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OKRA, the artificial intelligence company that can save lives

OKRA Technologies was named the best Female-Led startup in 2019

The company aims to transform healthcare by developing solutions that help bring the right treatment to the right patient quickly

15/04/2020 Brussels. Technology has become one of the best allies for scientists to continue research and for health care providers to save lives. Loubna Bouarfa, is the founder and CEO of OKRA Technologies , the startup of artificial intelligence that empowers life science professionals with AI driven insights anywhere and at any time. The company, located in Cambridge (UK) and in Leiden (Netherlands), is leading the implementation of AI in life sciences at the European level.

Dr. Loubna Bouarfa has fought tirelessly to move her project forward and has won several awards, including the Best Female-Led in 2019 at the special edition of the European Startup Awards. The Finnova Foundation helped her a lot, and thanks to this award the company has achieved visibility across Europe.

We spoke with Loubna Bouarfa to find out what OKRA Technologies is all about. A company that, without a doubt, can contribute its grain of sand to help healthcare professionals in the fight against coronavirus.

Q- What prize have you won, on which date and through by what means or institution?

A-My company OKRA.ai was named Best Female-led Startup in 2019, at the StartUp Europe Awards Special Edition.

Q-What has Finnova helped you with or is helping you with?

A– StartUp Europe Awards is a fantastic initiative of both the European Commission and Finnova Foundation. This award has given us visibility across Europe, which is absolutely essential to boost small innovative companies like us and help us scale globally.

“The Eurovision for Startups” has built a powerful ecosystem, and has connected us with relevant stakeholders across Europe.

Q- How did you meet Finnova?

A- I met Finnova Foundation thanks to this initiative. I am very impressed by how Finnova is promoting a culture of innovation across the EU and beyond.

Q-Are awards for entrepreneurs or startups important?

A-Absolutely. As an entrepreneur, to me an award is an absolute honour, as it means a clear recognition of the value that my company is bringing to the world.

Q- What is your project about and how do you differ from the rest?

A- At OKRA, our mission is to support and transform healthcare, developing AI solutions that help bring the right treatment to the right patient at speed. We are here to unleash the potential of AI and use it to save and improve human lives.

We collaborate with the life science industry to create AI systems that accelerate thegrowth and create real value for healthcare, with the aim of having a direct impact on every step of the pipeline – from drug to patient.

The big breakthrough for OKRA’s technology lies not only in our capability to integrate huge amounts of data and extract relevant insights to drive actions, but also in the delivery of this information in a very user-centric way. Our AI systems are not black boxes: they are powered by explainability. This means that our predictions and suggestions are coupled with explanations, so that users understand the situation and are empowered to make the right decisions consistently.

What makes us different is that we develop trustworthy AI. I am a member of the European High Level Expert Group (HLEG) on AI, so at OKRA we implement the European AI strategy and guidelines, making sure that AI is lawful, ethical and robust.

Q- Do you think it’s hard to invest in a startup?

A-Investing in startups may be generally considered to be risky, but I believe that it is really necessary. Investing in a startup means putting money into a revolutionary idea that has the potential to change reality. For me, innovation is where money should be spent.

If a great idea turns out to be unprofitable, you can confidently say that at least you madean effort to challenge the status quo . But if a great idea comes to life, the consequences are unimaginable.

Q- How has your company evolved since you won the acceleration ticket?

A– Over the last year, OKRA has experienced great growth. Our team has doubled in size and we have a team of brilliant professionals who go the extra mile every single day to develop the best AI solutions for life sciences.

At OKRA, we develop AI products that are easily scalable. We believe that strong foundations and agile methodologies are the key to success in the technology industry.

This acceleration ticket has brought us really far.

Q- Do you consider that Startups are the future on a global level?

A– Definitely. Startups are the future because they can literally change the world. We need revolutionary ideas on a global scale, so that we can solve current problems and thrive with innovation.

Q- Do you think there should be more Startup Europe Awards? And what would you say to those entrepreneurs who are thinking of approaching European projects?

