From Lab to Leverage

In celebration of the Joachim Herz Foundation’s 18th birthday, we will host our networking and conference event From Lab to Leverage on August 26-27, 2026.

Day 1: Networking

Our Community Day offers opportunities for exchange for the grantees of our programs (e.g. Add-on Fellowships) as well as with Hamburg’s startup ecosystem. Join hands-on sessions on entrepreneurship, non-academic career paths, research transfer, deeptech, and investment.

When: August 26, 2026
Where: Joachim Herz Foundation, Langenhorner Chaussee 384, 22419 Hamburg

Day 2: Conference

The Deeptech Innovation Conference brings together leaders from policy, industry, academia, VC and startups to discuss how to accelerate deeptech in Germany. Highlights include a fireside chat with Benjamin Adrion, the Joachim Herz Award ceremony, and a keynote by Antje Boetius.

When: August 27, 2026
Where: Curio-Haus, Rothenbaumchaussee 11, 20148 Hamburg

Both days are moderated by
Elena & Dr. Martin R. Lichtenthaler

Day 1: Community Day

9.00 am: Arrival

10.00 am: Welcome Address

10.30 am: Interactive Networking
Who is in the room? Get to know your peers and create connections.

12.00 pm: Lunch

13.30 pm: Move into Action
Choose from various parallel sessions (90 min. each)

18.30 pm: Wrap-Up

18.45 pm: Dinner & Open Networking

Career Paths Beyond Academia

14.00 pm: Insights and background perspectives from former grantees

16.45 pm: Insights and background perspectives from former grantees

Ideation for Impact

14.00 pm and 16.45 pm: Serious Transfer Game – a playful transfer journey

Participation in both sessions is mandatory, because they build upon one another.

With: Dr. Christine Oesterhelt, Dr. Caroline Reid & Jeanne Trommer

Technology Transfer Showcase

14.00 pm: Insights on Transfer Projects in Data and AI
Get inspired by impactful projects from other grantees

16.45 pm: Insights on Transfer Projects in Biobased Materials and Resources
Get inspired by impactful projects from other grantees

Founders’ Essentials

14.00 pm: Beyond the Technology: Building Your Founding Team

The workshop focuses on how to build a deep-tech founding teams. Participants will explore complementary roles, founder motivation, necessary identity transition, and the realities of deep-tech entrepreneurship and leave with greater clarity on the team they may need to build.

With: Tina Manker & Ali Alam

16.45 pm: A Practical Introduction to Ideation

When moving from science toward innovation, transfer, or start-ups, we need to learn a new perspective: understanding and exploring the needs, pain-points, and workflows of others becomes essential for developing solutions that create meaningful impact. This interactive workshop offers a first hands-on introduction to systematic ideation for scientists. Together, we collect a variety of problems our participants encounter in their daily experiences. From there, we collaboratively filter and identify one problem, work toward understanding its underlying causes, and explore the broader problem space behind it.

With: Gina Melchner & Lizzy Harmstorf

Meet the Investors

14.00 pm: Pitch & Progress

Step on stage and present your project in front of a jury and the audience to earn valuable feedback.

Jury: Dr. Dorothea Ringe, Martin Ostermayer & Celia Pégeot-Möller

16.45 pm: What Investors Want to Know

How to prepare for and approach investor meetings.

With: Philipp Buddemeier, Dr. Christian Kannemeier & Claas H. Nieraad

Moderation: Dr. Max Vellguth

11.00 am: Welcome & Opening Remarks
Dr. Dorothea Ringe, Joachim Herz Foundation

11.20 am: Opening Keynote
Prof. Dr. Helmut Schönenberger, Founder & CEO UnternehmerTUM

From Science to Startup: Innovation Ecosystems as Deeptech Accelerators

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. Sabine Kunst, Joachim Herz Foundation
Martin Weber, Founder of one.five
Prof. Dr. Helmut Schönenberger, Founder & CEO UnternehmerTUM
Dr. Jakob Lingg, Vsquared Venture Capital

12.30 pm: Lunch & Networking

14.00 pm: Keynote “Water - our most precious resource”
Impact Entrepreneur Benjamin Adrion, Founder of Viva con Agua

14.15 pm: From Vision to Scale: Success Strategies for Scaling Deeptech Impact

Benjamin Adrion, Founder of Viva con Agua
Dr. Gisela Philipsenburg, Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space
Dr. Valentin Piëch, Marlene Porsche Foundation

15.15 pm: Networking Break

16.00 pm: Award Ceremony Joachim Herz Preis

Laudation: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. Sabine Kunst, Joachim Herz Foundation
Remarks by the laureate
Keynote: Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius, President and Chief Executive Officer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

17.00 pm: Conference closing

From 18.00 pm: Birthday Celebration with Dinner at Altonaer Kaispeicher, Hamburg

This event is invitation only. If you are interested in taking part, please feel free to contact from_lab_to_leverage(at)joachim-herz-stiftung(dot)de.