Building bridges between digital start-ups and the state for a modern, digital state administration (Startups4State)

Project description

The project Startups4State addresses the largely untapped potential of collaboration between digital start-ups and public administration. Currently, such collaboration is hindered by limited access pathways, legal and systemic barriers, and differing ways of working. While public administrations primarily prioritise legally compliant, low-risk and citizen-centred forms of cooperation, digital start-ups focus on reliable yet rapid access to markets, stakeholders and decision-makers.

Startups4State builds a bridge between public administration and digital start-ups by systematically analysing the needs as well as the socio-technical, entrepreneurial and legal requirements on both sides. The project identifies relevant cooperation types and develops practical tools that support effective and sustainable startup–state collaborations.

A central component of the project is the support of concrete pilot collaborations within a regulatory sandbox. These real-world testing environments enable public-sector partners and digital startups to jointly implement innovation initiatives under realistic conditions, reveal barriers as they emerge, and derive effective solutions.

The interdisciplinary consortium, bringing together research partners from the Information Systems, Entrepreneurship, and Law domains, acts as a bridging architecture between public institutions and digital startups. Drawing on scientifically grounded and interdisciplinary approaches, the project addresses both the innovation needs of public administration and the growth ambitions of digital start-ups, thereby accelerating digital transformation. In doing so, Startups4State establishes a lasting foundation for a modern and innovative public sector and strengthens the digital start-up ecosystem in Bavaria and Germany.

Project team