Mois : septembre 2021

• The webinar was held within the European Sustainable Development Week 2021 and featured high-level speakers from the EU and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
• Topics included Latam-EU common goals like the sustainability, inclusion, awareness-raising, innovation, and recovery of tourism.
• There are three remaining Next LATAM-EU Generation events. The European Commission’s StartUp Europe Awards will be delivered down the line.

Brussels [22/09/2021].

The sixth session of Next LATAM-EU Generation was held within the European Sustainable Development Week on Tuesday 21 September 2021. It focused on exchanging ideas on sustainable development and the circular economy in tourism to tackle climate change and environmental degradation. It underlined the importance of cooperation and the exchange of innovative practices between the EU and Latin America to support a deeply affected sector by Covid – tourism.

Finnova Foundation European Funds Director Juan Viesca kicked off the webinar and chaired the institutional and expert panels. Finnova IT Manager Eduardo Mercado took over later on.

The institutional panel featured the contributions of Natalia Bayona (video presentation), Director of Innovation, Education and Investments at World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and Noelia Barriuso, EU-Brazil Policy Dialogues Support Facility. Both speakers encouraged entrepreneurship, training, inclusion, investment and EU-Latam cooperation to ensure a sustainable and resilient tourism sector.

The second panel was devoted to EU funding programmes, and it was run by Juan Viesca, who discussed economic recovery tools like NextGeneration and the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework. Both programmes are available for Latin American countries. Mr Viesca mentioned some projects where Finnova is engaged. These include CirCoAX, a COSME project working to find out circular and social-minded business models in the textile and fashion industries (including textiles in hotels); LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0, a project harnessing wastes to generate energy on an efficient manner, and NAPOCTEP, a project fostering cultural tourism in Napoleonic routes.

The webinar also hosted a roundtable where experts debated about the circular economy and sustainable development in tourism. It featured Eduardo Parra-López, Ex-chair of AECIT – Spanish Association of Scientific Experts on Tourism – and a professor at Universidad de la Laguna; Luis Lehman, Circular Economy and Economic Sustainable Development Consultant; Estrella Torrecilla Crespo, Director-General of Tourism in Castilla y León; Javier Bello Lecuona, Nogal Studios, CEO; and Álvaro Reina, Energy Projects Officer at Finnova Foundation.

As a keynote address, Eduardo Parra-López pointed out that “collective intelligence is increasingly important, which translates to interconnectedness and collaboration to reach a digital and innovative tourism sector”.Luis Lehman, an expert on the circular economy, further added that “it is fundamental to bear in mind all the factors enabling to upgrade the tourism sector and to integrate much-needed innovations”. Estrella Torrecilla stressed that switching current practices into increased sustainable ones may enable to reduce the negative impact of tourism on the environment and to boost destinations, which, according to Javier Bello, should turn to more digital and new technology-based practices. Álvaro Reina considered the tourism sector to be one of the most interesting sectors to implement the circular economy. He also discussed several projects Finnova Foundation is currently involved in.

The last panel was headed by Luis Javier Parra, who discussed a success story – City Scan. Being its Co-founder, Mr Parra explained that this software (which was created in Colombia) is a digital tourism app which uses audioguides based on augmented reality and which connects tourists with local guides.

The webinar was wound up with a questionnaire about the tourism sector.

Next LATAM-EU Generation is broken down into nine online events which will take place every second Tuesday of each month on the occasion of a particular World Day in line with SDGs. Next LATAM-EU Generation will be topped off with the delivery of the European Commission’s StartUp Europe Awards.

About Finnova Foundation 

Finnova Foundation is a Belgian-Spanish foundation working to support innovation through EU funds. It seeks to promote private-public cooperation through innovation to address societal challenges, e.g. employment, training, entrepreneurship, SDGs, circular economy, etc. Finnova is in charge of organising Startup Europe Awards, a joint initiative by Finnova and the European Commission to reward the best social European start-ups.

For more information, click on www.finnova.eu.

About Startup Europe Awards 

Startup Europe Awards is an initiative set up by DG CONNECT and implemented by Finnova Foundation since 2016. Startup Europe Awards are an open innovation mechanism which aims to identify disruptive start-ups and to promote private-public partnerships. They also seek to raise awareness on the importance of self-entrepreneurship as a driving force for job creation. In addition to promoting networks to meet the UN SDGs and the European Green Deal objectives, they also contribute to the circular economy, sustainable tourism and fighting against climate change.

