Munich-based start-up BugSense Diagnostics has secured EUR 1.23 million through the EXIST Research Transfer funding programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). Over the next two years, the m4 Award winner of 2023 will use the funding to further develop its paper-based point-of-care platform, expand its team, validate the technology, and advance it towards clinical application for rapid infection diagnostics and antimicrobial resistance detection.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) affect more than 152 million people every year, making them one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide. Current diagnostics typically take two to five working days, meaning patients are often treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics before a precise diagnosis is available.
BugSense is developing a handheld, paper-based diagnostic system that identifies bacterial pathogens and antibiotic resistance directly at the point of care, eliminating the need for sample transport and lengthy laboratory workflows. By combining pathogen identification and antibiotic resistance testing in a single step, the technology aims to deliver same-day results while reducing testing time, costs, logistical effort, and unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.
The innovation has already received recognition at this year's BayOConnect, where BugSense was awarded the BayOConnect Innovation Award, sponsored by Informa. Sarah Wali accepted the award together with a complimentary ticket to BIO-Europe 2026 in Cologne.
EXIST – From Science to Business – is a funding programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). It supports spin-offs from universities and non-university research institutions while also helping higher education institutions establish a strong entrepreneurial culture. The programme aims to improve the start-up ecosystem within academia and increase the number of innovative company foundations in Germany.