digital ilab
Join the digital innovation lab, a programme at the University of Vienna where you will work in interdisciplinary teams on innovative ideas – from identifying real-world challenges to developing, testing and refining creative solutions. Over a series of workshops, mentorship sessions, and collaborative projects, you will learn how to shape ideas that bring value to society and have a lasting impact. At the end, teams will pitch their ideas to a panel of experts. Outstanding projects will have the opportunity to receive pre-seed support to develop their idea further.
Who is the programme for?
The program is open to master students, PhD candidates, and postdocs from all disciplines. Fully taught in English, it is designed to be accessible to all students from diverse academic backgrounds. Don’t have an idea yet? No problem! Whether you have a rough concept, an existing team, or simply a desire to innovate, this programme is for you.
Your innovation journey starts here!
Collaborate with students across disciplines, get access to our creative innovation space and unlock up to 10.000Є in seed funding at the end of the programme.
What to expect
Workshops will be held every Monday and Friday at our creative innovation space during the summer semester 2026. participants are required to commit to a 100% attendance policy to ensure team success and maintain the quality of the programme. The approximate workload is of 100 hours in class from March to June. Detailed information about the schedule and FAQs can be found here.
Innovation Atelier
From ideation to prototyping. Practice human-centered design and rapid prototyping to refine your concepts.
Expert Advice
Get the guidance of IBM experts about cutting-edge technologies.
Entrepreneurship Fundamentals
Learn the core principles of starting a business and developing innovative ideas.
Legal Mentoring
Navigate legal challenges for your startup with mentoring from our expert team
The Programme
Application deadline: 14 December 2025
Dates: 9 March – 19 June 2026 (Mondays & Fridays)
Credits: 8 ECTS (subject to approval by the respective SSC)
Location: Creative Innovation Space (Apostelgasse 23, 1030 Vienna)
Language: English
During the digital innovation lab, you will:
- understand the principles of innovation and its connection to entrepreneurship
- collaborate in interdisciplinary teams
- apply observation techniques, develop prototypes, and design user-centered solutions
- explore human-technology interaction and digital entrepreneurship
This course includes continuous assessment based on:
- attendance and active engagement in workshops and teamwork
- project deliverables at various stages, including research, prototyping strategies, and peer feedback
- final presentation at the demo day
Application Process
Given the high demand, we have set up a multi-step procedure to select participants for the programme:
Submit your application using the form below by 14 December 2025.
Eligibility Criteria:
- You are highly motivated to learn how to start your own company.
- You have an idea or a passion for innovation.
- You are a Master student, PhD candidate, or postdoc.
- AI checkers return a degree of “humanity” in your application higher than 80%.
Selected candidates will be invited to our assessment center by 19th December 2025. Please block the following dates to make sure you are available to participate in the selection process:
- 13th January 2026, 9:00 – 14:00
- 14th January 2026, 9:00 – 14:00
- 15th January 2026, 9:00 – 14:00
- 16th January 2026, 9:00 – 14:00
Successful candidates will be invited to participate in the programme and must commit to attending all sessions. Students from the University of Vienna who can get the programme approved by their SSC will register for the course on u:space and receive 8 ECTS.
You can find more information about the schedule and FAQs here.
Our Team
Ready to apply?
Important Note: Before applying, ensure you can commit to the full schedule and workload of the program. This guarantees you and your team achieve the best results and have a successful experience. You can find more information here.
contact
Have questions about the digital innovation lab? Need more information about the program, application process, or schedule? Don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to help! Simply write a message to entrepreneurship@univie.ac.at and we will get back to you as soon as possible.