Breakthrough innovations are innovations that fundamentally alter or replace existing products, technologies or business models on the market by adopting a novel approach to doing things. They may open up new markets or potential for major value creation, or represent solutions to important technological, social or environmental problems.

It is important to differentiate breakthrough innovations from incremental innovations. In general, incremental innovations improve existing products incrementally while maintaining the core functionality, whether of a product or service. One example would be the enhancement of camera resolution or image quality in a smartphone.

The spectrum of German breakthrough innovations ranges from radio and television across aspirin and the electron microscope, all the way to automobiles. While most breakthrough innovations that shape our lives today – such as the Internet or the smartphone – did not come from Germany, Germany does have enormous potential. This was not least demonstrated by the mRNA vaccine, which was partly developed in Mainz and Tübingen, and helped people around the world out of the coronavirus crisis.

You can find examples of projects with breakthrough innovation potential here on our website.

Further explanations about breakthrough innovations can be found on our first podcast episode #1 #1: Rafael Laguna de la Vera (15 March 2021).

We are looking for people who are passionate about using their research and expertise to change the world for the better. As experts or scientists, they should be committed to seeing their work reach beyond the world of academic specialists to have a profound impact on government, business and society. This requires a fundamental openness and curiosity, a willingness to step out of the comfort zone and learn from others. Our experience shows that with a good combination of academic experts, entrepreneurs and targeted support, all road blocks can be removed and the seemingly impossible can be achieved.

We are always happy for you to get in touch and discuss your interest in working with SPRIND. The form on our website is an efficient way for you to get in contact with us, allowing you to communicate initial details about your project. This does not represent an application within the meaning of the Administrative Procedures Act.

We consider every submission.

As breakthrough innovations are rare by their very nature, the share of projects we identify as having this characteristic is thereby correspondingly low:

By the end of December 2025 we had received approx. 2,500 submissions of possible project ideas. We like many of the ideas sent to us, yet they often fail to show the potential to be breakthrough innovations at the present time, or otherwise do not meet the prerequisites for the instruments we have available. SPRIND has been able to support fewer than ten percent of the ideas submitted to us.

To submit your project idea, please use the submission form. Be sure to carefully fill in all mandatory fields. The current state of your submission is regularly cached in your browser, so you don’t have to complete the entire submission in one session.

Please use the guiding questions shown in the form. You can also find them listed here:

This submission does not represent an application within the meaning of the Administrative Procedures Act.

PRIVACY POLICY BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATIONS

With this data protection policy we inform you about which of your personal data we process, how and why we use it. An evaluation of your submission is only possible with your declaration.

Breakthrough innovations are complex answers to even more complex challenges and are accordingly rare.

Fewer than ten percent of the proposals submitted are further pursued by us.

Despite the large number of project proposals, it is extremely important to us that we carry out a detailed review of them. That takes time. Currently, the process takes of an average of twelve weeks. Depending on external factors, a decision may also take longer in exceptional cases. We will contact you to request additional information if necessary.

THE PROCESS STEP BY STEP

You get in contact with us and answer the questions about your project on the submission form. We have an open mind when it comes to topics of interest. SPRIND focuses on the common good and on issues relevant to society. For this reason SPRIND primarily supports civilian innovations. It also supports dual-use innovations that can have both civilian and military applications.

We register the submitted project proposal and contact you if we have any questions. Each submission is presented to, and assessed by, our panel of experts. As part of this process, all documents sent to us will be considered and a careful assessment will be made.

If it emerges that the submitted idea is not a good fit for SPRIND’s field of activity, we will inform you accordingly.

If your project proposal is a good fit, we will get together with you to examine the possibility of working together.

Experienced SPRIND Innovation Managers will be at your side throughout this process. Depending on the instrument used, the final decision regarding a contractual partnership (which may involve private or public-law instruments) is made by the respective innovation managers, the SPRIND project committee or the supervisory board.

SPRIND is entrepreneurially organized as a German limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH)). It doesn’t use formal funding notices. SPRIND doesn’t have funding guidelines. Funding guidelines imply a standard program with grants being awarded according to their requirements.

SPRIND represents a new approach to providing finance for players in the field. Our goal is to identify and support breakthrough innovations. This requires diverging from the norm and finding individual answers and tailored solutions to issues and problems. For that reason we are committed to exploring new partnership pathways.

Our support is comprehensive:

FINANCING We want to support projects in the best possible way. So, when projects are identified as being potential breakthrough innovations, we look for a funding or financial structure that fits them individually.

WORD AND DEED We can contribute business and technology expertise to further develop an idea. Our experts are successful founders and entrepreneurs themselves.

BUSINESS SERVICES Very few founders are well set up in all disciplines right from the start. So we can provide support, where appropriate, for everything a business needs, e.g., in accounting, controlling, legal advice, product management or marketing.

TEAMBUILDING If required, we help our innovators put teams together. We search, find and connect people.

NETWORK BUILDING We provide an excellent network bridging academia and business. A fruitful field for you to find both information and inspiration.

TAILOR-MADE PARTNERSHIP We have to standardize some processes in the interests of efficiency. But the core of our work is personal interaction, which means each partnership is unique.