StartUpConnect

StartUpConnect is a funding program of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). It supports technology-oriented startup projects in the field of modern and future communication systems – with Cube 5 as the central point of contact.Aim: To strengthen innovation in Germany and Europe and promote technological independence from non-European providers.Subject areas: Campus networks, integrated communication and sensor technology for 6G systems, network management, transceiver systems, subcomponents and complete solutions for fiber-optic systemsApplication: StartUpConnect can be entered in two, non-independent funding phases (phase 1 – development phase, phase 2 – implementation phase).Deadlines: Project outlines can be submitted quarterly and in advance via Cube 5 (submission deadlines: March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31).

Are you still in the idea development phase? The primary goal of the development phase is to provide a “proof of principle” for technological concepts in order to validate their feasibility and potential.Target group: People interested in founding a company at universities or research institutions.Funding period: Up to 12 months

Development

Has your startup already been founded? In phase 2, you will develop your product or service to market maturity.Target group: Early-stage startups (no older than five years)Funding period: 12 to 24 months

Implementation

How it works

Inspiration and information for those interested in starting a business

Talk to us about your research and ideas. Submit your project outline via Cube 5 – we will help you prepare it.

Submission

Orientation & support for early-stage startups

Our technical advisory board will review your idea and provide a funding recommendation or feedback for further development.

Validation

Startup support for founders

Benefit from individual support: coaching, mentoring, network access – from the initial idea to market readiness.

Support

Anne Plitt

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StartUpConnect – Das BMBF Förderprogramm für Startups im Bereich 6G und zukünftige Kommunikationstechnologien

6G-Innovation fördern mit StartUpConnect

StartUpConnect

Then Take Off! – Idea Camp Bochum is the right place for you! At the end of the Idea Camp, participants will have a concrete and fully formulated start-up idea. They will also know the first steps necessary to start a business. Over three days, we will validate your idea together and get it off the ground. With the help of experts, you will prototype the business model for your idea and receive expert input on how to turn an idea into a successful startup.Take Off! Idea Camp Bochum takes place twice a year.Maximum number of participants: 20

Workshop

Take Off! Idea Camp Bochum

Teams or individuals can apply until January 15, 2026.The three best submissions will receive prize money: EUR 100,000 for first place, EUR 20,000 for second place, and EUR 10,000 for third place.The award ceremony will take place on November 5, 2026, as part of the Cybersecurity Innovation Conference in Bochum. Further information will follow.The jury for the 11th German IT Security Award will be chaired by Prof. Dr. Michael Waidner, Director of Fraunhofer SIT and Founding Director of the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE.The jury brings together renowned experts from the fields of IT security, cryptography, system and network security, and cyber attack defense.The award ceremony is organized by the Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security at Ruhr University on behalf of the Horst Görtz Foundation, in cooperation with Bitkom e. V. and the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE in Darmstadt.

Award ceremony

11. Deutscher IT-Sicherheitspreis

It&#039;s a match! ITS.Connect has been bringing companies and students of IT security together since 2008. As the largest educational institution for IT security with around 1,000 students, the Ruhr-Universität Bochum is a pioneer and leader in Europe – half of all ITS graduates in Germany study here. ITS.Connect is therefore the ideal platform to get to know companies and ITS talents.

Fair

ITS.Connect 2026

At our Senkrechtstarter Award class reunion, you&#039;ll meet people who are just as passionate about what they do as you are. At our alumni event, you&#039;ll meet former participants, experts, and investors over delicious food, drinks, and chill DJ sounds.

Networking

Senkrechtstarter Summer Night

Founders&#039; get-together: Cybersecurity &amp; Communication Technology (6G) – network, exchange ideas, grow!Meet other founders from the fields of cybersecurity and future communication technologies (6G), make valuable contacts and talk about your challenges and successes in a relaxed atmosphere.What you can expect:<ul><li>Networking in a relaxed atmosphere – because it&#039;s easier together!</li><li>Exchange ideas with young and experienced founders on an equal footing</li><li>Changing hosts and exciting locations – always new inspiration and fresh ideas.</li><li>Snacks &amp; drinks – we&#039;ll take care of your physical well-being!</li></ul>Whether you&#039;re just starting out or already in the thick of it – come along and become part of our community!This time, we&#039;re guests at the Bochum-based startup <a href="https://entryzero.ai/">ENTRYZERO</a>.When? February 26, 2026, from 5:30 p.m.Where? Technologiezentrum Ruhr, Konrad-Zuse-Straße 18, 44801 Bochum

get-together

Cube 5 get-together 1/2026

Forget everything you know about start-up events. We are rethinking, rebuilding, and making room for real experiences: stages instead of panels, encounters instead of buzzwords, energy instead of monotony.What can you expect? Two days with top speakers, networking, new formats, food, and everything that makes the Ruhr region scene what it is.For start-ups, grown-ups, investors, visionaries, and simply anyone who wants to think differently about business.Mark your calendar. Because you don&#039;t want to miss what we&#039;re building right now.

