MY-GATEWAY partner SPARK was at the We Are Developers World Congress 2018!
SPARK, as one of the communication partners of the Congress, took the opportunity to offer access to the event to 2 startups and while there did not miss the chance to promote the Startup Europe Ambassador initiative to the international audience.
Over the last 2 years, SPARK has been partnering up with the 3-day conference and, as usual, some team members attended the event:
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Sanjin Osmanbašić, Managing Director
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Ivan Krešić, Executive Director, Research & Development Program Lead
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Sara Lerota, Partnership & Startup Development
But they did not go alone, they were accompanied by their colleagues from NSoft, a top quality service solution provider.
About 8000 people attended the event, with over a 1000 coming from the Western Balkans. The outcome of the event was positive and software developers, business developers, startups and students would definitely attend the event again. Even Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak was present and declared his strong inclination in favour of the Blockchain Technology.
The startups that SPARK brought to WAD were Amplius electronics represented by team member Robert Rozić and Ante Delić representing Imicron.
If you want to know more about how the story between WAD and SPARK began, read this.
What is SPARK?
SPARK is an advanced digital technology acceleration platform dedicated to regional startups and projects commissioned by leading European companies. SPARK’s programs are SPARK school, SPARK r&d, SPARK startup and SPARK business. Users are individuals, teams, investors, companies, researchers, and sponsors. SPARK has been listed as a Network Partner.
What is We Are Developers?
The WeAreDevelopers World Congress takes place in Vienna once a year and provides thousands of developers with the latest insights.
More info: https://www.wearedevelopers.com/about/
What is MY-GATEWAY?
MY-GATEWAY is an initiative of Startup Europe that aims to strengthen the capacities of high-tech start-ups and innovative SMEs in the CEE region to become better connected, gain higher market exposure, and have improved, streamlined access to funding opportunities and talents.
Soft-Landers meet again in Berlin – join by 14 May
Berlin is calling for European startups, scaleups and ecosystem builders (mentors, investors, incubator/accelerator representatives…) outside of Germany. Applications open until Monday, 14 May.
GTEC is hosting for a second time a #SoftLandingEU programme in Berlin, gathering delegations of startups and ecosystem builders from all over Europe on the week of Tech Open Air.
On June 18-22 we will offer participants a 4-day pass to Europe’s leading interdisciplinary technology festival plus a tour around Berlin’s startup ecosystem meeting key players, investors and innovators. Apply now – and share with your favourite entrepreneurs and passionate startup peeps!
- Connect with startups and ecosystem builders from all over Europe
- Discover the Berlin startup hub with your host GTEC – German Tech Entrepreneurship Center
- Get a free ticket to the Tech Open Air Conference (4 days)
- Join the TOA satellite events in the city
- Gather in our round tables with various experts helping startups that see Germany and Berlin as their next destination
- Benefit from soft-landing and scaling support for up to 1 month
Applications open until Monday 14 May (11:59 pm London time)
The soft-landing stay runs on 18-22 June and you can stay in Berlin and benefit from soft-landing and scaling support for up to one month. Check out the agenda prepared by GTEC.
The Mission runs on 18-20 June but you are welcome to use your free pass to TOA until the end of the conference. Check out the agenda prepared by GTEC.
Read about the first Soft-Landing Mission in Berlin!
Find out more about the Berlin startup hub.
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Soft-Landing (www.soft-landing.eu) connects startup ecosystems and facilitates growth for European scaleups.
Take part in our 1-week missions and join the growing Soft-Landers community!
Land in Vilnius, the place to be for Blockchain startups
Soft-Landing is calling Blockchain scaleups and representatives of startup hubs from all over Europe to discover the vibrant Lithuanian startup ecosystem in June. Applications open until 7 May.
Lightning-fast speed of internet, intelligent and talented workforce, low taxes for business, government support, favorable environment for blockchain and one of the most innovative economies in the world make Vilnius startup scene second to none. Too good to be true?
