Green Light for the First Start-up Factory in Northern Bavaria

In the nationwide "EXIST Lighthouse Competition Startup Factories" organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, a network under the umbrella of the Nuremberg ZOHO Factory has prevailed against strong competition. The concept aims to establish Franconia as a leading start-up hub. The ZOHO Factory is one of ten award winners and the only successful project from Bavaria. This was announced by Federal Minister Katherina Reiche at an award ceremony in Berlin on 10 July 2025.

What is special about the project is that more than 20 locally rooted entrepreneurs and investors from Franconia are participating financially in the project. Strategically important partners such as Siemens Energy, Sparkasse Erlangen and Fraunhofer IISB have also been secured.

Factory Labs at Four Universities 

Cooperation with universities also plays a key role: so-called "Factory Labs" are being set up at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU), the University of Bayreuth and Coburg University of Applied Sciences. Further locations are being established at seven European universities, including in Paris and Madrid.

The ZOHO Factory aims to consistently translate scientific excellence into competitive start-ups and establish Franconia as a leading start-up hub. The ZOHO Factory can rely on 20 million euros in private capital, supplemented by five-year federal funding of up to ten million euros.

JMU Vice President Matthias Bode is Delighted

JMU Vice President Matthias Bode was closely involved in the application process. In his office, he is primarily responsible for the areas of innovation and knowledge transfer - and therefore also for the start-up culture at the university. Bode is delighted with the success in Berlin: "This is an enormous success for everyone involved - and of course for the whole of Franconia," he said. "This allows us to transfer our wealth of university ideas, our scientific findings and technical developments into entrepreneurial projects and start-ups - with a factory that specifically promotes deep-tech start-ups."

With the support from the federal government, Bode expects a "start-up boost for Franconia". This could create a leading location for technology-driven spin-offs in the region in the coming years - with a measurable impact on employment, competitiveness and sustainable value creation.

At the University of Würzburg, workshops are to be set up at the Hubland Campus, among other places, where students and JMU employees can realise initial projects leading to a spin-off, for example in the form of a prototype or a design model.

A Great Success for Bavaria

Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder congratulated the successful team: "Congratulations on the Startup Factories award and up to ten million euros in funding from the federal government. A high-tech hotspot for young founders is being created in Franconia. This is a win-win situation for the region and the whole of Bavaria," he said.

Congratulations also came from Bavarian Science Minister Markus Blume: "Bavaria is start-up country - and the ZOHO Factory makes northern Bavaria a centre of excellence for start-ups. Anyone who lands here with an innovative idea can be sure of comprehensive support on the way to market maturity - from the prototype lab to financial assistance," said the Minister.

Construction of the ZOHO Factory will start this year. The aim is to develop Northern Bavaria into an internationally visible start-up hub - sustainable, technology-orientated and with strong regional roots.

More information: www.zollhof.de