Event

Conference

ruhrSUMMIT 2026

Founded in 2008 as a 250-person gathering, Slush has grown into the world’s leading startup event—bringing together a curated crowd of European startups, world-class investors, and tech journalists.

SLUSH 2026

On July 17, 2026, DIGITALHUB.DE will celebrate its 10th anniversary – the biggest in the start-up scene! Since 2016, the hub has supported over 300 startups, organized more than 1,000 events – including seven Startup Open Airs alone – and created over €70 million in portfolio value and over €80 million in mobilized capital. The anniversary brings the entire community together and offers you the perfect mix of inspiration, exchange, and festival feeling. You will have the chance to make new contacts, meet old acquaintances, and experience the startup scene at its most vibrant. Networking, keynotes, a cyber security pre-event, areas, and workshops await you, as well as a performance by a great band – come and join us!

SOA – 10 years of HUB anniversary celebration

Cube 5 Horst-Goertz-Institute for IT Security Ruhr-Uni­ver­si­tät Bo­chum (Building MC 0/70) Uni­ver­si­täts­stra­ße 150 44780 Bo­chum

LinkedIn

Instagram

Nachgehackt – the IT Security-Podcast Listen now on:

Imprint

Data Privacy

About us

Services

Startups

Events

News

Contact

Podcast

News from the network

ECSO Cyber Investor Days: Call for startups

ECSO Cyber Investor Days 2026 – Calling European Startups

70 Percent of all Cyber Attacks Encrypt Backups.

ATHENE Startup Award UP25@it-sa: Apply now

Press release

Weekly top 5 hacker-relevant vulnerabilities now available on the IT security marketplace

Stellenausschreibung: Lead Transfer Manager*in (m/w/d)

Cube 5 featured in Tagesschau report

Awards & Prizes

11th German IT Security Award: New application deadline January 31, 2026

RIPS Technologies specialized in web application security and delivered a highly efficient software solution for the automated code analysis of web applications. Innovative static code analysis techniques enabled precise detection of even complex security vulnerabilities no other solution can detect. In 2020, RIPS Technologies was acquired by the Swiss company SonarSource and the technology got integrated into Sonar‘s Clean Code solution.

Cybersecurity

HGI Pioneers

Application Security

Detection & Response

RIPS Technologies > Sonar

Filen is engaged in the provision of client-side “zero-knowledge” encrypted cloud storage for the end customer market.Through uniquely implemented AES-256bit encryption, only the user knows his/her encryption key. This allows Filen to offer absolute privacy and security alongside all important cloud features in encrypted form.

Seed

Cloud Computing

Filen

SoSafe is one of the leading security awareness and training providers in Europe. Founded in 2018 by Dr. Niklas Hellemann, Lukas Schaefer and Felix Schürholz, SoSafe now has more than 4,000 customers worldwide.Using elements of behavioral psychology and intelligent algorithms, SoSafe enables personalized learning experiences and attack simulations that help employees actively protect themselves from online threats.

Growth

Education | Awareness

SoSafe

FuturSecure GmbH specializes in next-generation data protection and information security in the field of automation technology.

Pre-Seed

Consulting & Services

FuturSecure

PHYSEC provides innovative IT security solutions for use in the Internet of Things (IoT) based on a unique combination of digital and physical security.By leveraging IoT and innovative technologies, PHYSEC enables the secure digitization of critical infrastructure across manufacturers and technologies.

IoT Security

Physical Layer Security

Physec GmbH

PREVENCY® offers innovative SaaS training and simulation software that helps organizations prepare for incidents and crises such as cyberattacks.As part of the crisis training, employees learn to master challenges virtually before they actually happen.

Prevency

Novoflect develops intelligent and reflective surfaces (RIS = Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces) for the future 6th generation of mobile communications (6G). These surfaces are to be designed in such a way that they can guide and control radio waves in a targeted manner, e.g. to efficiently close dead spots. To this end, suitable materials, design approaches and circuits will be investigated in order to develop a single reflective element for use in the GHz frequency range. The individual elements are then combined to form an array. By developing a phase shifter circuit and a control unit for the array, a demonstrator of the overall system will be created.