A- Of course there should be more Startup Europe Awards! There are many exceptional people in Europe and worldwide, and their game-changing projects need to be valued and recognised.

I would encourage all entrepreneurs to actively approach European projects, because they offer fantastic support and help boost companies to the next level.

In this video Loubna Bouarfa, Founder & CEO of OKRA Technologies, explains her journey in AI, the company mission and the amazing OKRA team.

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DO YOU WANT TO CHALLENGE YOUR SECTOR TO FIGHT COVID-19 BEFORE THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN A PAN-EU HACHATHON?

  • Send your proposals to participate in the Hachathon before Saturday 11 April at 10:00
  • Finnova, official partner of the European Commission, calls to participate in the Pan European Hackathon #EUvsVirus from 24 to 26 April.

10/04/2020 Brussels. The Finnova Foundation invites civil society, entrepreneurs, companies and universities from all over Europe to participate in ‘EU vs Virus’, the Pan-European Hackathon organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Innovation, in close collaboration with the EU Member States, on 24, 25 and 26 April.

The objective is to develop possible multidisciplinary solutions to fight against COVID-19 and other viruses such as SARS, Ecoli, Dengue or Malaria in order to offer practical, affordable initiatives.

The Finnova Foundation and its Startups Europe Awards program are official partners of the European Union and those interested in making suggestions or proposing challenges related to the coronavirus or others can send them to us at the following form: http://covid19.finnova.eu before Saturday 11 April.

From the registered challenges, between 150 and 200 will be selected at international level and then they will be worked on in the Hackathon #EUvsVIRUS.

Receive information and personalized mentoring on EU tools through the startup Accelerator

What is Pan-Eu Hackathon EuvsVirus?

It is a Hackathon with international and multidisciplinary teams whose primary objective is to respond with innovation to the crisis of the COVID-19 epidemic. In this first phase, a European call is made for the proposal of challenges to be discussed in the Hackathon. This event is an opportunity to align efforts with the European Commission and subsequently access European funds with different financial tools such as the LIFE or Horizon 2020 programme.

In this call the European Commission expects challenges defined by sectors affected by the coronavirus, which affects most sectors, economic activities and therefore it is necessary to identify them to find multidisciplinary solutions to provide practical initiatives, affordable and low cost.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE?

Specific challenges can be proposed through the following link

Challenges will be received until Saturday, April 11th at 10:00 am Brussels time.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

This Hackathon is open to innovators, companies, startups, universities from all over Europe, and partners at municipal, provincial, regional or national level.

WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE?

The aim of Finnova and the Startup Europe Accelerator is to inform the winners about the challenges of EU financial opportunities and the different programmes to subsidise and implement new solutions, new jobs, remove legal barriers and help attract private investment and internationalisation.

Video #EUvsVirus: videocovid19.accelerathon.com

STARTUP EUROPE COVID-19 & STARTUP EUROPE ACCELERATOR

The winners will be eligible as finalists for the COVID-19 Startup Europe Awards, a new category aimed at finding solutions to combat the coronavirus or other viruses such as malaria or legionella. This 2020 edition is aimed at innovative ideas from startups, universities and companies in all categories and that are focused on fighting the virus. The Finnova Foundation, through the Startup Europe Awards Accelerator, will mentor the winners in the categories of health, water, agri-food and environment with regard to European grants, calls, European legislation, networking and internationalization. The winners will participate in calls for proposals from the European Union, opting for up to 2.5 million euros in grants and 15 million euros in capital investment from the EU.

Open Covid-19 Startup Europe Awards Partner Search

To be able to carry out Startup Europe COVID-19 we call for the support of European, regional and national partners so that they can implement the awards in their field of action.

What is Startup Europe Awards?

It is an initiative of the European Commission, DG Connect implemented by the Finnova Foundation, supported by the European Parliament, members of the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee.

  What is Startup Europe Accelerator?

