Ideas competition inspired: 10,000 euros for creative minds in Rostock!

Ideas competition inspired: 10,000 euros for creative minds in Rostock!

The “inspired” ideas competition starts in 2025 with attractive prize money of over 10,000 euros. This competition is aimed at a broad target group: students, researchers, graduates and people interested in starting a business. This initiative aims to transform innovative ideas and start-ups from science into economically relevant products or services. uni-rostock.de reports that participation is possible regardless of university or origin, as long as the ideas submitted have not yet led to a start-up.

The registration deadline for skills development is April 30, 2025. Registration will remain open until June 2, 2025. What's notable is that no sophisticated business plan is required; an idea in development is enough. The competition includes different phases that include practical workshops to develop ideas and improve soft skills. gruender-mv.de emphasizes that ideas can be submitted either alone or in a team.

Categories and competition process

The local competition in Rostock will be held on June 17, 2025 in two categories: “Researchers, Graduates & Externals” and “Students & Trainees”. This categorization allows the best ideas to be evaluated in a specific context. The ideas are presented to a jury at the participating universities, although the submission deadlines and prices may vary depending on the university.

The prizes at the state competition are also attractive. In the “Students” category, the winners can expect a further training voucher worth up to 3,000 euros for first place, while in the “Researchers & Graduates” category the main prize is worth 5,000 euros. These vouchers can be used for advice on founding a business, developing business models, product design, sales, marketing, innovation protection or financing.

Important dates and conclusion

The national final will take place on July 9, 2025 in Greifswald. Rock-it Week, which takes place from August 27th to 31st, 2025, offers another opportunity to further develop ideas. The competition is supported by the Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labor and with funds from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), which underlines the importance and support of this initiative.

At the end, the winners can expect a ticket for the Berlin Valley Tour from September 29th to October 1st, 2025, which includes a visit to start-ups and training courses. The competition not only offers financial incentives, but also comprehensive opportunities for networking in the startup scene. Further information is available on the website Inspired – The ideas competition. In MV available.