GARBE and Futury Launch Fellowship Program for Science-Based Innovation
News 27/03/2026
- Introducing “Futury Vordenker Fellowships powered by GARBE,” focusing on finance & investment, engineering intelligence and energy & building systems
- Open call for students, PhD candidates and postdocs nationwide – working on their own or in teams of up to three
- 10,000 euros in grants and active coaching to develop ideas into market-ready concepts
Frankfurt am Main/Hamburg, 27 March 2026 – GARBE, a Hamburg-based real estate and infrastructure company, and the Futury start-up factory have teamed up to launch the “Futury Vordenker Fellowships powered by GARBE“ funding program. The one-year fellowship is aimed at young academics such as postgraduate students, PhD candidates, postdocs and professors who work—either individually or in teams of up to three—in the fields of finance & investment, engineering intelligence and energy & building systems. The objective is to identify promising research ideas early on, to develop them further and to turn them into marketable business concepts with spin-off potential. The fellowship includes a grant of 10,000 euros and active support and mentoring.
Andreas Höfner, Managing Director of GARBE Capital and Strategy, at the GARBE Vordenker Conference 2024.
“We will specifically sponsor young talents who are working on tomorrow’s solutions, both technologically and in the investment sector. With the Vordenker Fellowship, we are creating a framework that gives scientific innovations with demonstrable potential a chance to become reality,” said Thomas Kallenbrunnen, Managing Director at GARBE Capital & Strategy and GARBE Infrastructure.
Melissa Ott, Managing Director at Futury, added: “Our goal is to support market-relevant research projects and help them reach the market. To this end, we contribute our access to industry networks and our entrepreneurial know-how.”
The selection of fellows for the program involves an open call across the nationwide Futury network and among partnering universities. During Selection Day on April 29, the shortlisted teams will then be chosen by a jury of GARBE and Futury representatives and third-party experts. Up to seven teams will be invited. The winning teams will be announced at the GARBE Vordenker Conference in Hamburg on 16 June. The conference is an established event focused on trends and innovations in the real estate industry.
In addition to the financial grant, fellows will benefit from executive mentoring by senior GARBE staff and gain access to coaching and workshop formats. Moreover, they will be integrated into the Futury community and receive the support they need to develop their projects into market-ready products and possibly to form spin-off businesses.
“With the fellowship, we are combining our experience in the sponsorship of early innovation stages with the industry expertise of GARBE,” said Charlie Müller, founder & Managing Director of Futury. “This enables us to provide dedicated support to teams to expedite the further development of their projects on their path to market readiness.”
Applications will be accepted until 15 April 2026. For more information on the program, click the following link: Futury Vordenker Fellowships powered by GARBE