It is a second level European Accelerator specialized in supporting regional and national entrepreneurship incubation programmes so that their best startups can access the resources offered by the European Union to internationalize their project and access the market through European projects, mentoring, networking, lobbying, legal advice and international communication.

CONTACT US:

-For any other question: info@finnova.eu

Juan Manuel Revuelta, General Director of the Finnova Foundation: 0032 475 97 4277

-Press officer:

Lola Bordás cmo@finnova.eu, Contact telephone: +34 619 11 02 66

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World Health Day: StartUp Europe Awards to fight COVID-19

The European Foundation for Financing Innovation (FINNOVA) has launched the call for proposals for entities with disruptive minds in the prevention, fight against viruses and recovery of COVID-19.

The winners will participate in EU calls for proposals with up to 2.5 million euros in grants and 15 million euros in capital investment from the European Commission.

Finnova, official partner of the European Commission, calls to participate in the Pan European Hackathon EU vs Virus from 24 to 26 April.

On World Health Day and in view of the global pandemic caused by Coronavirus, Finnova Foundation has launched the call ‘COVID19 StartUp Europe Awards’ to support innovations in prevention, disease control and recovery against COVID-19 and other viruses and bacteria, as SARS, ECOLI, LEGIONELA, MALARIA, DENGUE and other future viruses that, as a result of climate change, are a risk to human health.

COVID-19 Startup Europe Awards

This call is aimed at ideas from start-ups, universities and companies. Through Startup Europe Awards Accelerator, it will memorize in the fields of Health, Water, Agrifood, Environment to the companies regarding European subsidies, calls, European legislation, networking and internationalization. The winners will participate in calls for proposals from the European Union, opting for up to 2.5 million euros in grants and 15 million euros in capital investment from the EU.

“This year 2020 all the efforts of Startups Europe Awards and Finnova Foundation will be focused on finding the funds to fight the Covid-19“, said Juan Manuel Revuelta, General Director of Finnova Foundation.

Those interested in participating in the 4th edition of the Startup Europe Awards to fight the coronavirus or other bacteria can send us their proposals through the following form: http://web.finnovaregio.org/?page_id=22032

Below you can read the calls that are currently open and can be adapted to your projects:

EUvsCrisis: 24th ,25th and 26th April

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Innovation, in close collaboration with the EU Member States, will be organising a Pan-European Hackathon on 24th, 25th and 26th April. The aim is to connect citizens, innovators, partners and buyers from all over Europe in order to develop innovative solutions to overcome the challenges related to coronavirus.

Finnova Foundation and its Startups Europe Awards programme are official partners of the European Union and those interested in making suggestions or proposing challenges can send them to info@finnova.eu.

In addition, users interested in participating in #EUvsCrisis can send their proposals to this link. https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/EUvsCrisis_challenges

Life against COVID-19: projects up to 2 million euros financed at 55%.

The challenges of the COVID-19 and ODS of the United Nations highlight innovative projects in water management and waste management that make it possible to sanitize and prevent contamination by viruses and bacteria.

The Life open call funds innovative environmental projects that help prevent viruses and bacteria. Multidisciplinary proposals are expected.

The deadline for environmental projects is 16 July.

EIC Health Accelerator against COVID-19: projects of innovative SMEs for about 2.5 million euros non-repayable at a rate of 70% a programme for environmental SMEs to achieve internalisation

The EIC Accelerator call is part of the European Innovation Council (EIC) pilot project supporting leading innovators, entrepreneurs and small businesses with funding opportunities and acceleration services. The aim of this programme is that innovative SMEs and SMEs that have innovative solutions against COVID-19 form part of the European markets. Pilot environmental projects will be financed non-repayable with up to 2 million euros.

SCALE UP against COVID-19. New European Union tool for investing in European Scale-up venture capital funds Projects between 50 and 100 million euros.

This call is an initiative of the European Commission that seeks to finance investment funds or financial entities whose commitment is to invest in European SCALE-UP or innovative companies with a turnover of 1 million euros or more, or that have had an investment round for that amount. The call has not yet been opened, but the deadline is expected to be during the month of June.