For more information, click on https://startupeuropeawards.eu/seua/.

About Red Business Market 

Business Market is a forum connecting investors, businesses, entrepreneurs and start-ups from Ciudad Real aiming to create a network of business, financing and support for economic and business projects in that area. All this funding can be coupled with venture capital, business angels, personal investments and corporate or financial funds for innovative and disruptive initiatives with an added value which need funding to start operating.

For more information, click on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-vd9gSy19s.

About Next Talent Generation

Next Talent Generation aims to create a pro-Europe alliance bringing together different entities – non-profit organisations, enterprises, universities, EU institutions, Spanish authorities, etc. This initiative offers in a single platform training opportunities across the EU. Next Talent Generation shows internship opportunities and mobility schemes in Europe to foster cross-border mobility and to enhance the level of employability of youth. Finnova currently offers the chance to do internships across all EU countries through the Garantía Nacional Juvenil scheme. 

For more information, click on https://nextalentgeneration.eu/.

• Speaking from different domains, panelists discussed several aspects about EU-Japan relations.
• This webinar was intended for entrepreneurs, researchers, students, start-ups, and public and private entities to draw their attention to create new opportunities for cooperation.
• This event was held on the occasion of the European Sustainable Energy Week 2021 to commemorate the signature of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Japan in 2018.

Brussels [20/09/2021]

The Next Japan Generation EU webinar addressing EU and Japan opportunities for enterprises, entrepreneurship, and youth was successfully held on Thursday 16 September. It featured experts and attendees wishing to find out more information about these cross-border relations.

It served as a forum to create new synergies between Japan and the EU. This event was held within the framework of EU Sustainable Energy Week and the third anniversary of the signature of the Economic Partnership Agreement in 2018.

This event, which was organised by Finnova Foundation, a non-profit organisation specialising in EU funds, was broken down into four panels addressing several topics.

Finnova Foundation CEO Juan Manuel Revuelta kicked off the roundtable with a panel devoted to give some background about the trade, economic, diplomatic, and work links binding the EU and Japan. This panel featured the contributions of experts on EU affairs such as Sylwia Czerska, First Secretary at the Trade Section of the Delegation of the European Union to Japan, Noriko Mita, Manager in EEN Japan at the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, Manuel de la Gándara, who spoke on behalf of Miguel A. Martínez Massa, President of the Spanish Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and Jean Aznar, Secretary General and Co-founder of Diplomatic World.

Commenting from their specific areas of expertise, panelists offered an overview on these bilateral relations which build on technology, diplomacy, media, trade, and, above all, the benefits resulting from engaging in these synergies. Speakers outlined the different opportunities that Japan offers for new projects capable of enhancing daily processes.

During panel 2, attendees learnt about the experiences of two Japanese entrepreneurs, i.e. Masashi Ueda, Incubation Manager at Keio Fujisawa Innovation Village – who encouraged future entrepreneurs to take the lead and scale up their businesses –, and Koju Ito, AZUL Energy, CEO, who discussed their innovative project on sustainable batteries.

Panel 3 dealt with the different training opportunities meant for European and Japanese youth. The EU puts at their disposal several mobility programmes in EU Member States and associated countries. Alberto Navarro, Training & HR Manager at Finnova Foundation; Tom Kuczynski, Science and Technology Advisor at the Delegation of the European Union to Japan, and Judit Erika Magyar, Country Manager at EURAXESS Japan, outlined some of the programmes university students and young entrepreneurs and researchers can apply for. These mobility experiences are felt to be a positive means to strengthen EU-Japan relations.

The event was wrapped up with a panel devoted to the role of EU funds in EU-Japan relations. Juan Viesca, EU Funds Director at Finnova Foundation, discussed the funding opportunities that Europe offers to innovative projects in sustainability, energy and digitalisation – three of the most important pivots to meet the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda.

Mr Viesca mentioned the EU funds that can be accessible for enterprises operating in Japan as well as Japanese projects aiming to land in Europe.

