Hydrogels have been found to be an ideal substrate for cell cultivation. Previous studies showed a stiffness-dependent differentiation behaviour of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). A soft matrix material with a stiffness of up to 1 kPa promotes the development of neural cells while higher stiffnesses lead to myogenic (8 – 17 kPa) or osteogenic (25 – 40 kPa) cells. Additionally, biochemical factors were used to induce differentiation [1]. This work deals with the development of a geometry that considers only stiffness-driven stem cell differentiation without the use of additional factors. The goal is to create a structure that provides a uniform and homogeneous stiffness distribution across the surface of a hydrogel poured into a PCL frame. Therefore, a parameter study of a bowtie unit cell was performed that takes not only the total stiffness into account but also its individual components. Furthermore, a tensile testing method using a rheometer is proposed to define the hydrogel’s material properties. This was found to be crucial due to the fragility of the material caused by its high water content. A hydrogel is poured into a disc with a small height compared to the diameter. Due to the shear behaviour present in this rheometer tensile test, a correction factor is required to calculate valid stiffnesses. Therefore, a combination of experiments and numerical simulations was carried out to determine hyperelastic material models for the investigated hydrogels. [1] A. J. Engler, S. Sen, H. L. Sweeney, D. E. Discher, Matrix Elasticity Directs Stem Cell Lineage Specification, Cell, 126, 677-689, 2006.