Applications will be especially those from investment funds specialized in health, and virus prevention and their elimination.

CONTACT DETAILS:

-For other enquiries: info@finnova.eu

Juan Manuel Revuelta juanmarevuelta@finnova.eu /Telf: 0032 475 97 4277

-Press responsible:

Lola Bordás cmo@finnova.eu , Phone: +34 619 11 02 66

TO SIGN UP:

#EUvsCrisis https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/EUvsCrisis_challenges

Startup Europe Awards contra COVID- 19 http://covid19.finnova.eu

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EIT Climate-KIC #Accelerator in Spain opens call for entrepreneurship aid

If you have a great idea. If you have the courage to do it. If you have the will to go for it. This is the time.

The EIT Climate-KIC #Accelerator in Spain opens a new call for proposals for entrepreneurship, seeking to support the rapid growth of startups and their consolidation by overcoming the so-called ”Valley of Death”. It seeks to support the potential of business while sustainable innovation, both environmentally and economically.

It offers an 18-month program where you will be tutored and mentored at all times and with all the resources, offering the knowledge and tools to get the most out of your business and success.

For more information visit their website:

Accelerator

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EUROPEAN UNION GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS AGAINST COVID-19

Finnova will mentor the projects in their presentation before the European Commission.

The European Commission, add efforts, resources, and make a call to those SMEs and new companies with technologies and innovations that can help in “treatment, testing, monitoring or other aspects” to combat the COVID-19. In this exceptional call, projects can be less than 500,000 euros. Open emergency call for SMEs to submit a tender to combat the side effects of the coronavirus. .

Details of the call.

Urgent applications can be made next round of funding of the European Conseil of Innovations, to the EIC Accelerator, which remain open until next Wednesday March 18th at 5 p.m., Brussels time.  The budget of the call is a total of 164 million euros.

Juan Manuel Revuelta, CEO of the Finnova Foundation encourages companies to submit their projects, ‘Usually these projects are between 500,000 and 2,5 million euros, and in this case as an exception, they may be under 500,000 euros. In addition, projects that are of interest may be financed by other EC and external financial ways such as additional funding from regional and national governments or private foundations.’

In the light of the situation, the Commission is speeding the granting of these EIC subsidies and blended finance (together with capital investment) for innovations that support this cause. Access will also be provided to other sources of funding and investment.

Examples of innovations to combat the COVID-19 that are already being supported.

Some examples of innovations that have already been supported by the EIT that contribute to the fight against Coronavirus are EpiShuttle (specialized isolation units), M-TAP project ( filtration to remove viral material), MBENT Project (human mobility tracking during a pandemic).

Finnova supports in the application for these grants.

Finnova is the European Foundation for Innovation Funding, Lola Bordás, responsible for communication of the Foundation, reported that Finnova will establish open innovative strategies that contribute to provide disruptive solutions against this pandemic, and that facilitate public-private partnerships such as Helth Startup Europe Accelerator, project in which Finnova will focus its work

In the same way we also appeal to spread this call between all those companies and SMEs that can bring a solution or innovative idea. We can all provide solutions.

You can send us your proposals to info@finnova.eu

For further information, contact cmo@finnova.eu

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Finnova participates in Wex Global 2020 and provides innovative ideas for a more sustainable world

Juan Manuel Revuelta has been part of the forum of the entrepreneurs

Finnova Foundation has once again participated in the Wex Global Water & Energy in the Palace Hotel in Valencia. This congress is one of the international reference events in the water and energy sectors that allows to create contacts and relationships with other business people. The objective of Wex Global is to provide innovative solutions to the challenges and needs of companies in the integral water cycle and in Idrica.

Finnova participated as a partner in the event and his CEO Juan Manuel Revuelta took part in the entrepreneurs forum, together with other business people such as Frank Rogalla, director of innovation and technology at FCC Aqualia, and Patricia Pastor, director of GoHub. And also with Mateo DALL’AMICO, founder and CEO of Mobygis, a company that participated in the Finnova #StartUpEuropeAccelerator programme to access financing. Thanks to this help, he was able to launch Water Jade, a water input predictor. Its implementation optimizes energy trading and operations in production plants.

