The Innovation and Development Unit is proud to announce a new Innovation Funding initiative for entrepreneurial researchers, students, faculty, and staff. We are calling for innovative startup projects that can be nurtured from concept to MVP in 6 months. This competitive program will select two promising startup projects to receive pre-seed funding and support to achieve product/market fit.
What’s on offer?
- Pre-Seed Investment: USD $25,000 in funding for each selected startup project, provided by our partner investors. This investment comes in exchange for equity (75% retained by the founding team, 20% to investors, and 5% to BZU as a strategic partner).
- Acceleration Period: Intensive support over 6 months to rapidly develop your startup project into a market-ready product or service. The program is designed to follow a trajectory from ideation through validation, prototype development, and initial market traction.
- Mentorship & Resources: Access to mentors, industry experts, and university resources (labs, workspace, etc.) to guide you through technical and business challenges. The program aligns with innovation management principles, ensuring a structured yet flexible approach to turning creative ideas into viable innovations
- Entrepreneurial Training: one-to-one mentorship on lean startup methods, product development, and go-to-market strategies, so you can systematically test assumptions and refine your business model.
- Network & Exposure: Opportunities to network with more investors and industry partners. Teams will pitch to a panel of judges and potential investors at the end of the program for feedback and further funding opportunities.
Who should apply? This call is open to all Birzeit University researchers, students, alumni, faculty, and administrative staff with innovative startup projects. Whether you’re an individual with a great idea or a team working on a prototype, we encourage you to apply. Both nascent ideas and early-stage young startups are eligible.
What kind of projects are we looking for? We seek innovative, technology-driven solutions with potential for significant impact. Your project should address a clear market need or problem in any sector (software, hardware, biotech, edtech, etc.), and propose a novel solution. We are particularly interested in projects that can demonstrate: a strong value proposition, feasible implementation within months, and the vision of sustainable business growth. Submitted projects should be willing to form a venture as per the shares outlined above.
Program Timeline:
- Application Period: Open now – Submit your application by 10-6-2025
- Selection of Finalists: A committee will review applications and announce shortlisted teams. Shortlisted teams will be invited to a pitch event.
- Pitch Event: Finalist teams will pitch their startups to a panel of experts in a 5-minute presentation (followed by Q&A). Two projects will be selected based on the evaluation criteria (value proposition, feasible implementation, vision of sustainable business growth).
- Program Kick-off: The selected startup projects will begin the acceleration program immediately, aiming to reach market readiness within 6 months.
How to apply: Interested entrepreneurs should complete the product development Form and submit all required information by the deadline. https://forms.office.com/r/PrLJVG86g1
