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Supported by

EXPLORATION TICKET

Up to €5,000 to explore innovative ideas, discover opportunities, and develop innovation skills at an early stage.

What can be funded
Who can apply
How it works

WHAT IS THE EXPLORATION TICKET?

The Exploration Ticket supports everyone who wants to investigate an innovative idea before moving into prototyping or startup development. It provides financial support and creative freedom to test assumptions, explore opportunities, build networks, and strengthen innovation skills.

EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES

Understand users, markets, and societal needs.

BUILD KNOWLEDGE

Research technologies, trends, and innovation potential.

PREPARE THE NEXT STEP

Generate evidence for future prototyping and transfer funding.

WHAT CAN BE FUNDED?

Funding can be used to support a wide range of innovation-related activities, including but not limited to: 

  • Customer Discovery
  • Market Validation
  • Prototype Development
  • Technical Testing
  • Software & AI Tools
  • Materials & Equipment
  • Training & Events
  • Expert Support

WHO CAN APPLY?

The Exploration Ticket is open to students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and anyone who has identified an opportunity for innovation with potential for development and is affiliated or associated with Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU), Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena (EAH), Jena University Hospital (UKJ), a local research institute, or a Jena-based company.

No prototype, startup, or prior experience is required. If you meet the eligibility criteria above, all you need to get started is curiosity, motivation, and an idea worth exploring.

HOW IT WORKS

1.

APPLY

Submit your application.

2.

EXPLORE

Investigate your idea and gather evidence.

3.

REPORT

Submit a short final report.

4.

LEVEL UP

Continue with further innovation support.

Please contact our team before submitting an application. We will check whether the funding might affect each other.

Please contact our team before submitting an application. We will discuss your situation and assess whether you may still be eligible for the Exploration Ticket.

The standard duration is between 3 and 6 months. Extensions may be possible in justified cases.

Yes. The date in the application is the planned start date. If you need to start later, please let us know so we can update your application and agree on a new start date.

If you finish the exploration earlier, please inform the responsible Innovation Scout as soon as possible. You can then submit your Final Report once all planned activities are completed. The project can be closed before the originally stated end date.

Applications are internally evaluated based on their innovation potential, understanding of the problem, Quality of the Exploration Plan, Motivation and Commitment of the applicant(s) and Strategic fit with JENAINNOVATION.

Applicants are expected to carry out the proposed exploration activities and submit a Final Report at the end of the funding period.

Yes. You may submit more than one idea. However, each idea requires a separate application and will be evaluated independently.

Yes. We encourage you to improve your application and sharpen your idea based on our feedback if your previous application was not succesful.

Name
Innovation fields
Please select the topic area or areas in which your project would most closely fit.
If you have already been in contact with a member of our team, please enter their name. Otherwise, leave this field empty.
Describe your idea, the problem or opportunity it addresses, and your intended solution approach at a high level. Explain why it is relevant and what makes it different from existing approaches or technologies.
Describe the planned activities, analyses, and development work for your project. Provide a structured overview of how the funding will be used across these activities.
Standard exploration period: minimum of 3 months and maximum of 6 months. Extensions may be granted in justified cases. The project start date can be agreed individually and may be scheduled for a later date.
Share a download link for any other supporting documents relevant to your application, such as your pitch deck, project proposal, or technical materials. Please avoid including confidential or sensitive information.
Agreement on Terms and Conditions
Agreement on Privacy Policy

Name
Briefly describe how the funding was used across the listed categories.
Please briefly describe the activities carried out during the Exploration Ticket period.
What did you learn? Which assumptions were confirmed or disproven?
Please indicate which outcomes were achieved.
What are the next planned steps after the Exploration Ticket (If any)?
Share a download link for any supporting documents such as reports, presentations, results, or other relevant materials. Please avoid confidential or sensitive information.
Agreement on Terms and Conditions
Agreement on Privacy Policy

Completed your Exploration Ticket? Submit your report and indicate whether you would like to continue to the next support stage.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Your exploration doesn’t have to stop here.

If you’ve validated key assumptions, identified a promising opportunity, or are ready to take the next step, check out our follow-up funding opportunities.

  • Prototyping Ticket (Coming Soon)
  • Startup Ticket (Coming Soon)