Moreover, Juan Manuel Revuelta took advantage of the entrepreneurs’ table to talk about the Horizon Europe 2027, Invest EU Program, or Water Startup Europe Accelerator, among others.

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Finnova participates in the 2nd Steering Committee of the CILIFO Project in Évora (Portugal)

On 20 and 21 February, the University of Évora (Portugal) hosted the second meeting of the steering committee of the Iberian Centre for Research on and Fight against Forest Fires (CILIFO) project, which was attended by the technical and financial managers and technical staff of each beneficiary entity.

ÉVORA 21.02.2020. Durante las dos jornadas tuvo lugar la celebración anual del Comité de Gestión (Dirección), bianual del Comité Técnico del proyecto, así como reuniones técnicas trimestrales de los Grupos de Trabajo (GT) del proyecto CILIFO, financiado en un 75% por el Programa de Cooperación Transfronteriza Interreg VA España – Portugal – POCTEP (2014-2020). El objetivo de este comité fue que los técnicos del proyecto pusieran en común las actividades del proyecto para tratar lo desarrollado en cada por cada uno de ellos.

Tras las reuniones se celebró un seminario sobre acciones formativas en prevención y extinción de incendios forestales; captación de fondos comunitarios; soluciones innovadoras para la prevención; y adaptación al cambio climático, incendios forestales. Estudiantes, Start-Ups, pymes, emprendedores, investigadores y técnicos de protección civil asistieron a la conferencia que trató la vulnerabilidad al fuego de ecosistemas mediterráneos.

Los asistentes convocados en Évora fueron los responsables técnicos, financieros y las personas de contacto del proyecto que cada entidad beneficiaria consideró. Además, asistieron representantes de la coordinación Regional CCDR-Algarve; la Coordinación Regional CCDR-Alentejo; la coordinación Regional Junta de Andalucía (DG. Fondos Europeos – Consejería de Economía y Hacienda); la Coordinación Nacional de España (Ministerio de Hacienda); y las autoridades de España y Portugal en materia de incendios forestales.

Los 15 beneficiarios que conforman el consorcio son:

  • CAGPDS – Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible de la Junta de Andalucía
  • Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua de Andalucía
  • CSIC-EBD – Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Estación Biológica de Doñana
  • Fundación ONCE para la Cooperación e Inclusión Social de Personas con Discapacidad
  • INIA – Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria
  • UCA – Universidad de Cádiz
  • UCO – Universidad de Córdoba
  • UHU – Universidad de Huelva
  • AMAL – Comunidad de Intermunicipal do Algarve
  • Municipio de Castro Marim
  • Municipio de Loulé
  • Municipio de Monchique
  • Municipio de Tavira
  • FINNOVA – Fundación Delegación Fundación Finnova
  • UÉVORA – Universidad de Évora

CILIFO es un proyecto de cooperación transfronteriza que dispone de 24,6 millones de euros de presupuesto, de los que la Unión Europea (UE) financia el 75% a través del Fondo FEDER, y un periodo de ejecución de tres años (2019-2021). Gracias al proyecto CILIFO, se está trabajando en la Eurorregión Alentejo-Algarve-Andalucía en la creación de protocolos y procedimientos conjuntos de los operativos portugueses y españoles, con el fin de una ejecución más eficaz en la prevención y extinción de incendios forestales. CILIFO, aprobado por el Programa Interreg POCTEP (2014-2020) España-Portugal, se enmarca en el Objetivo Temático 5 del Programa, que promueve la adaptación al cambio climático en todos los sectores.

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NAPOCTEP will be present at the 1st Meeting about “The Great Pact for Rural Repopulation” in Ávila

The meeting will take place at Parador Nacional in Gredos on the 16th and 17th of January and is one of activities of the European initiative StartUp Village.

