}and the network → hub,ert.
• u:start – Ihr Sprung in die Selbstständigkeit (→ univie) ^{German Text}
• The u:start programme aims to enable graduates and students of all universities and universities of applied sciences to develop their personal business idea into a high-quality
• Businessplan^{German Text} in order to successfully start their own business. u:start is aimed at those who already have a business idea and want to start one, but who still lack business management know-how.
• unternehmerwerden.at – Die Gründerinitiative in der Obersteiermark (→ ZAT) ^{German Text}
• The Centre for Applied Technology (ZAT) is the contact for innovative start-up projects in the early stages and has many years’ experience in the sustainable support of technology-oriented business ideas. At the centre, founders receive comprehensive and at the same time individual support in the form of a one-stop shop on their way to independence. In addition to financial support, young entrepreneurs also have access to target-oriented coaching that is individually tailored to the project.
• Start-up service of the Austrian Economic Chamber (→ WKO) ^{German Text}
  The start-up service of the Austrian Economic Chambers provides support on the way to self-employment.
• Information about professional activities can be found on the website of the relevant chamber or the relevant professional body.

Information on financing and subsidies

• Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (→ aws) ^{German Text}
• Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws) is the federal development bank. By granting low-interest loans, guarantees, grants and equity capital, it supports companies in implementing their innovative projects from the initial idea to international market success.
• Research Promotion Agency(→ FFG)
  The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) is the national funding institution for business-related research and development in Austria.
• Financing of companies (→ WKO) ^{German Text}
• The SME Finance Calculator provides basic information on financing alternatives.