Prove it yourself during the Soft-Landing activities that will take place on June 11-15. Startups and ecosystem builders will be deeply immersed into the epicenter of the Baltic startup ecosystem: Vilnius.
Why is Vilnius the coolest place for Blockchain?
- Gateway for global blockchain industry – EU’s only hub for the digital ledger
- Trending crypto area – In 2017 Lithuania logged 35 ICOs ranging from $3M-$151M, raising a total of $500M in value. The highest ICO per capita in the world!
- A new regulatory “sandbox” for blockchain startups – The platform will contribute to the creation of better conditions for the development of businesses
- Blockchain Centre Vilnius – First international centre in Europe for education and development of decentralized technologies
Want more reasons? Check this article by Tricia Levasseur on Medium.com
The Vilnius mission will bring you to:
- Startup Europe Blockchain Conference – free two-day pass to the largest crypto conference in Northern Europe
- Visits to ecosystem highlights – Blockchain Centre Vilnius and Vilnius Tech Park
- Workshops and Q&A sessions with Startup Lithuania, Invest Lithuania, Bank of Lithuania and other ecosystem gurus
What is in it for startups? [11-15 June]
The main goal of the programme is to provide tangible practical support in entering the Lithuanian market or benefiting from access to it.
- Workshops on specific topics, e.g. overview of Lithuanian business culture, legal matters, etc.;
- Light business support from the Startup Division team;
- Individually assigned, specific mentors;
- Experience sharing with the receiving hubs representatives, as well as between soft-landers;
- Exciting site visits, events and conferences with free or discounted passes.
You can stay in Vilnius for up to 1-month longer, benefiting from soft-landing mentoring support.
…and for ecosystem builders? [12-14 June]
Mission participants will explore which Blockchain opportunities Vilnius has to offer, get to know success stories from already flourishing companies, shake hands and have one-on-one chats with ecosystem leaders to identify opportunities for ground breaking collaborations.
Convinced? Apply fast.
Soft-Landing stay for Startups and Scaleups* || 11-15 June || APPLY ON F6S
Discovery Mission for Ecosystem Builders* || 12-14 June || APPLY ON F6S
* Participation is free of charge thanks to Startup Europe.
Deadline for applications extended: 7 May
Article and programme developed by your local partners in Vilnius, Startup Division.
MY-GATEWAY at the Startup Europe Campfire and Bootcamp in Paris!
Paris, 19-20 March.
All Startup Europe partners gathered in Paris to be officially presented as Startup Europe Ambassadors and to start planning future synergies!
On Monday 19th March, Krisztina Toth presented the reason d’être of MY-GATEWAY at the Startup Europe Campfire taking place at the Ile de France in Paris.
The Campfire brought together over 200 main players from European startup ecosystems and it was the perfect opportunity to learn more about all the initiatives and projects which originated from Startup Europe over the years. It was the first of a series of events piloted by the Startup Europe initiative of the European Commission DG CONNECT in order to highlight existing and future opportunities led by the 10 running programs and initiatives and foster networking amongst community partners and stakeholders such as incubators, venture capital organizations, accelerators and many others who also attended the event. The main purposes of this event were to promote Europe as a startup continent and to strengthen the links between pan-European initiatives and local and national ones.
One of the highlights of the day was the official announcement of the Startup Europe Ambassadors at midday, in which all MY-GATEWAY partners simultaneously published a press release declaring their involvement in the democratization of the startup phenomenon.
MY GATEWAY Ambassador
The following day, 20th March, had a completely different layout: first of all, it was a private event which was only directed to the 10 project partners and it took place at the Le Cargo, a startup incubator and accelerator located in northern Paris. Four workshops focused on Communication, International market access, Deep Tech and Ecosystem building took over the whole morning with the aim of producing a roadmap of activities to be organized over the following two years.
One of the main conclusions was the importance that needs to be given to cross-project communication. By communicating effectively a common Startup Europe identity, identifying and producing targeted information for startups and even co-attending important entrepreneurial events can really help Startup Europe continuing making a difference and keep building a startup continent.