SEGITTUR will talk about the cultural tourism as an alternative that will help the inhabited but very rich in cultural and historic patrimony areas of our country to grow up.

15.01.2020. The European Conference of Provincial Councils, Town Councils, Island Councils, Autonomous Regions and the State General Administration for the Territorial and Rural Population and the Signature of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Pact for Rural and Territorial Repopulations will take place at Parador in Gredos on the 16th and 17th of January. This meeting continues the actions started in the 1st European Congress of Rural Repopulation that took place at Villahoz (Burgos) last July and is one of the activities in the European initiative StartUp Village.

In this meeting, D. Carlos Romero Dexeus, manager of SEGITTUR’s I+D+I department   promotes the innovative initiatives in the tourism sector in Spain and he will present the NAPOCTEP project. NAPOCTEP was approved in the 2nd call of the European Programme Interreg-POCTEP and its main aim is to highlight the importance of the extraordinary Napoleonic heritage that exists in the border region of Portugal and Spain. And it wants to create a quality tourist product.

NAPOCTEP thus has the intention of using the patrimony as an attraction spotlight for the rural areas’ visitors and, at the same time, can contribute to diminish their depopulation, helping them to make their gastronomy, heritage, trade and their hotel establishment to become more well-known. It also wants to attract more entrepreneurs interested in developing new ideas in the tourism and cultural sector along the previous routes.

The project is established in areas of Spain and Portugal which suffer aging and depopulation problems and it can be a great opportunity to help them to grow. Heritage, landscapes and gastronomy are local resources that cannot be relocated and attract more visitors who look for the most real and genuine experiences during their travels.

You can find more information about the meeting in the following link:

http://www.pactorepoblacion.eu/
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NAPOCTEP attends the Project Seminar of the Second Call of POCTEP

The aim of the seminar was to address the main issues that project beneficiaries face in the second call for proposals under the cooperation programme

Brussels, 12.12.19.- This morning, the technical team of the NAPOCTEP project attended the Seminar of Main Beneficiaries of the 2nd Call of the Cooperation Programme Interreg V A Spain-Portugal (POCTEP) 2014-2020, held at the Higher Technical School of Engineering in Seville.

The event, organized by the POCTEP secretariat, has been aimed at addressing the issues related to the Second Call and resolving the main issues raised by project beneficiaries. These topics include project management, indicators and results focus, information tasks, communication and visibility, and eligibility rules. The seminar also featured a presentation of Coopera 2020 and a meeting of beneficiaries with their respective UC.

This seminar was aimed at Principal Beneficiaries and other Beneficiaries of the second call of POCTEP, with the exception of those Spanish beneficiaries whose Coordination Unit is the Directorate-General for European Funds of the Ministry of Finance. On behalf of NAPOCTEP, the CIM Região de Coimbra, Finnova Foundation, Siglo Foundation and Santa María la Real Foundation, all beneficiaries of the Napoleonic Routes Project, attended.

In addition, the NAPOCTEP technical team carried out an internal meeting yesterday to analyze the progress of the project and prepare the 2nd Follow-up Committee to be held in February in Ciudad Rodrigo.

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The most promising startups of the region gathered in Budapest

110 exhibitor and guests from 14 countries participated on Startup Night 2019, the largest startup event supported by the city council. Startup Europe Awards Hungary has been presented to the most promising startups on this event.

Budapest is the best place for startups in Europe, according to Startups.co.uk, and also the winner of the Startup Europe Awards 2018 in the category of The Best Public Administration for Startups. It was the fifth time that the Budapest Enterprise Agency (BEA), which has been founded by the municipality, organized the Startup Night, the event which aims to become a meeting platform for the actors of the Budapest innovation ecosystem, as well as for those Hungarian and international guests who are eager to know more about this scene. BEA’s chair of the board, Ms. Piroska Szalai told that this year 80 startups and 30 organizations – among them enterprise promotion organizations, universities, and large companies like the Tungsram Group – presented themselves in the venue called Balna Budapest. Next to the Hungarian companies startups from Ecuador, Romania, Slovakia, and Ireland; the city of Düsseldorf, the Irish-Hungarian Business Circle, the Embassy of Israel, and the Vienna Business Agency were also present.

