The European Investment Fund (EIF), backed by the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade, is investing approximately CZK 656 million (€27 million) from the country’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan into IP Lab Ventures Fund I, a new fund designed to bridge the gap between Czech research institutions and the capital and business expertise needed to build globally competitive companies.
The fund is targeting more than CZK 1.2 billion (€50 million) in total commitments, including additional private capital. Its investment strategy will focus primarily on technology projects and spin-offs originating from Czech universities and research organisations, with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, robotics, smart mobility, biotechnology and cybersecurity. The fund will also consider other emerging technologies such as semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, with the ambition of supporting around 40 projects, primarily in the Czech Republic and, to a lesser extent, across Central and Eastern Europe.
The investment was announced by Czech First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček together with European Investment Bank Vice-President Marek Mora. The €27 million commitment was made by the European Investment Fund, part of the EIB Group, following a selection process launched by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in August 2025.
“Czech science and research have enormous potential, which we need to turn into real economic success and globally competitive companies. This new fund is precisely the missing link that will connect the outstanding ideas coming from our universities and research organisations with the capital and business expertise needed in areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, robotics and cybersecurity,” said Karel Havlíček, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade.
From university research to global startups
At the heart of IP Lab Ventures’ strategy is the commercialisation of research. While Czech universities and research institutions produce technologies with international potential, transforming those technologies into investable companies requires more than scientific expertise. It also requires capital, experienced operators, access to markets and the ability to build companies around intellectual property and research breakthroughs.
IP Lab Ventures plans to work closely with universities, research centres and other research organisations to identify promising technologies, prepare them for commercialisation and establish professional technology-transfer processes. The fund’s team has already established relationships with a number of Czech universities and research organisations and is now working to expand and formalise those partnerships.
The team behind the fund has already been active in the field. IP Lab Ventures’ partners have been working together since 2023 and have supported seven technology projects through the commercialisation process and the creation of spin-off companies over the past three years.
“We selected an experienced team of experts who already have a track record of success in technology transfer. The partners at IP Lab Ventures have been working together since 2023 and over the past three years have helped seven technology projects through commercialisation and spin-off creation. We believe they can turn more promising ideas into successful companies and help put the Czech Republic firmly on the map of European leaders in artificial intelligence and related technologies,” said EIB Vice-President Marek Mora.
AI and deep tech at the centre
The fund represents another instrument supporting the creation and development of Czech startups and spin-offs, one of the objectives outlined in the Czech Republic’s Economic Strategy. Its focus on emerging digital technologies, AI, cybersecurity and other deep-tech areas is intended to help research-driven startups move from laboratories and universities to the market faster and with greater commercial potential.
“I am convinced that the fund’s focus on new digital technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and other deep-tech solutions will enable many emerging startups to bring their solutions to market faster and with greater market potential,” said Pavel Vinkler, Director General of the Business and Digitalisation Section at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
For Czech deep-tech founders, the significance of the fund goes beyond the amount of capital available. Technology-transfer funds can play a different role from traditional venture capital investors because they become involved much earlier, often when a technology exists as research or intellectual property but has not yet been turned into a standalone company. The challenge is therefore not only financing growth, but also identifying which research can become a viable business and helping researchers navigate the transition from academia to entrepreneurship.
Second Czech VC fund backed through the Recovery and Resilience Plan
IP Lab Ventures Fund I is the second venture capital fund supported through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) “Fund of Funds” instrument under the Czech National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is responsible for the programme and entrusted the European Investment Fund with its implementation in March 2023.
The overall allocation for the Fund of Funds instrument from EU Recovery and Resilience Facility resources amounts to more than CZK 1.3 billion. Before IP Lab Ventures, the EIF invested in the latest fund launched by the Czech venture capital team behind Tensor Ventures, supporting the development of the country’s innovation and deep-tech ecosystem.
With the investment into IP Lab Ventures Fund I, the RRF resources allocated to the Fund of Funds instrument have now been fully committed to selected venture capital funds supporting the Czech innovation ecosystem.
“We have excellent universities, talented people and technologies that can compete globally. We want to be their partner and provide support where capital and commercialisation experience are missing. We see the European Investment Fund’s investment and the ministry’s support as a vote of confidence not only in IP Lab Ventures, but above all in the potential of Czech science and innovation,” said Filip Fingl, Managing Partner at IP Lab Ventures.
The new fund effectively creates another bridge between Czech research and the European venture capital market. Its success will ultimately depend on how many promising technologies can make the difficult transition from research projects and intellectual property into scalable companies — particularly in fields such as AI, robotics, cybersecurity and other areas where Czech research could potentially compete on a global level.