About MY-GATEWAY
MY-GATEWAY is an initiative of Startup Europe that aims to strengthen the capacities of high-tech start-ups and innovative SMEs in the CEE region to become better connected, gain higher market exposure, and have improved, streamlined access to funding opportunities and talents.
About Startup Europe
Startup Europe is an initiative of the European Commission which falls under its priority of the “Digital Single Market”. Startup Europe’s goal is to democratise the startup phenomenon so that every citizen has a fair chance to become a successful entrepreneur wherever they are located in Europe. In addition, Startup Europe helps startups in their growth phase to scale-up across Europe and internationalise worldwide. Startup Europe’s first priority is to develop high quality ecosystems based on talent and high level of connectedness among the players of the ecosystems at EU level.
Startup Europe has mobilised the tech entrepreneurship ecosystem and helped them to have their voice heard at EU institutions. It has helped to gain a better understanding of this environment and has raised political awareness on the subject. Within the Horizon 2020 framework, 2018-2020 timeframe, 7 projects are working together in terms of financing, skills, entrepreneurial events and growth advice. Startup Europe’s programmes focus on helping startup communities, increase collaborations between startup ecosystems, encouraging entrepreneurship, startup creation and scaling business.
MY-GATEWAY partners become Startup Europe Ambassadors
19 March 2018, all MY-GATEWAY partners proudly became part of the “Startup Europe Ambassador” movement in 13 countries. The Startup Europe Ambassadors are a group of key influencers in the European startup ecosystems to provide information and advice about the European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative. The objective is to democratise the startup phenomenon so that every citizen has a fair chance to become a successful entrepreneurs wherever they are located in Europe. The ambassadors will also help startups in their growth phase to have access to all the opportunities offered at European level. All Startup Europe Ambassadors are publicly presented today at the “Startup Europe Campfire” held in Paris.
Throughout the years, European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative has become a top reference in the European startup related field, by supporting directly around 60 local ecosystems and over 750 startups to grow beyond borders. The mission of Startup Europe is to build a Startup Continent by connecting pools of talent. The initiative encourages entrepreneurship, startup creation and growth; and connects startups, investors, accelerators, corporates, universities and the media through an array of grassroots initiatives or networks.
Europa Media, Czech Invest, Spherik Accelerator, Startups Slovenia, European Young Innovators Forum, Startups.be, Startup Ole Accelerator, Universidade Nova Lisboa, Hugin and Munin, NACUE, Bar Ilan University, SPARK Business Park, Start-up Serbia and Seavus Incubator are part of the new Startup Europe Horizon 2020 funded project MY-GATEWAY which was publicly launched during the Startup Europe Campfire in Paris on 19th March 2018.
MY-GATEWAY is one of the 7 Startup Europe projects. It aims to strenghten the capacities of high-tech startups and innovative SMEs in the Central and Eastern European region ot become bettwe connected, gain higher market exposure and have improved, streamlined access to funding opportunities and talent.
In an ever-changing European startup ecosystem the Startup Europe initiative has designed the group of its Ambassadors to democratise the startup phenomenon so that every citizen has a fair chance to become a successful entrepreneurs wherever they are located in Europe. The role of the ambassadors is to provide information and advice about the European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative. In addition, the ambassadors will also help startups in their growth phase to have access to all the opportunities offered at European level.
The Startup Europe Ambassadors will actively contribute to the visibility of Startup Europe activities at the local level by acting as a key information point in their countries and also as connector for the local ecosystem with the other startups ecosystems across Europe. The first members of this group are the organisations who have been selected through the evaluation of proposals of European Commission’s Horizon 2020 ICT 32 call, as well as partners of European funded projects WeP-UP or OpenMaker.
The complete list of Startup Europe Ambassadors is published here: http://startupeuropeclub.eu/startup-europe-ambassadors/ and you can meet us during future Startup Europe events organised in 2018: STARTUP OLÉ 2018 (17- 19 April, Salamanca, 2000 startup stakeholders, free registration), EUROPEAN MAKER WEEK 2018 (18-27 May, 300 maker events in 28 countries), Startup Europe Summit 2018 (European Commission’s foremost technology policy conference for startups. 15 October, Sofia, BG) and WEB SUMMIT 2018 (5-8 November, Lisbon).
