From PhD to Innovator

Our workshops are tailored to PhDs and postdocs of all disciplines, as well as early-career researchers and academic staff.

No prior knowledge or experience in the areas of entrepreneurship, startups or other business ventures is necessary. A genuine interest in these topics is sufficient!

Yes, our workshops are aimed at researchers who have not started a business, but want to explore their entrepreneurial potential. You can participate in the workshop even if you do not have a concrete idea of how to translate your research into a business venture.

Our workshops are open to researchers of all disciplines. We believe that every research field has great potential to enrich society with innovative ideas. Furthermore, business ideas developed by interdisciplinary teams are more successful in the long term.

You can write an e-mail to workshops@falling-walls.com

The following sections provide information on the use and processing of personal data in connection with the Young Entrepreneurs in Science project, which is overseen by the Falling Walls Foundation. Under European law, pursuant to Article 4(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), personal data means information which can be used to personally identify you. The party responsible for data processing, in the sense of the GDPR, is the Falling Walls Foundation gGmbH, Kochstraße 6-7, 10969 Berlin, Germany; Tel.: +49 30 609883970; e-mail: workshops@falling-walls.com. As laid down in Articles 6(1) and (2) of the GDPR, the processing of this data is lawful provided that participants have consented to the processing of their personal data in relation to the workshops and that the collection of this data is necessary for purposes of participant management.

As part of the registration process for the Young Entrepreneurs in Science Workshops, personal data are collected via a software program, Question Pro, and further processed. Please note that your data will usually be transmitted to a Question Pro server located in the Netherlands and stored there. Data centre operator: https://serverius.net/; Address: Ketelskamp 10, 7942 KG Meppel, Netherlands (Certification: ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 9000: 2008). These data are stored and used for the registration process, participant management for the workshops (e.g., only to send participants information about workshop schedules and content), our alumni work and to provide general information on events offered by the Falling Walls Foundation.

In addition, we use the services of Brevo to manage and send newsletters. Brevo processes personal data in compliance with GDPR and ensures data protection through secure processing environments. Your data will be transferred to and processed by Brevo for the purpose of sending newsletters and other communications related to our events and activities.

Data relating to participants in the Young Entrepreneurs in Science programme may be transferred to third parties involved in conducting the Young Entrepreneurs in Science workshops. Because Young Entrepreneurs in Science closely collaborates with an extensive network of companies and universities in German-speaking countries, it may also be necessary to transfer participants’ personal data to partners to ensure that the workshops run smoothly. These data shall be used solely for the purpose of organising the workshops and thus shall be restricted to the minimum necessary. The partners of the Young Entrepreneurs in Science programme can be found at www.young-entrepreneurs-in-science.de. By registering for the workshops, participants consent to the transfer of their personal data to these partners in connection with the workshops. Personal data will not be transferred to unauthorised third parties.

The duration of the storage period for personal data is determined by the legal retention period. Once the retention period is over, the data will be routinely deleted as long as they are no longer required and/or no legitimate interest in further storage of the data exists on our part.

Participants have the right to object to the collection, use and further processing of personal data and to the further processing and publication of images and videos. The lawfulness of the data processing carried out prior to the withdrawal of consent remains unaffected. Participants who have already granted their consent may also withdraw it at any time. To do so, simply send us an email informing us of your decision to workshops (at) falling-walls.com.

Pursuant to Article 15 of the GDPR, participants in the Young Entrepreneurs in Science workshops have the right to obtain, at any time, information about the personal data that we collect and process as well as a right to correct, delete or limit processing of these data. If you believe the processing of your personal data is in violation of the GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority at the place of your habitual residence or your place of work or in the place of the alleged infringement.

During the on-site workshops, we will take photos and make videos or hire a third party to do so on our behalf. By registering for the workshops, participants consent to the further processing and publishing of images and videos captured during the workshops for the purposes of documentation and reporting as well as marketing and advertising the Young Entrepreneurs in Science Workshop Programme via social media, the website of the Falling Walls Foundation and print media (flyers, brochures, etc.), among other channels. The images and videos captured during the workshops may also be used for PR by the companies partnering with the programme, provided that a contractual agreement to this effect has been concluded. The partners of the Young Entrepreneurs in Science programme can be found at www.young-entrepreneurs-inscience.de. By registering for the workshops, participants consent to the transfer of images and videos captured during the workshops to these partners and to their use for PR relating to the Young Entrepreneurs in Science programme. The images and videos will not be shared with other partners of the Falling Walls Foundation gGmbH or with unauthorised third parties.