BayFOR workshop: Assess your investment readiness using the ‘Investment Readiness Scorecard (IRS)’

What is investment readiness?

Investment readiness describes the extent to which a company is prepared for discussions with investors and for financing rounds. In addition to an innovative idea or technology, investors expect a viable business model, a strong team, robust financial planning, a realistic understanding of the market and a clear growth strategy.

The Investment Readiness Scorecard (IRS) helps you objectively assess your company’s current level of investment readiness and identify the key areas that will strengthen your attractiveness to investors.

Assess your investment readiness systematically

The Investment Readiness Scorecard (IRS) comprises 39 questions, which are used to assess your company’s investment readiness across seven key areas:

• Team and skills
• Business model
• Technology and level of innovation
• Market and competitive potential
• Financial planning
• Customer development and sales
• Scaling and growth strategy

The assessment is based on the expectations of professional investors and innovation-focused European financing schemes such as the European Innovation Council (EIC).

What to expect

The workshops take place online in a small group of up to ten participants. 

Together with BayFOR experts, you will work through all the questions on the Investment Readiness Scorecard step by step. We explain each assessment criterion, discuss its relevance and show you how to interpret your results.

During the workshop, you will complete the online assessment and receive practical guidance on how to strengthen your company's investment readiness and prepare effectively for investor meetings and future financing rounds.

All responses and assessment results are treated confidentially and are accessible only to the BayFOR organisers.

Your benefits

• Assess your company’s readiness to invest using an assessment tool developed and tested as part of the ‘Enterprise Europe Network’ (EEN)
• Gain a structured overview of your company's strengths and areas for improvement.
• Understand what professional investors and European innovation programmes such as the such as the European Innovation Council (EIC) expect from high-potential companies.
• Identify concrete actions to strengthen your business model, financing strategy and growth potential.
• Prepare more effectively for investor meetings and future financing rounds.

Target audience

The workshop is aimed at innovative SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups that are developing research and innovation projects at national or European level, pursuing international growth ambitions or preparing for future financing and investment opportunities.

Organised by BayFOR as part of the Enterprise Europe Network

The Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR) supports companies, universities and research institutions in securing national and European financing for research and innovation. As a partner of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) – the world’s largest support network for small and medium-sized enterprises – BayFOR is offering this workshop free of charge as part of the European project EEN2EIC.

Event times

Thursday, 17 September 2026, 1.00 pm to 2.00 pm
Wednesday, 21 October 2026, 1.00 pm to 2.00 pm
Friday, 13 November 2026, 10.00 am to 11.00 am

The three workshops cover the same content.

Venue

Online

Agenda

You can find the workshop agenda here (German only).

Registration and participation fee

Please register via the this link for the event (Geman only). 

The registration deadline is 6 November 2026. 

Participation is free of charge. The number of participants is limited to ten people per session. 

Language of the event

German and English (the questions in the tool are in English)

Contact at BayFOR

Natalia García Mozo
Head of Unit SME Advisory Services
Telephone: +49 899901888 – 171
Email: mozo@no-spam-pleasebayfor.org

Julia Richter
Scientific Officer
SME Advisory Services
Telephone: +49 8999017888 – 173
Email: richter@no-spam-pleasebayfor.org

Nivedita Mahida-Königsdörfer
Scientific Officer
SME Advisory Services
Telephone: +49 8999017888 – 175
Email: mahida@no-spam-pleasebayfor.org