Communications

Future Communications Technology

Novoflect

With tegolySIGN, you can bring the digital signature directly into your Microsoft Teams. Our product stands for fast and efficient contract processes that save you time and money. Take advantage of the benefits of digital signatures now and experience a new level of working methods. With tegolySIGN, you can digitize your contract workflow quickly and effectively.

Identity & Fraud

tegoly

XignSys provides technology to protect against cyber security incidents in digital ecosystems. The focus is on securing services and infrastructures through digital identity and access management solutions.The protection of digital identities is ensured with the help of established cryptographic methods and has been evaluated by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) for its high level of trust in the eGovernment sector. XignSys offers additional products and services based on this technology.

XignSys

Simplyblock develops cyber block storage software for cross-cloud use that is suitable for supplementing and replacing both conventional company data storage systems and cloud-based block storage services in the high-performance segment.The focus is on the particularly secure storage of data in such scenarios.

simplyblock.io

With its IT security solutions and services, Ruhr Security GmbH addresses the demanding needs of large enterprises when it comes to the secure use of cloud infrastructures.Founded in 2022 in Bochum, Germany, we aim to expand the IT security industry with our experience in the areas of cloud system security, CI/CD environments and attack surface monitoring.

Data | Network Security | Infrastructure

Ruhr Security

The startup ITAR, short for “Innovative Test procedures for radio systems based on Augmented Reality technologies”, is revolutionizing the control of wireless systems by integrating an augmented reality interface (XR).

AR Technologies

ITAR

Hackmanit&#039;s areas of expertise include web security, single sign-on, web services, and TLS.The company&#039;s primary objective is to provide customized solutions to businesses to combat cybercrime, identify critical vulnerabilities, and implement effective protective measures.Hackmanit offers a suite of services that includes penetration testing, consulting, and training.

Web Security

Hackmanit

Reduce noise. Uncover risks. Control your threat exposure with ENTRYZERO&#039;s AI wingman.For organizations with an increasingly complex IT landscape and security teams operating at maximum capacity, ENTRYZERO provides an always-on AI wingman to scale workforce. It continuously monitors the attack surface, provides automated evidence of exploitability, and recommends prioritized remediations actions.ENTRYZERO supports building digital resilience with:- Proactive Risk Reduction: With 0 % false positives on vulnerabilities- Productivity boost: Scaled to the level of at least two full-time positions- Compliance with facts: For legal entities and supply chain under DORA and NIS2

Offensive Security

ENTRYZERO

The MPC platform developed by utilacy offers companies a simple, cost-effective and flexible solution for collaborative confidential computing. It allows data to be analyzed within the company, across company boundaries and even with competitors without exposing sensitive information. The utilacy platform enables companies to fully exploit the untapped potential of their confidential data. The platform encrypts the data to be analyzed directly on the data source (e.g. server or mobile device) and then distributes the data to multiple parties. What is special about this is that the source data never leaves the data source and therefore no party, including us as the operator of the utilacy platform, has access to this data.

utilacy

Edgeless Systems is a cybersecurity startup based in Bochum, Germany. Our confidential computing products elevate the security of your applications and workflows to unprecedented levels.We make always encrypted and verifiable processing of sensitive data scalable, thus enabling new and exciting forms of trustworthy data processing. With Edgeless Systems, your data and code are always protected — whether at rest or in use. Our company is built on the principles of open source and is a member of the Confidential Computing Consortium including Microsoft, Google, Red Hat, Intel and Huawei.

Kubernetes Security

Edgeless Systems

OTraze is a cybersecurity start-up based in Berlin, Germany, rethinking how critical infrastructure defends against cyber threats. Instead of waiting for alarms, OTraze lets operators see their networks through the eyes of an attacker. The platform automatically discovers assets, maps potential attack paths, and reveals how intruders could move laterally through industrial systems. This transparency empowers organizations to spot weak points early, block attack routes, and keep operations resilient against evolving threats.

OT-Security

Otraze

Apheris is an AI and data analytics product that enables organizations to develop and deploy data and AI algorithms across geographic and enterprise boundaries without compromising the privacy or intellectual property of the training data. Our federated infrastructure easily integrates with existing technology stacks, allowing existing code (e.g., models) to be trained on distributed data. As data privacy regulations continue to evolve and vary by geography, Apheris provides a compliant and secure solution for organizations to extract value from their data.Our customers can use Apheris to drive innovation and growth from their data assets in a secure and privacy-preserving manner.

