• A total of 45 industry professionals from different countries in Europe and Latin America participate in this call focused on innovation and improvement of processes used in agriculture.
• The winners will be eligible for European funding through programs such as LIFE, Horizon 2020, or Next Generation EU.
• Next Wednesday, January 26, the semifinal will be held in an online format.

[Brussels 22/12/2021]

The Finnova Foundation launches a challenge to the primary sector in order to encourage open innovation to promote disruptive ideas or projects in the field of precision agriculture. The improvement of processes and novel proposals are the basis of the Agritech Startup Europe Accelerathon, an initiative that covers three types of projects: those focused on the use of water and the implementation of new technologies in agriculture, those aimed at green and smart agri-food, and those that aim to improve processes through biofertilizers, recovery of native seeds, and recovery of degraded soils.

The winner of the Agritech Startup Europe Accelerathon of the Finnova Foundation will be awarded with an “acceleration ticket”, designed to support the idea and present it as a project to the European programs LIFE, Horizon 2020, or Next Generation EU funding strategies designed by the European Union to encourage innovation and promote environmental protection among citizens.

The call has already started with the work and activities planned for the 45 participants who have joined this Accelerathon. The participants, coming from Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Italy, and Spain, have been divided into ten work teams, mentored by professionals of the sector that are part of the Finnova Foundation. These professionals include, Iñigo Bilbao, David Vinue, Héctor Juan, Adrián Noheda, Álvaro Reina, Carolina Lechado, Carla García, Jose Manuel Requena, Juan Viesca.

On Thursday, January 27, the Agritech Startup Europe Accelerathon Semifinal will be held. It will be an online event and will include the participation of specialized judges in the sector. The winning team will be announced on Thursday 3 March.

About Startup Europe awards (SEUA) (https://startupeuropeawards.eu/seua/)

Startup Europe Awards (SEUA) is an initiative by the European Commission’s DG CONNECT which has been implemented by Finnova Foundation since 2016. Startup Europe Awards is an open innovation mechanism to identify disruptive start-ups and promote private-public partnerships. SEUA also seeks to raise awareness on the importance of self-entrepreneurship as a driving force for job creation.

In addition to promoting partnerships to meet the UN SDGs and the European Green Deal objectives, SEUA also contributes to the circular economy, sustainable tourism, and the fight against climate change.

About Finnova Foundation (www.finnova.eu)

Finnova Foundation is a Belgian-Spanish foundation that helps institutions and organisations to receive funds for innovative projects. It aims to promote private-public cooperation through innovation in order to address societal challenges, e.g., employment, training, entrepeneurship, SDGs, the circular economy, etc. Finnova organizes Startup Europe Awards, a joint initiative by Finnova and the European Commission, to reward the best European start-ups.