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2025-01-01 VDE dialog

Promoting innovation: Early standardization is half the battle

Applying for funding opportunities for start-ups is often difficult and involves a great deal of effort. DIN and DKE want to do things differently and use DIN-Connect to help young companies prepare their ideas for standardization at an early stage and in an uncomplicated way. Stefan Heusinger, Head of VDE DKE Innovations, explains how this works.

Heusinger

Stefan Heusinger, Head of VDE DKE Innovations

| Sarah Kastner / VDE

VDE dialog: DIN-Connect is aimed at start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Why them in particular?

Stefan Heusinger: young companies often have smart, fresh project ideas, but without support and when pitted against established large companies, it often takes a long time to bring these ideas to fruition, and sometimes the process fails entirely. What's more, such companies often lack the know-how regarding standardization and standards and their positive effects.

Why is speed such a decisive factor?

In the past, products were first developed with typical German thoroughness until they were ready for the market – and then the standardization process was started. That won’t work today. Asian competitors in particular are entering the global market and are increasingly setting the standards that Europeans then have to meet. If you want to be successful in your segment and shape the market instead of lagging behind it, you have to think about standardization at an early stage.

Who can apply and how?

Preferably start-ups or institutes with an interesting idea rather than global corporations, which usually prefer to register their patents themselves anyway. To take part, it is important that new project ideas actively support Germany's transformation process towards a climate-neutral and sustainable economy and society. Interested parties can apply online with their project description. Ideally, there should already be other backers.

What does the funding consist of?

We support the creation of a SPEC, i.e. a preliminary standardization stage – free of charge for the company providing the idea. This is intended to facilitate market access and corresponds to a value of 25,000 to 35,000 euros. On top of this, there is a grant of 5,000 euros, which can be used for personnel or travel expenses, a three-year membership of VDE and access to the VDE standards library.


https://www.dke.de/din-connect (in German)


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