Transform Healthcare. Scale in Essen.

About EWG – Essener Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH

EWG – Essener Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH is the economic development agency of the city of Essen, committed to driving business growth, innovation, and international investment. As the central point of contact for companies entering or expanding in Essen, EWG offers tailored support, funding opportunities, and strategic partnerships. 

At the heart of EWG’s approach is business matchmaking—connecting scale-ups with the right partners, hospitals, research institutions, and investors to fast-track their growth in the German market. This is the core of EWG’s Health Market Entry Program, which also provides regulatory guidance, relocation assistance, and access to co-working and clinical infrastructure. 

Essen is a leading hub for healthcare innovation, home to 19 hospital locations, over 1,900 healthcare companies, and renowned institutions like the University Medical Center Essen. With strengths in MedTech, AI in medicine, and digital health, the city offers a fertile ground for scale-ups seeking to launch and grow.  

With deep industry expertise, an expansive health network, and a business-friendly ecosystem, EWG ensures that health scale-ups find the right partners and resources to thrive in one of Europe’s most dynamic healthcare markets. 

This challenge is open only to scale-ups that are planning to relocate to Essen or open a branch in the region.

Check out our tutorial: Get started! 

Check out our tutorial: Join a Challenge!

After the end of the deadline, the submissions will be reviewed by EWG. The scale-ups will be selected and invited to a get to know interview. We will inform you via mail. Check the timeline.

We've structured our process into two comprehensive phases. These phases are designed to give you the opportunites and support offered by EWG — from funding to local networking — to help you enter the German market and possibly open a presence in Essen

Your participation is not binding until you submit the Submission Template, and the submission phase ends. You can always withdraw your submission before the deadline. Once you have uploaded your submission and you want to take part, please consider the timeline and be aware that you should be able to participate in every further step.

Get in contact with us!
If you want to talk to someone from our team about your approaches, you need more information or if questions arise, just join one of our Q&A calls every Tuesday from 11:00am-11:30am, Wednesday from 15:00 to 15:30 and Thursday from 4:00pm-4:30pm. It is a group call and you also get the chance to meet other innovators!
Simply register here

All final teams agree to enter into discussions with the respective challenge provider within three months of the challenge completion regarding possible further use of the solution.  

During this period, the final teams also agree not to enter into discussions with third parties regarding further use of the solutions. 

Both parties (challenge provider and finalists) are also entitled to jointly agree on deviating and individual provisions with regard to confidentiality agreements or IP rights during the collaboration phase. 

All details can be found in the conditions of participation.