Turn your idea into a prototype. a scalable business model. your own startup.

A place where students can turn their idea into a real-world product & get hands-on support from experts.

IT`S TIME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

The Student Innovation Lab is a cutting-edge program at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) designed to integrate practical entrepreneurship experience into your curriculum. Designated labs let you build, test, and prototype your high-tech product while learning the entrepreneurial skills, which will turn your idea into a scalable, disruptive business.

Video abspielen

3RD RUN SUCESSFULLY ENDED: FINAL PITCH

The Final Pitch event will took place on 26th July at Siemens Process Automation World in Karlsruhe. Our students have been working on their projects for more than 6 month and successfully presented them to our partners. From the food of the future to smart location applications and next-generation automation, there was a lot on offer! Re-watch the Livestream here!

5

Labs to build your prototype.

6+

Companies to support you.

85

Participants in our programs so far.

6000+

Practical hours in our labs.  

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT.

Hands-on expert support

Get expert support from entrepreneurial coaches to understand how to turn your idea into a market-oriented business. The lab experts support you in technically implementing your prototype. Support from both sides!

Focus on personal growth

Take responsibility for your own idea and expand your personal comfort zone. Learning, implementation and iteration will be part of your journey. We want to see you and your product grow!

Career boost

Get in touch with our company and startup ecosystem for an excellent chance to increase your career opportunities. With the developed entrepreneurial mindset and technical skills they'll be waiting for you!

Private lab access

Your team gets access to its lab to develop, build and test your prototype. You have the chance to be part of the Automation, Industry 4.0, Interconnected Intelligent Systems, Computer Vision for Health or Extrusion Lab. Choose your lab and get started! Lab Overview.

Strong teamwork

Team up with other motivated students from different faculties and work together on your mission. Your various expertise and backgrounds will make you stronger!

Integrated in your curriculum

Get 15 ECTS (18 points for economics students) while applying theoretical foundations to future-oriented technologies. Sounds great, right?

Application deadline: 29. Oktober.

ARE YOU THE RIGHT PERSON TO JOIN?

FOR WHOM

Master students of Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Economics Science, Information Technology, Mechatronics, Informatics and Computer Science. Note: Mechanical Engineers can account SIL in combination with the lecture Appliance and Power Tool Design (IPEK). They apply for SIL like students of other disciplines (see end of this page).

START & DURATION

Start of the course is in the first week of winter term 2023/24 with the lecture Entrepreneurship (ENTECHNON). The module extends over 2 semesters with an expenditure of 15 ECTS (18 ECTS for economics students, who are pointed to their specific module handbook for detailed information).

ROADMAP

During the first semester you will attend the lectures Entrepreneurship and Agile System Development. A seminar and the practical applications in the innovation lab will take place during both semesters. The course finally concludes in a pitch at the end of the summer term. You can find more details in the schedule of last year. The schedule for the program 2023/24 will be finalized soon.

INVOLVED DEPARTMENTS

OUR SPONSORS

WHAT FORMER PARTICIPANTS SAY.

SIL introduced me to the world of entrepreneurship. I worked on our SIL idea during my master thesis and now I am pushing through the challenges to create a startup. It’s all because SIL gave me the courage and confidence to walk this path.

In my opinion, it was and still is the best opportunity for the technical students to get into the business world and gives us the opportunity to create something. This was a great experience for me and pushed me beyond my own abilities to go out of my comfort zone.

The best course at KIT. Besides all the lectures and exams that only test whether you are able to solve theoretical problems in a limited time, this course demands creativity, entrepreneurial mindset, project management, and communication skills. These skills are so important for future (work) life. I believe even more important than strong technical skills.

“For me, SIL was like working in a Silicon Valley Startup in Karlsruhe!” (Christian, AIL) “During SIL you will experience the ups and downs of a real startup!” (Christian, AIL) “During SIL you will experience intensive teamwork in different fields!” (Max, AIL) “For me, SIL was a great learning experience in technical innovation!” (Nico, AIL) “For me, SIL was a time of personal growth!” (Nico, AIL) “For me, SIL was the longest and most intensive project I’ve ever worked on!” (Max, AIL)

"BEST PRODUCT" AND "DARLING OF THE AUDIENCE" OF LAST YEAR'S SIL-PROGRAM: BATCAM

The Batcam is a pair of glasses that warns the user about obstacles above the ground. When wearing the Batcam, the user receives directional feedback about the environment via smooth vibrations. Like this, they know where exactly the obstacles are and efficiently avoid them. Together with the blind cane, they form the perfect combination to navigate safely.

The Batcam Team: Robin, Jeanne, Philip and Michael, who came together the Student Innovation Lab (SIL) 2021/22 at KIT.

With the valuable lessons from our tutors at SIL, and great team spirit, we were able to win both the Student Innovation Lab 2021/22 and the KIT Sustainable Innovation Challenge 2022. Recently, we were also announced as the overall winner and darling-of-the-public of the ASAP BW Challenge 2023.

We thank Robert Bosch GmbH for their donation in 2022.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?