HOW DOES THE NOMINATION, APPLICATION AND EVALUATION PROCESS WORK?
1. NOMINATIONS. For nominating institutions: nominate one or more start-ups as the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year Science Start-Ups (Category: ‘Science Start-Ups’).
For start-ups: ask your university, research institution, or another organization, like an accelerator or incubator, to nominate your start-up as the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year Science Start-Ups (Category : ‘Science Start-Ups’).
2. APPLICATIONS. For start-ups only: after you have been nominated, you will receive further details on the necessary application materials.
The application will consist of:
- an application form (see a preview here)
- your pitch deck (as a separate PDF file)
- your pitch video (see requirements and recommendations here)
3. FINALISTS. All applications will be reviewed and evaluated. Should you make it to the next round, you will qualify as a Falling Walls Finalist. Finalists will be announced in the middle of July.
4. WINNERS. Our Advisory Board will screen the applications of all Finalists and select the 25 most promising start-ups, which will become Falling Walls Venture Winners. Divided into three Clusters according to their industry sector, they will be invited to the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, where they will pitch their work to a distinguished Jury and selected audience on 7 November. Winners will be announced in the middle of August.
5. FALLING WALLS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR SCIENCE START-UPS. After the live pitches, the Jury will select one Cluster Winner for each Cluster and, among them, one “Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year Science Start-Ups”. The selected start-up will present again on the big stage of the Falling Walls Breakthrough Day on 9 November, alongside other “Science Breakthrough of the Year” laureates.
The evaluation criteria are:
- Level of innovation
- Scope of impact
- Commercial potential
- Business planning and presentation skills