Interreg Spain Portugal (POCTEP) HIBA- Hub Iberia Agrotech has recently launched the Startup Europe Awards (SEUA)an initiative promoted by the European Commission, launched by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe, to promote the identification of innovative solutions from entrepreneurs to SDG and EU challenges.
The goal is to find Innovative startups and SMEs able to solve the current challenges in the area of agrodigitization. The deadline for submitting the candidacies runs from March 27 to 11:59 p.m. CEST on May 19, 2023 and the winners will be announced on June 6, 2023 at an event organized within the framework of Green Week.
HIBA Startup Europe Awards are organized by the Finnova Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Junta de Andalucía, main beneficiary of the HIBA Project, the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), the European Foundation for Innovation and Technological Development (INTEC), the Associação SFCOLAB – Laboratório Collabortaivo para a Inovação Digital na Agricultura (Smart Farm Colab) and the Fundecyt Science and Technology Park Foundation of Extremadura (Fundecyt PCTEX), all of them beneficiaries of the HIBA project.
Its main objective is identify and support entrepreneurs with disruptive ideas that can be implemented for the benefit of the whole society, generating a public-private partnership that leads to the drafting of projects and thus accessing funds from the European Union.
Four challenges of digitalization of agriculture
On this occasion, HIBA SEUA wants to locate those start-ups, SMEs and entrepreneurs that offer products, services or methodologies that respond to the following challenges:
- Training models in digital skills of the agricultural sector.
- Digitization and entrepreneurship in the rural sector.
- Inclusive digital solutions and female entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector.
- Optimization of collection methods and logistics of agricultural products.
SMEs, corporations, startups, “scale-ups”, “spin-offs” and any person who is interested in undertaking, who belongs to or develops his activity in the agricultural sector or in related sectors and who can provide innovative solutions to the proposed challenges.
European Acceleration Ticket
A jury, made up of representatives of the HIBA project, specialists and external agents who can provide their evaluation on the proposed themes, will assess and evaluate the proposals presented based on their viability, the response they give to the challenges posed, their feasibility, innovation and the improvement of what currently exists, internationalization and long-term objectives.
The selected application will benefit from a European acceleration ticket, consisting of two personalized mentoring sessions for projects adapted to each sector, and training in legislation and European funds. You will also have access to a networking network and to investors with whom you will learn good practices in managing relationships within the EU framework and with contact networks, and you will receive advice on the European legal framework and the internationalization of the project.
Finally, you will be offered guidance on European funding and tips to turn the winning idea or proposal into a European project that can be implemented on the subject of digitization in agriculture. Mentoring sessions will run until June 30, 2023.
The prize will be awarded on June 6, 2023, in an event that will be held within the framework of the European Green Week.