Startup Europe announces its first Startup Europe ambassadors
The first Startup Europe Ambassadors group were publicly presented during Startup Europe Campfire event held in Paris on 19 March.
They represent a group of key influencers in the European startupe cosystems who will provide information and advice about the European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative.
The objective is to democratise the startup phenomenon so that every European citizen has a fair chance to become a successful entrepreneur. The ambassadors will also help startups in their growth phase to have access to all the opportunities offered at European level.
Throughout the years, European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative has become a top reference in the European startup related field, by supporting directly around 60 local ecosystems and over 750 startups to grow beyond borders. The mission of Startup Europe is to build a Startup Continent by connecting pools of talent. The initiative encourages entrepreneurship, startup creation and growth; and connects startups, investors, accelerators,corporates, universities and the media through an array of grass roots initiatives or networks.
In an ever-changing European startup ecosystem the Startup Europe initiative has designed the group of its Ambassadors to democratise the startup phenomenon so that every citizen has a fair chance to become a successful entrepreneurs wherever they are located in Europe. The role of the ambassadors is to provide information and advice about the European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative. In addition, the ambassadors will also help startups in their growth phase to have access to all the opportunities offered at European level.
The Startup Europe Ambassadors will actively contribute to the visibility of Startup Europe activities at the local level by acting as a key information point in their countries and also as connector for the local ecosystem with the other startups ecosystems across Europe. The first members of this group are the organisations who have been selected through the evaluation of proposals of European Commission’s Horizon 2020 ICT 32 call, as well as partners of European funded projects WeP UP! or OpenMaker.
The complete list of Startup Europe Ambassador is published here: http://startupeuropeclub.eu/startup-europe-ambassadors/ and you can meet them during future Startup Europe events organised in 2018:
- STARTUP OLÉ 2018 (17- 19 April, Salamanca, 2000 startupstakeholders, freeregistration),
- EUROPEAN MAKER WEEK 2018 (18-27 May, 300 makerevents in 28 countries),
- Startup Europe Summit 2018 (European Commission’s foremost technology policy conference for startups, 15 October, Sofia).
More information about future events will be published soon on the single point for startups to access all the information they need to grow and thrive, the website you’re visiting right now: http://startupeuropeclub.eu/
Press release on European Comission website.
STARTUP EUROPE LATIN AMERICA Assembly
ABOUT STARTUP EUROPE LATIN AMERICA.–Startup Europe Latin America aims at connecting startups), venture capital funds, angel investors, corporates, and specific ecosystem intermediaries to make EU-LATAM cooperation more effective.
Get your tickets here: Eventbrite
Official presentation to EUROLAT Assembly
European Parliament
March 19th, 2018
16.00 Welcome
Ramón Jauregui, Member of the European Parliament and President of the EUROLAT Assembly
- 16.15 Opening remarks: Startup Europe: connecting entrepreneurial ecosystems
Roberto Viola, Director- General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology - 16.30 Introduction: Startup Europe Latin America – Building bridges for startups
Julia Prats, Associate Dean IESE Business School, Startup Europe Latin America
16.40 Learnings from the SELATAM “doers”: Opportunities and barriers to scale across regions
- Javier Vallaure, CEO of ALLPAGO, Germany
- Stefano Portu, Founder SHOPFULLY, Italy
- Caritta Seppa, Founder of TESPACK, Finland
- Daniel Waimann, Founder of LOCATION WORLD, Ecuador (tbc)
- Fernando Lelo de Larrea, Founder and Partner of ALLVP, Mexico
- Eduardo Amadeo, Founder MOUNTAIN NAZCA PARTNERS, Argentina
17.20 Startup Europe Latin America: Supporting entrepreneurs across-regions
- Javier Salinas, Director EmprendeUP, Peru
- Isabelle Chaquiriand, Director Xcala Angels, Uruguay
- Felipe Chediak, Director BuenTrip Hub, Ecuador
- Liliana Gallego, Director Creame, Colombia
- Agustin Moro, Global Head of Business Development and Global Strategic Partnerships
- Telefonica Open Future, Spain
18.00 Closing remarks
Audience: Members of the European Parliament and European Commission Cabinets and officers and corporates.