Presenting startups have been selected on the Be Smart startup competitions that the BEA organizes twice a year. On these competitions those innovative Hungarian companies can participate, that have a marketable product, or at least a prototype. During the night the visitors might take a look for example on the Beachegg beach safe, the lunar rover of Puli, the smart incubator from Creo Medical, as well as numerous interesting applications, from smart hotels to online factoring to sidewalk maps for the disabled.

On the event a keynote speech was delivered among others by Ms. Enikő Győri, Member of the European Parliament, as well as by H.E. Ronan Gargan, the Ambassador-Designate of Ireland in Hungary, while in the panel sessions we could great Mr. Csaba Borboly, member of the Commission of European Regions, Mr. Lorenz Gräf, founder of Startplatz Düsseldorf, and organizer of the Rheinland Pitch startup competition, or David Uhlir, president of the EBN – European Business & Innovation Centres Network.

The final act of the official programme was the presentation of the Startup Europe Awards Hungary, due to the fact that BEA has become the Hungarian country manager of SEUA in 2019. The winner startups by category are the following:

· Agritech: AquaShield Control (optimization of hydroponic systems)

· Creative: Flywear (innovative eyewear for helmets), Proworx Digital (intelligent system for microsite development)

· Digilearning: ExaMe (marketplace for exam preparation materials)

· EdTech: Darts Maths (gamified mathematics education)

· E-Health: Mindtech Apps (EEG-based health solutions), Végtagmentő Applikáció (app for those living with diabetes that helps preventing amputation)

· FinTech: GB Solutions (digital banking solutions), Péntech Solutions (online factoring)

· Gastronomy: Flavor (app to discover new flavors)

· Green: Casp – Computer Assisted Super Pipeline (optimization of closed loop geothermal systems), W-Heat (fire resistant, eco-friendly insulation made of wheat)

· HR Innovation: Blue Colibri (internal communications solution), Talentuno (recruitment crowdsourcing platform)

· Industry: Pozi Technologies (positioning solutions for the industry), Sincroll Drive Technologies (innovative solutions for gearboxes)

· Marketplace: DynamO Pricing (dynamic pricing of event tickets)

· Medtech: Dental Scanner Solutions (3D intraoral scanner), E-Fásli (smart heat therapy)

· Mobility: Parkl (a city parking solution that also involves private spots), Route4U (sidewalk maps for people with disabilities)

· Music: Bandmap (social platform for the music industry), Phonic Chat (social app for making music)

· Social: Gyerekkel.com (app for finding child-friendly programmes)

· Tourism: Bonomi (virtual AI assistant for hotels, TMRW Life (smart hotel solutions

On top of the main categories, the Best Female Entrepreneur (Ms. Melinda Szegedi of E-Fásli), the Best Media Partner for Startups (the show ‘Forint, fillér’ of MTVA, the daily Magyar Hírlap, and the online portal Startuplap from Blogstar), and the Best Public Administration for Startups (the municipality of Kecskemét) have also been awarded.

After the awards ceremony the space was open for networking. As one of the winners told: ‘The night was about constant and intensive meeting, on a great place, but more importantly with a lot of important persons from New York to Norway, Düsseldorf, Manchaster, Vienna, London, and, of course, Budapest.’

This year marked the first time when the Startup Night got side events. During the afternoon, on a separate venue, participants of the Startup Afternoon discussed the news of four highlighted topics: application development, fintech, e-health/medtech, and music. Co-organizer of the app development and e-health events, Mr. Tamás Králik of Mindtech Apps reported that on these topics they have managed to link the actors of the startup ecosystem, resulted in an active conversation and successful workshops.

Main sponsors of the Startup Night and the Startup Afternoon were the Municipality of Budapest, and the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, sponsors of the events were the HEPA Hungarian Export Promotion Agency, and the Pallas Athéné Foundations.

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