Brussels, 5/10/2020 – The Finnova Foundation and the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE) are organising the Ecodesign Industrial Startup Europe Accelerathon online event from 5pm onwards, within the framework of the European Green Week. This year’s theme is nature and biodiversity, and how these can contribute to society and the economy in the world’s recovery from the pandemic, creating jobs and sustainable development.
Industrial ecodesign as a source of innovation
Industrial design provides companies with a set of resources, tools and work methodologies aimed at providing the product with the characteristics that make it meet the expectations of the market and the client. This is where ecodesign makes sense, integrating environmental criteria into the design of a product.
Industrial ecodesign seeks to reduce the negative environmental impact that can occur throughout the life cycle of the product and to improve as far as possible the remaining characteristics of the product, corresponding with the demands of the target customer. Throughout the manufacturing process and up to commercial distribution, as well as their useful life cycle, the products manufactured demand energy and raw material consumption, generating emissions and waste during their manufacturing process and at the end of their useful life cycle.
The Accelerathon is an open innovation programme promoted by the Finnova Foundation within the framework of the European Commission’s Startup Europe Awards, which encourages public-private partnerships and the application of a multidisciplinary approach to the challenges set out in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This methodology of the Finnova Foundation combines the Hackaton with the principle of acceleration; it aims to find solutions and European funding through an online system of open innovation, bringing together different actors of the innovative ecosystem.
To this end, a team competition is set up and the teams are trained to submit projects to European Union programmes. The Accelerathon is oriented towards the European Commission’s LIFE Programme and other ones supporting innovation in order to obtain real funding to implement the projects.
During the Accelerathon programme, participants receive training in EU programmes through the Eu Training Platform, the assistance of specialised mentors and the winners are eligible for a Startup Europe Accelerator European Ticket, as well as participation in the Startup Europe Awards. Startup Europe is an initiative of the European Commission to connect high-tech startups, scaleups, investors, accelerators, corporate networks, universities and media.
Link to register for the webinar:
https://form.jotform.com/202715186127352
The European Green Week 2020:
EU Green Week 2020 will take place from 19 to 22 October 2020 and will focus on nature and biodiversity. Following the adoption of a new EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 in May, the Green Week will emphasise the contribution that biodiversity can make to society and the economy, and the role it can play in supporting and stimulating global recovery from the pandemic, creating jobs and sustainable development. The European Green Week is an event convened by the European Commission’s DG.
Accelerathon:
Accelerathon is an innovative project acceleration programme promoted by the Finnova Foundation. This methodology of the Finnova Foundation aims to find solutions and funding, through an applied open innovation online system that brings together the innovative ecosystem in the environmental sector, in which the European Commission works in the framework of the LIFE programme.
This will involve training, mentoring, jury work and very special prizes including the possibility of the winning project being eligible for validation under the LIFE programme: a project of up to 2 million over three years.
IVACE:
The Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE) is a public body belonging to the Generalitat Valenciana, attached to the Ministry of Sustainable Economy, Productive Sectors, Trade and Labour of the Generalitat Valenciana.
IVACE is responsible for promoting policies to encourage innovation and offering support to industrial SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in the Region of Valencia. It provides aid to companies and non-profit organisations that collaborate with SMEs in different areas such as: technology and R&D, quality and the environment, training and technological cooperation or the development and creation of companies.
Finnova Foundation:
European Foundation for the Financing of Innovation. Based in Brussels, Madrid, Ca-taluña, the Basque Country, Valencia, Andalusia and the Canary Islands. Its objectives are to promote public-private cooperation through innovation in order to tackle social challenges such as employment, training, entrepreneurship, the United Nations’ SDGs, water, waste, fire-fighting, the circular economy, etc.
SEIMED:
Consortium for the Valencian Community of the Enterprise Europe Network – EEN -, of which CEEI Valencia is a member. The EEN is the largest support network for the internationalisation of SMEs at a commercial, technological and financial level.
The objective of SEIMED is to promote the internationalisation, technology transfer and access to financing of our companies, which will allow them to increase their competitiveness by generating business opportunities by establishing contacts with potential clients and strategic partners through a simple internationalisation process.
REDIT. The Network of Technology Institutes of the Valencian Community
The Network of Technology Institutes of the Valencian Community (REDIT) is a private non-profit association that integrates and represents the 11 technology centres of the region.
The Technology Institutes of the Valencian Community are private non-profit research bodies whose aim is to support companies, especially SMEs, in boosting their competitiveness through R&D&I.
To this end, they provide the industrial fabric with a wide range of R&D and innovation capabilities, advanced services, laboratory tests and specialised training.