STARTUP EUROPE LATIN AMERICA Assembly
Workshop on EU-LATAM opportunitiesfor collaboration
European Commission, March 20th, 2018
10.00 Welcome remarks
- Startup Europe and ICT Policy Dialogues, Isidro Laso Head of Startup Europe, DG CNECT
10.20 Private sector development and biregional collaboration for high-growth companies, Marc Litvine, Senior Officer, DG DEVCO
10.35 “Learnings from the SELATAM “doers”: How to bring down barriers”.
- Panel by Entrepreneurs, investors and corporates in Europe and Latam
11.10Funding instruments for startups and innovation,
- Ignacio Puente, Policy Officer, DG RTD
- Research and innovation cooperation with Latin America, Piero Venturi, Policy Officer,
DG RTD
11.25 Helping startups to grow and scale,
- Rudy Aernoudt, Member of the Chief Economist
Team of the European Commission, DG GROW
11.40 Supporting entrepreneurs across-regions
- Panel by Latin American and European entrepreneurial support entities
12.30 Shared opportunities – Same Challenges,
- Adrián Magendzo, Pacific Alliance Innovation Agenda Leader, Senior Specialist, Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation Division,
Inter-American Development Bank
12.45 Closing
Panelists:
- Javier Vallaure, COO of ALLPAGO, Germany
- Stefano Portu, Founder SHOPFULLY, Italy
- Caritta Seppa, Founder of TESPACK, Finland
- Daniel Waimann, Founder of LOCATION WORLD, Ecuador (tbc)
- Fernando Lelo de Larrea, Founder and Partner of ALLVP, Mexico
- Eduardo Amadeo, Founder MOUNTAIN NAZCA PARTNERS, Argentina
- Javier Salinas, Director EMPRENDEUP, Peru
- Isabelle Chaquiriand, Director XCALA ANGELS, Uruguay
- Felipe Chediak, Director BUENTRIP HUB, Ecuador
- Liliana Gallego, Director CREAME, Colombia
- Agustin Moro, Wayra, Global Head of Business Development and Global Strategic
Partnerships Telefonica Open Future, Spain
Audience: corporates active on entrepreneurship / open innovation / collaboration with startups in Latam, Commission officials from different DGs, entrepreneurs.
Get your tickets here: Eventbrite
ABOUT STARTUP EUROPE LATIN AMERICA.
Startup Europe Latin America aims at connecting startups), venture capital funds, angel investors, corporates, and specific ecosystem intermediaries to make EU-LATAM cooperation more effective.
Tata, Enabling Youth Entrepreneurship Across Europe on Tuesday 10th April at Teamlabs, Madrid
ON TUESDAY 10TH APRIL, presents an afternoon panel discussion, which will bring together industry experts, entrepreneurs andindividuals with a passion about the eco-system to explore what can be done to improve the startup ecosystem, in order for the next generation of entrepreneurs to succeed.
The ‘Tata, Enabling Youth Entrepreneurship across Europe’ event will take place in collaboration with long term partners the National Association of Colleges and University Entrepreneurs () and hosted by , Madrid. The afternoon will conclude with an exclusive opportunity for student entrepreneurs to participate in elevator pitches, with the most popular pitch winning a prize.
The freepanel discussion will include topics such as the role of universities in the startup ecosystem, startup support available for Europe’s next generation and the key themes in building a sustainable ecosystem of support. To date, startup eco-systems have been explored in theNetherlands and Romania. The Spain discussion will further contribute to the collation of observations to date.
