Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), TUM Venture Labs and Startup Factory boOst today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at chips conference SEMICON Europa 2026 in Munich, marking the start of a collaboration to launch the European Future Chips Launchpad (EFCL), a European initiative designed to accelerate the creation of semiconductor, photonics and quantum technology ventures and strengthen Europe's indispensability in deep tech.
The initiative responds to a growing European challenge: the need to navigate its own course. The Draghi report on European competitiveness highlights this broader challenge of turning Europe's research and innovation into social and economic value. In the semiconductor sector, while Europe produces world-class research in quantum, photonics and heterogeneous integration, too little of this knowledge reaches the market in the form of scalable, venture-backed companies. As a result, talent, intellectual property and economic value continue to flow to ecosystems outside Europe.
The collaboration brings together three partners with complementary strengths. TUM Venture Labs is a joint initiative of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and UnternehmerTUM, supporting the creation and growth of deep-tech startups. Startup Factory boOst is a non-profit organisation based in Dresden, with TU Dresden among its shareholders, focused on technology transfer and deep-tech entrepreneurship.
Closing Europe's lab-to-fab gap
Despite substantial investments through the European Chips Act and Horizon Europe, a critical gap remains between scientific breakthroughs and commercial success. The founders of EFCL refer to this as the 'lab-to-fab gap': the challenging journey from research results to investable and scalable companies.
EFCL aims to bridge this gap by bringing together entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, industry leaders and innovation ecosystems across Europe. Rather than creating another research programme or funding instrument, it will serve as a connecting commercialisation layer, connecting new ventures with strong industrial partners and helping transform Europe's research excellence into globally competitive ventures. Seed funding alone is not enough. Startups also need launching customers to help them grow into scaleups and unicorns.
The collaboration creates a structural platform for accelerating semiconductor entrepreneurship across Eindhoven, Dresden and Munich, combining cross-border mentorship, founder matchmaking, technology scouting, investor engagement, launching customer identification and community building. It also provides a scalable framework for expanding the network to additional European innovation ecosystems. As the collaboration grows, it will help attract international talent and mobilise strategic funding to support promising deep-tech ventures in growing rapidly in Europe.
The network has identified 14 potential startup and spin-off cases to date, spanning a broad range of technologies, from high-tech systems to quantum and semiconductor startups. These cases provide a first tangible basis for demonstrating how closer collaboration between Europe's innovation ecosystems can accelerate the journey from research to market.
We don't need to wait for the future to happen: through this collaboration, we are actively strengthening Europe's innovation capacity and strategic position in the global deep tech industry.
Silvia Lenaerts, Rector Magnificus of TU/e
Silvia Lenaerts, Rector Magnificus of TU/e: "Europe's strength lies not only in investment, but also in how effectively we connect our innovation ecosystems in order to identify launching customers for our promising ventures. TU/e is committed to translating scientific excellence into societal and economic value. By joining forces with Munich and Dresden, we bring together Europe's strengths to turn semiconductor, quantum and photonic breakthroughs into new companies, innovative technologies and strategic value chains that can grow and thrive in Europe. We don't need to wait for the future to happen: through this collaboration, we are actively strengthening Europe's innovation capacity and strategic position in the global deep tech industry."
Building a borderless European deep-tech venture ecosystem
The founding partners share a common vision: to establish a borderless European Deep Tech Venture Ecosystem where the next generation of chip companies can start, grow and scale.
The initiative connects three of Europe's most important deep-tech regions: Munich, Eindhoven and Dresden, combining deep-tech venture building, world-leading research institutes and industrial powerhouses. It is designed as an open and growing network, with an invitation to additional European partners, including ecosystems such as Grenoble, Leuven, Cambridge, Zurich, Copenhagen and Helsinki.
European founders need talent, customers and investors across the continent, with strong connections to global hotspots, and we're integrating them into one dynamic network.
Philipp Gerbert, CEO of TUM Venture Labs
Philipp Gerbert, CEO of TUM Venture Labs: "Chip startups are international by nature. European founders need talent, customers and investors across the continent, with strong connections to global hotspots, and we're integrating them into one dynamic network. With this MoU, we're building the launchpad that lets chip founders grow without borders and compete globally."
According to the partners, no single institution can create Europe's future semiconductor champions alone. Success requires collaboration across universities, research institutes, investors, industry and government.
Felix Hagleitner, Managing Director of Startup Factory boOst: "Deep-tech founders need resources that go beyond regional ecosystems. That is why we're proud to contribute research and industry capacities in advanced manufacturing to the European Future Chips Launchpad. Startup Factory boOst is glad to be a founding member of a new European network in semiconductor, quantum and photonics."
A pathway to Europe's venture engine
The long-term ambition is to develop EFCL into the definitive pan-European venture engine for semiconductor, quantum and photonics technologies, starting in 2027 and complementing existing European initiatives such as Chips JU, the European Innovation Council and leading research and pilot-line infrastructures.