Apheris

Zealience is a cybersecurity start-up based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, dedicated to helping IoT manufacturers ensure their devices meet European cybersecurity regulations. Our flagship product, Zealience Compliance Management Software (Z-CMS), automates the documentation process required to comply with the ETSI EN 303 645 standard, preparing manufacturers for EU regulations such as the UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure regime (UK PSTI), Radio Equipment Directive Delegated Regulation (RED DR), and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).

Zealience

Code Intelligence provides an AI-powered software testing platform that enables developers to identify bugs and vulnerabilities that are inaccessible to traditional testing tools.By leveraging Code Intelligence, development teams can execute automated tests on every code change, ensuring the identification of quality and security issues well in advance of their entry into the codebase.

Software Security

Code Intelligence GmbH

VIVAM develops digital, data protection-compliant solutions specifically for psychotherapists. The focus is on resource-optimized training of large language models in 6G networks for applications involving sensitive medical data. The VIVAM GUIDE application simplifies documentation in everyday practice and saves valuable time. The goal: to relieve therapists so they can focus on their patients.

VIVAM

Kasper &amp; Oswald GmbH offers comprehensive product and consulting services in the field of security for embedded systems and IT applications. The range of services includes the analysis, design and implementation of appropriate security solutions. In training courses and presentations, we familiarize you and your employees with problems and modern approaches to hardware and software security.

Embedded Security

Kasper & Oswald

TF-Industries specializes in the development of secure data storage solutions. With the growing threat of cyber-attacks and the need to be able to recover business critical data at any time, TF-Industries offers a solution: Safe Storage.Safe Storage is specialized hardware that uses a patented locking system to create a physical separation between the local network and the backup. Safe Storage provides not only data security, but also fast and reliable recovery options. Grey Rook supported TF Industries with the technical implementation of the software used.

TF-Industries

The Bochum-based cybersecurity company specializes in solutions for the detection and analysis of advanced malware and phishing threats.The product portfolio is designed to make the work of security teams more efficient. Typical applications include incident response, threat intelligence generation, and automated alarm validation and triage.

VMRAY

Honett GmbH is an IT security service provider for the Economy for the Common Good (ECG). We provide specialized services to help our ECG members enhance their resilience, ensuring they can contribute to long-term value creation while also benefiting society. We provide expert guidance on the implementation and management of information security management systems (ISMS), offering streamlined solutions tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We are currently initiating an IT security hub for the ECG.

Honett

Identeco protects accounts - no compromise.In 2020, Identeco GmbH &amp; Co. KG was founded at the University of Bonn. We safeguard millions of customer relationships and employee accounts from account takeover, without compromising your own security.With Identeco, you can assess your own infrastructure to determine the potential risks to customer or employee accounts. Try our services today and experience the efficiency and security they provide.

identeco

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular are threatened by cybercrime. The majority of IT security solutions and companies are only aimed at larger companies. Securious closes the gap with a web solution that is understandable for small/medium-sized companies with risk analysis, suitable recommendations, follow-up and cooperation with IT security consultants.

Vulnerability Assessment

securious

Emproof delivers high levels of security and IP integrity for embedded systems, using unique techniques that protect algorithms and data while securing the entire device. Our solution, Emproof Nyx, prevents reverse engineering, securing your valuable intellectual property and protecting against exploitation attacks.

emproof

The startup ai.dopt supports AI consultants in companies without their own AI developers in using artificial intelligence responsibly and exploiting the enormous potential of AI. AI consultants can be internal or external consultants.

Startup

ai.dopt

BINAMIC Security offers a solution that analyzes binary code independently of the underlying programming language, providing comprehensive protection across all platforms.

BINAMIC Security

Montsecure&#039;s mission is to eliminate the complexity of 5G mobile networks through research, training and software tools for customers. Through this approach, the startup wants to enable customers to take the design, construction and maintenance of a secure 5G mobile network into their own hands. The aim is to make mobile communication secure and accessible for everyone.

Montsecure

AWARE7 GmbH is an ISO27001 certified cybersecurity company based in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. We focus on awareness, pentesting and the development of management systems.We are committed to a broad understanding and increased use of IT security technologies in Germany and Europe. We rely on low-threshold entry formats such as live hacking and awareness shows to reach the majority of people.