News
7 Scholarships from the EXIST-Women Funding Line Awarded for 2026
The EXIST-Women funding programme supports women interested in starting a business at universities and research institutions in the first phase of founding a company. In 2026, five female students from the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam will receive funding.
The EXIST-Women funding line of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) has extended the EXIST-Women programme and launched another call for applications at the end of last year.
EXIST-Women gives women the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the topics of start-ups and professorial recruitment at an early stage. During the qualification programme, which lasts several months during the funding period, the prospective female founders are supported in particular in the development of their entrepreneurial personality and the (further) development of their start-up idea.
These are the EXIST Women grant recipients 2026:
- Lina Ringel, student (Department of Design)
- Marie Buschmann, student (Department of Design)
- Natalie Stahl, student (Department of Design)
- Desiree Kosel, student (Department of CITY | BUILDING | CULTURE)
- Gabriele Minkeviciute, student (Department of CITY | BUILDING | CULTURE)
- Karoline Jüttner, graduate (Department of CITY | BUILDING | CULTURE)
- Lea Magdalena Voitel, graduate (Department of Social and Educational Sciences)
All participants in this year's funding period receive benefits in kind and have access to mentoring and various networking events. Depending on their initial situation, they will also receive additional financial support for a period of three months and/or a child allowance.
We congratulate the applicants on their acceptance and look forward to hearing more about their plans.