As a proof of EU-Japan relations and the successfulness of programmes for youth, Hayato Maemura, Japan-EU Innovation Cooperation Assistant in Finnova Foundation, gave an account of his experience to attendees.

To finish the event off, Juan Manuel Revuelta gave his opinion on these synergies and thanked the participation of both speakers and attendees. As Mr Revuelta pointed out, “the time has come to create new processes, new synergies showing the benefits of the cooperation of two big powerhouses – Europe and Japan – in the wake of Covid-19”. In this sense, European projects such as LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0 can serve as a source of inspiration in managing wastewater treatment plants in Japan, among other examples.

The webinar was held in Japanese and English, and Mr Maemura provided simultaneous interpreting in both ways. By holding this event, Finnova Foundation aims to bring closer Japan to Europe and Europe to Japan and to foster future partnerships between both regions.

About the Delegation of the European Union to Japan 

The Delegation of the European Union to Japan’s mission is to represent, promote and advance the interests and values of the European Union in Japan; to develop and strengthen bilateral political, economic, cultural, educational, scientific and other sectoral cooperation between the European Union and Japan; and, where relevant, through cooperation with Japan also enable the EU to better promote and advance its interests and values at global and regional level.

For more information, click on  https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/japan/18689/node/18689_en.

About the Spanish Japanese Chamber of Commerce

The Spanish Japanese Chamber of Commerce seeks to build bridges between Spain and Japan as well as to assist its partners and clients. Being aware that cultural awareness is instrumental to achieving fruitful trade relations, the Spanish Japanese Chamber of Commerce provides its know-how and expertise on Japanese protocols and codes to make transactions successful.

More information, click on https://camarajaponesa.com/.

About Finnova Foundation 

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

For more information, click on https://finnova.eu/en/home_eng/.

About Startup Europe Awards 

Startup Europe Awards is an initiative by DG CONNECT and has been implemented by Finnova Foundation since 2016. Startup Europe Awards is an open innovation mechanism to identify disruptive start-ups and to promote private-public partnerships. They also seek to raise awareness on the importance of self-entrepreneurship as a driving force for job creation. In addition to promoting networks to meet the UN SDGs and the European Green Deal objectives, they also contribute to the circular economy, sustainable tourism and the fight against climate change.

For more information, click on https://startupeuropeawards.eu/seua/.

• These awards are being held on the occasion of Feria Internacional Mindtech, which will take place from 14 to 16 September.
• The jury have awarded enterprises – out of thirty participants – upholding sustainability and innovation in several sectors.
• Awardees will be handed their prizes in a gala dinner on Tuesday 14 September.

[Brussels 08/09/2021] The second edition of SEUA-Mindtech Awards, an initiative endorsed by the European Union, has been recently celebrated – and the final winners have been announced. These awards are being held within Feria Internacional Mindtech (in English, Mindtech International Fair), which will take place from 14 to 16 September in Vigo.

The SEUA-Mindtech Awards are being organised within the framework of Startup Europe Awards (SEUA), an initiative headed by the European Commission and implemented by Finnova Foundation to reward innovative ideas. SEUA specialise in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship as well as helping businesses to obtain EU funds.

The jury in charge of selecting winners is made up of enterprises and institutions which have a relevant role in the business and innovation sector, viz. Asime, Finnova, Igape, Gain, Concello de Vigo (Vigo Local Council), Deputación de Pontevedra (Pontevedra Regional Government), Icex, Ifevi, CZFV, and Abanca.

Awardees include:

• Industry 4.0: Senseye, UK. Senseye is a company headquartered in Southampton offering a scalable predictive maintenance solution.
• Circular Economy: VERSA Real Projects, Vigo. VERSA Real Projects is a spin-off of Soltec Ingenieros based in Galicia. VERSA uses modular constructions utilising shipping containers for commercial purposes. This innovative idea enables reusing industrial equipment, thus stimulating the circular economy.
• Corporate Social Responsibility: Grupo Davila, Vigo. This company has been awarded due to its educational, social, and environmental approach, i.e. working with mentally disabled persons, favouring the social insertion of vulnerable groups, fostering the protection and care of the environment, and promoting equality in sport.
• Innovation: Congalsa, A Pobra do Caramiñal. The jury has awarded Congalsa for its leading role in the food industry 4.0 sector in Galicia and its project on connected industry. Congalsa has developed a smart factory model which allows cybersecurity, digitalisation, eco-sustainability, and data analysis.
• Mobility: Digamel, Vigo. Digamel is an electricity distribution company which promotes the installation of recharge points for electric vehicles. These recharge points are located in buildings, public institutions, hotels, fuel stations, etc. They offer a turnkey solution aiming to foster electric mobility.
• Startup: For the first time, the jury has decided to award two enterprises which scored equally after the experts and the public voted. The voting process has been open during the whole month of August and it has received a remarkable number of votes from social media.
• TripleAlpha, Padrón. TripleAlpha bases its operations in three fundamental elements: machine learning, cloud computing, and data science. The goal of TripleAlpha is to extract data via its own machine learning platform (AlphaCloud) whereby the value of each datum is obtained to turn it into knowledge helping improve profitability and productivity of clients in a sustainable and active manner.
• UARX Space, Nigrán. UARX Space focuses on RDI, particularly the creation of spatial missions and the design of transport satellites to launch small satellites to unconventional orbits and to deep space from low orbits from the Earth.

The SEUA-Mindtech awards will be handed during the gala dinner on Tuesday 14 September in Vigo.

For more information, click on http://www.metalesymetalurgia.com/?p=382871.

About Feria Internacional Mindthech

The industrial sector and particularly the metal sector and its associated technologies make up over 20% of GDP in Galicia. One of the key areas of any industrial sector is internationalisation. In fact, most current companies work at an international level, and they have extensive expertise in implementing highly complex and difficult tasks.

The Feria Internacional Mindtech was created to develop highly specialised activities focused on innovation and the achievement of key competences to turn the metal sector into a highly competitive industry at a global level. The metal sector and its associated technologies comprise a wide range of intertwined industries, which makes the metal sector one of the most potent sectors. It also has a great potential to diversify new products and markets.

For more information, click on https://mindtechvigo.com/.

About Startup Europe Awards

Startup Europe Awards is an initiative by DG CONNECT and has been implemented by Finnova Foundation since 2016. Startup Europe Awards are an innovative mechanism aimed at identifying disruptive startups promoting private-public partnership alliances. They also seek to raise awareness on the importance of self-entrepreneurship as a driving force for job creation. In addition to promoting networks to meet the UN SDGs and the European Green Deal objectives, they also contribute to the circular economy, sustainable tourism and the fight against climate change.

For more information, click on www.startupeuropeawards.eu.

About Finnova Foundation

Finnova Foundation is a Belgian-Spanish foundation working to finance innovative ideas under EU-funded programmes. Finnova aims to promote private-public cooperation through innovation in order to address social challenges, e.g. employment, training, entrepreneurship, SDGs, and the circular economy. Being committed to innovation, Finnova has been organising Startup Europe Awards since 2016 – an initiative launched by the European Commission’s DG Connect.

Finnova is headquartered in Belgium and Spain. It is also present in Chile, Panama, and other Spanish regions – the Valencian Community, the Basque Country, Andalusia, Madrid and the Canary Islands.

For more information, click on https://web.finnovaregio.org/.

• The third Info Day will be held online on 15 September at 17:00 CET to outline the requirements and the application procedure for participants.
• Deadline for applications will close on 13 October at 17:00 CET.
• The chosen projects will be given 12,000 euro to develop their ideas towards the environment.
• This call seeks to promote the sustainable transition of the textile and fashion sectors through social innovation.
• Registration for the Info Day on 15 Sep.: inscripcion.circoax.eu.

[Brussels. 14/09/2021]

The third Info Day organised by the European project entitled ‘CircularInnoBooster’, which is funded by the European Commission under COSME, will be held online on 15 September.

The goal of this event is to inform about the open call for projects committed to the environment and focused on the sustainable transition of the textile sector.

The deadline of this call is due on Wednesday 13 October at 17:00 CET. This is the last day to register in CirCoAX’s call.

Some €12,000 will be awarded to 30 enterprises having innovative ideas and undertaking to create new products, processes, services or business models which may have a direct impact in terms of adopting sustainable and circular approaches and practices within the textile and fashion sectors.

The chosen applicants will also benefit from additional business support services such as training workshops, mentoring sessions, and backing to get additional funding to ensure their commercialisation.