Tata has always been committed to innovation and helping the next generation of entrepreneurs through the various initiatives taken by the group. In the UK, Tata has been in a long term partnership with NACUE to bring the which is one the UK’s leading graduate entrepreneur pitching competitions, with the winner receiving £10,000. In India, Tata has an initiative called Tata First Dot powered by the National Entrepreneurship Network, which is the country’s first recognition and mentoring platform for student startups. Additionally, innovation has always been championed within the group with the annual InnoVista competition. InnoVista is a group-wide competition that recognises innovators and encourages innovations in the 100+ individual Tata companies across the globe.
Dr. David Landsman OBE, Executive Director Tata Limited commented, “Tata is proud of its long-standing business relationships with Spain, in key sectors from communications to industrial engineering and consultancy. With a highly-skilled workforce, Spain is also well placed to make an important contribution to many of our global businesses.
Spain is without doubt one of Europe’s most exciting ecosystems for entrepreneurs. Working with and encouraging new businesses is important for Tata companies as we strive to take a leading role in the industries of tomorrow. We’ve been helping to build a new European network of entrepreneurs through our partnership with NACUE, Team Academy and Entrepreneurship Academy. It’s great to be extending that network toTeamlabs, Madrid and we look forward to working with new partners and friends.”
IbaiMartínez, Co-founder of Teamlabs, “Teamlabs mission is to build a global network of conscious entrepreneurs, creating enterprises with sustainable impact. We are honoured and proud that Tata and NACUE, by inviting us and making us part of their process, have chosen to join us on this inspiring journey. We are looking forward to building on this together.”
The evening event will take place atTeamlabs, Madrid. For more information and toregister for free please visithttp://nacue.com/events/tata-youth-entrepreneurship-in-europe.html
About the Tata group
Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising over 100 independent operating companies. The group operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, with a mission ‘To improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally, through long-term stakeholder value creation based on Leadership with Trust’. Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies. Sixty-six percent of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation and art and culture.
In 2015-16, the revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $103.51 billion. These companies collectively employ over 660,000 people. Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors and shareholders. There are 29 publicly-listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalisation of about $134 billion (as on 31st March 2015). Tata companies with significant scale include Tata Steel, Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Global Beverages (Tetley Tea), and Tata Communications. (www.tata.com)
About NACUE
The National Association of College & University Entrepreneurs (NACUE) is a national organisation in the United Kingdom that promotes entrepreneurship amongst students in higher education and further education. It supports student enterprise societies at colleges and universities, through its existing network of over 200 enterprise societies.
SCIENTIFIC INSIGHTS ON MARINE PLASTIC POLLUTION
The Ocean Plastics Lab is a public exhibition about science. It showcases the contribution of science to understand and combat the problem of plastics in the ocean. The Lab will travel to various locations worldwide, inviting the public to engage with scientific work being done right now around the world. In the context of current discussions about science in society, the Lab demonstrates science’s fundamental role in tackling societal challenges and highlights that society is an integral part of science.
TRAVEL EXPENSES CAN BE COVERED if you are a founder of a startup working with plastic products, plastic waste and you are interested in speaking during the Ocean Plastics Lab exhibition in April, in Brussels, please write a message to [email protected].
BACKGROUND
At their June 2015 summit in Germany, the leaders of the seven largest industrial countries (G7) recognised the growing global challenge of litter in the oceans, especially plastics, and agreed to a G7 Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter. The G7 Science and Technology Ministers echoed this concern and intent to raising awareness among citizens through educational work (“ocean literacy”). The Ocean Plastics Lab is a contribution to this engagement.
THE EXHIBITION
The immersive and experienced-based exhibition spans four containers, which invite visitors to assume the role of a scientist and explore in a hands-on manner the extent and impacts of plastics in the ocean. Container 1 introduces visitors to the problem of marine plastics. Containers 2 and 3 take visitors on a tour of how scientific knowledge is created and applied to understand and to tackle the problem of plastics in the ocean. Exhibits highlight what scientists are doing to identify and quantify plastics in the ocean as well as to analyse its effects on marine animals, ecosystems and humans. Container 4 shows how to make informed personal decisions and invites visitors to participate in citizen science activities.
