Startup Europe Awards

Finnova encourages startups to apply for LIFE ECODIGESTION 2.0 Startup Europe Awards

  • Finnova has been from 27th to 29th March at Wex Global, the leading event in the water sector held in Seville, to present the European project Life Ecodigestion 2.0
  • Juanma Revuelta, CEO of Finnova, participated in a panel discussion on the afternoon of 28 March

“Improvement of biogas generation in Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) and their energy improvement” and “Sustainable technology for the valorisation of sludge from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP)”. These are the two challenges that make up the LIFE ECODIGESTION 2.0 Startup Europe Awards, an open innovation methodology of public-private collaboration implemented by the Finnova Foundation, which promotes the identification of innovative solutions by entrepreneurs to SDG and EU challenges. The awards will be presented on 20 and 21 September in the framework of S-Moving and Greencities to be held at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA).

Wastewater Treatment Plants, or WWTPs, are used to remove waste, floating fats, oils and grease, sand and other elements that may be present in the water, as well as settleable materials, both organic and inorganic, and biodegradable organic matter dissolved in the water. In recent years, WWTPs in Europe have achieved significant energy savings, but it is still a costly and intensive process, which involves a considerable amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The development of WWTPs in Spain is characterised by uneven regional policies.

The first challenge “Improvement of biogas generation in Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) and their energy improvement” aims to achieve a first level technology applied to waste water treatment, which allows saving energy costs, and to look for companies and entrepreneurs that promote biogas generation, improve the efficiency of its production or its subsequent use in services such as public vehicle fleets with the objectives of circular economy and sustainable mobility as the main axis.

The second challenge, “Sustainable technology for the valorisation of sludge from Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP)”. seeks a project or initiative that provides a sustainable technological solution for the treatment and disposal of sewage sludge and its subsequent recovery. Two criteria that will be prioritised are that the technology must be sustainable and capable of transforming the limited use of sludge (typically agricultural applications such as fertilisers) into ways of generating value and profitability (e.g. co-production of biofuel).

Registration for the challenges is now open and should be done through this link.

Final in September

The LIFE ECODIGESTION 2.0 Startup Europe Awards are an open innovation tool to identify disruptive startups that promote public-private collaboration and aim to raise awareness of the importance of self-entrepreneurship as a driver of employment. The call for these challenges was launched at the LIFE EDODIGESTION 2.0 – Synergies towards Technology Transfer seminar held on 17 February at Transfiere (FYCMA). The final will be held on Wednesday, 20 and Thursday, 21 September in the framework of Greencities and S-Moving at the Trade Fair and Congress Centre of Malaga (FYCMA). The challenges posed are committed to innovative entrepreneurship in the field of circular economy, energy efficiency and the fight against climate change. In short, stratups that provide innovative solutions to the challenges of the ecological transition. It is also worth mentioning that the innovative startups that present themselves will be able to promote European demonstration projects in programmes such as LIFE and Horizon Europe with grants of between 500,000 and 15 million euros.

Finnova at Wex Global

Finnova has been present at Wex Global from 27th to 29th March in order to present the Life Ecodigestion 2.0 project and encourage companies to participate in the LIFE CODIGESTION 2.0 Startup Europe Awards and provide innovative solutions to the challenges of ecological transition, energy efficiency and the fight against climate change.

In addition, on the afternoon of 28 March, Juanma Revuelta, CEO of Finnova, presented the European Life Ecodigestion 2.0 project at a round table moderated by Frank Rogalia, Director of Innovation and Technology at Aqualia, and comprising Helge Daebel, Emerald Partner at Technology Ventures; Juliette Douglas, Business Development Liaison at Water Alliance; and Beverley Ferrara, European representative of The Water Council.

About Startup Europe Awards

The Startup Europe Awards (SEUA) is an initiative promoted by the European Commission, launched by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe. It is an open innovation tool that allows companies to identify talented startups capable of solving today’s challenges in multiple areas. Its mission is to help Startups and Scaleups become more efficient, smarter and more successful. These awards are a useful tool to promote knowledge sharing, add value to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help startups to grow and position themselves in the market.

About LIFE ECODIGESTION 2.0

This is a pilot demonstration project, funded by the LIFE programme and with a budget of more than 970,000 euros, which generates biogas in sewage treatment plant digesters by mixing putrescible organic waste (slurry, poultry, organic fractions, MSW, horeca, etc.), thus transforming sewage sludge into green energy through technology. The initiative led by Global Omnium, (Spain), in collaboration with the Finnova Foundation (Belgium) and Águas do Centro Litoral (Portugal) aims to become the most versatile digestion control tool on the market, achieving environmental and economic benefits through the production of biogas by making optimal use of waste. Thanks to this technology, it favours the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the use of sewage sludge generated in wastewater treatment processes, thus achieving a positive impact on the environment. This programme is easily scalable with other funds such as FEDER, NextGenerationEU or Repower EU.

About Finnova Foundation

Finnova is the Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities for European projects is combined with a proven track record in business creation and entrepreneurship support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and events, as well as its commitment to training and employability of young people.