This call focuses on the textile and fashion sectors owing to their high levels of pollution. CirCoAX, the European accelerator, and its project entitled ‘CircularInnoBooster Fashion and Textile (F&T), is part of the EU’s COSME programme. It has an initial duration of two years, a €1,128,000 budget and it is co-financed by 75% by the European Commission. Its goal is to reward sustainable projects upholding the circular economy and to make their processes more eco-friendly and social innovation-minded.

Led by IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) together with Finnova Foundation, Texfor, Circulab and The Circular Project with HumanNation, CircularInnoBooster’s aim is to transform the highly polluting textile and fashion industries via innovation. It also pursues to foster entrepreneurship to create business models based on the circular economy, thus turning SMEs and start-ups into circular and sustainable enterprises.

Building on the regenerative economy model, the project seeks to become a framework for a complete transformation of the textile and fashion industry – from raw materials to the end of the lifetime of products. The project aims at resolving the structural issues the conventional industry poses.

About COSME

COSME is the programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises by the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME).

This programme assists SMEs to develop their business models, to obtain funds and to internationalise. This programme also supports public administrations to enhance the entrepreneurial environment and to facilitate the economic growth of the EU. During the funding period of 2014-2020, this programme allocated €2.3 billion to support SMEs.

About IED

Istituto Europeo di Design is an academic institution working in education, training, and the research of fashion, design, visual communication, and management. IED has offices in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), Italy (Milan, Rome and five other cities) and Brazil (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro). IED works in several EU and COSME countries through collaborations and arrangements with institutions, business support organisations, teachers, experts, and mentors. IED has an extensive network of connections in the fashion and textile sectors (F&T).

For more information, click on https://iedmadrid.com/.

About Finnova

Finnova is a foundation working to promote and to develop innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit across the EU. Headquartered in Brussels, it works and engages in partnerships in all EU countries. Finnova’s experience in leading communication activities and disseminating European projects is coupled with an extensive expertise in creating enterprises and entrepreneurial support programmes such as accelerators, incubators, and events.

For more information, click on https://web.finnovaregio.org/.

About Texfor

Texfor is a leading textile association in Spain with roughly 400 members. Founded in 2010 and based in Catalonia, Texfor brings together enterprises from the textile value chain, i.e. from weaving to fabrics as well as accessories, textile finishing, printing, and dyeing for the dressmaking industry, textiles for houses and technical and industrial applications. Texfor has extensive expertise as it has worked in relevant expert committees at an EU level: university and professional training, developing financial capacities, cross-cutting collaboration, fostering RDI, specialised services, and leadership in sustainability focused on the circular economy.

For more information, click on https://www.texfor.es/.

About Circulab

Circulab is a laboratory and design studio specialising in developing transformation methods, tools and programmes to help enterprises adopt circular and sustainable business models. Circulab has designed a number of tools to implement a circular business model in enterprises. It works in 23 countries – 9 out of them in the EU – and it supports projects via 60 independent entrepreneurial consultants. It applies circular methodology and tools.

For more information, click on https://circulab.com/.

About The Circular Project co-designed with HumanNation TCP (The Circular Project) favours and promotes a circular and sustainable fashion in different areas, offering the fashion industry a communication strategy based on a cross-cutting and systemic approach of the circular economy. TCP combines social, ethical, environmental and economic aspects, and has a strong presence and connections in the sustainable fashion world. TCP has promoted the Circular Sustainable Fashion Week Madrid, a one-of-a-kind event, and also serves as HQ for the Spanish Association for the Sustainability, Innovation and Circularity in the Fashion Industry. TCP is also ambassador of Sannas (Triple Bottom Line Business

Association) and has collaborated in a wide array of Spanish, European and Latin American institutions and enterprises.

The Circular Project works with Human Nation to co-design and develop CirCoAX. HumanNation is a consultancy enterprise specialising in the development of transformative and disruptive ecosystems of innovation and companies for the ‘new economy’. It is based on the fourth economic sector, the systemic thought, and co-creation. It raises awareness in organisations and ecosystems to respect the planetary boundaries and the social fabric, creating resilient local economies with a global perspective. For more information, click  on https://thecircularproject.com/ and https://humannation.earth.