The exhibits encompass interactive installations, displays and animations on loan from science and civil society partners from across the G7 and other interested countries.
ACTIVITIES AND POTENTIAL VENUES
The Ocean Plastics Lab will start traveling from September 2017 onwards. At each location, the Lab will act as a hub for launching further activities, to create a multiplier effect helping to include the local audience in long-term engagement.
The Ocean Plastics Lab is cooperating with another traveling exhibition, the Plastic Garbage Project. Wherever possible, this indoor exhibition – developed by the Zurich Museum of Design with the support of the Drosos Foundation – will be displayed in museums or exhibition spaces in cities the Ocean Plastics Lab is traveling to. By targeting both public places as well as museums, the two complimentary exhibitions will reach and inform an even wider audience about the problem of plastics in
the ocean. The following locations could be considered for the next 18 months. A typical exhibition is expected to last two
weeks in prominent open-air locations.
- G7 Science Ministers Meeting, Torino, Italy
(September 2017) - Parvis Hôtel de Ville, Paris, France
(November 2017) - European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium
- Capitol Hill Ocean Week, Washington D.C., USA
- G7 Presidency, Canada
- Berlin, Germany
Europe is back: Accelerating Breakthrough Innovation
The independent High-Level Group of Innovators advising the European Commission has published its recommendations on how a European Innovation Council (EIC) should fund and nurture breakthrough innovation from start-up to scale-up.
In their report, entitled ‘Europe is back: Accelerating breakthrough innovation‘, they recommend that a future EIC provides simplified and flexible financing, tailor-made for the needs of the innovator and which incentivises private investment for rapid scaling up. They also recommend boosting awareness of Europe’s innovation successes and leveraging European ecosystems, so that highly innovative companies can benefit from expertise and partnerships from across Europe.
Four factors that hold back breakthrough and deep tech innovation in Europe have been identified:
- Funding – Breakthrough innovation, in particular deep tech, requires large investments, over a significant time period. This is the kind of finance that is missing in Europe and presents a systemic failure;
- Awareness- Europe needs a flagship initiative on breakthrough innovation that can attract the best innovators and connect local and sectorial ecosystems;
- Scale – Europe needs continental scale to compete at global level;
- Talent- Europe needs role models and champions.
The document should provide a critical mass of funding and expertise for high risk / high gain breakthrough innovation, which empowers the innovator and incentivizes private investment.
Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas welcomed the recommendations and said they formed a significant input for the development of a full-fledged European Innovation Council as part of the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The report was first presented to French President Emmanuel Macron at the World Economic Forum in Davos, who has made similar calls for a European agency for innovation.
Commissioner Moedas said:
These recommendations show how a European Innovation Council would empower our most talented innovators and stimulate an environment of risk-taking, entrepreneurship and scaling-up to the international stage. They come at a critical time in the preparations for the next EU research and innovation programme.
The Group’s chair, Hermann Hauser, co-Founder of Amadeus Capital Partners, said:
We are convinced that our fourteen recommendations – on funding, awareness, scale and talent – will constitute a step change in the impact of EU innovation support and help catapult Europe into pole position in the global innovation stakes
Bindi Karia, Start-upexpert and advisor and Member of the High-Level Group of Innovators added in the report:
Ecosystem players from across Europeare all involved in the Startup Europe project, andwhat has transpired is that these leaders fromeach country collaborating and learning from eachother borders. And it continues to grow. From citieslike Paris to Berlin to Stockholm to Lisbon, the keypeople in these communities know each other andare increasingly collaborating with each other, dealby deal and company by company.
Background
The High-Level Group of 15 leading innovators was launched in January 2017. Their recommendations will be considered in the Commission’s proposals for the future EU research and innovation Framework Programme (post-Horizon 2020) due to be presented by this summer.
The Commission has launched an EIC pilot programme (2018-20), to test out new approaches within the current Horizon 2020 programme to better support top-class innovators, start-ups, small companies and researchers with breakthrough ideas with scale up potential.