Dezanove entidades relacionadas com o empreendedorismo e a inovação digital no sector agro-alimentar participam neste projecto do programa Interreg VA Espanha-Portugal (POCTEP) com um orçamento de 5,3 milhões de euros.
O projecto Interreg “Hub Iberia Agrotech” (HIBA) é uma iniciativa hispano-portuguesa com um orçamento de 5,3 milhões de euros, co-financiado a 75%, para a criação de um ecossistema multi-regional destinado à digitalização do sector agro-alimentar através dos Hubs de Inovação Digital (DIH). A HIBA irá ligar diferentes actores, incluindo vários DIHs em Espanha e Portugal, reforçando a ligação dos ecossistemas locais de inovação agro-alimentar.
No total, 19 parceiros beneficiários, incluindo entidades relacionadas com a inovação e digitalização do sector agro-alimentar em Espanha e Portugal, trabalharão até 31 de Dezembro de 2022 na criação de uma rede ibérica de DIHs na Agrotech para fomentar o empreendedorismo e melhorar a competitividade empresarial baseada na inovação digital, promovendo o relançamento económico pós-COVID 19.
O projecto HIBA, liderado pelo Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária, Pescas e Desenvolvimento Sustentável do Governo Regional da Andaluzia através da Andaluzia Agrotech DIH, irá criar serviços de teste e experimentação de tecnologias relacionadas com a observação da terra, robótica, Internet das Coisas e Inteligência Artificial, irá desenvolver itinerários de formação em transformação digital e empreendedorismo para a formação profissional, universidade e para todos os cidadãos, bem como implementar um serviço de aconselhamento para a transformação digital das PMEs agro-alimentares.
No âmbito do projecto, a Fundação Finnova é responsável pela Coordenação do grupo de trabalho de Comunicação (Actividade 6), promoverá o Plano de Informação e Comunicação para o posicionamento internacional do projecto e organizará vários eventos de Informação e Comunicação. Além disso, a Finnova contribuirá com a sua experiência na dinamização do ecossistema empresarial local e na inovação aberta, bem como na comunicação internacional, e trabalhará em acções para a capitalização e exploração dos resultados e a sustentabilidade do projecto após a sua conclusão:
impulsionar o ecossistema empresarial local e as empresas do sector;
impulsionando a inovação aberta e
transferência de inovação e conhecimentos na área de intervenção.
A Finnova promoverá acções de troca de conhecimentos, redes de colaboração e trabalho em rede e participará também no resto das actividades do projecto: Actividade 1. Impulsionar o ecossistema transfronteiriço para semear o empreendedorismo na cadeia de valor agro-alimentar através da rede do IHL; Actividade 2. Impulsionar o ecossistema empresarial local e multi-regional; Actividade 3. Desenvolvimento de Capacidades de Formação e Ambientes de Experimentação para a Inovação Empresarial Digital. DemoLabs; Actividade 4. Exploração e Capitalização dos Resultados para a sustentabilidade do projecto; e Actividade 5. Gestão e coordenação
DE ACORDO COM AS POLÍTICAS EUROPEIAS
O projecto HIBA irá reforçar o tecido empresarial multi-regional através de programas de inovação aberta e de especialização inteligente, em conformidade com a Estratégia Horizonte Europa e Europa Digital e as políticas da DG CONNECT, que está empenhada numa colaboração estruturada entre os Pólos Europeus de Inovação Digital. As actividades propostas no âmbito desta iniciativa estão também em conformidade com o que está expresso no Pacto Verde Europeu ao favorecer uma gestão eficiente, sustentável e conjunta dos recursos. Estão também em conformidade com as propostas estabelecidas no Documento de Orientação Fronteiriça para a fronteira Espanha-Portugal da Direcção-Geral de Política Regional e Urbana (DG REGIO) da Comissão Europeia sobre questões de cooperação, dando prioridade a áreas comuns em estratégias regionais de especialização inteligente (RIS3), apoiando a gestão da inovação e o desenvolvimento de capacidades e apoiando actividades orientadas para o mercado.
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.
Sylwia Czerska, First Secretary at the Trade Section of the Delegation of the European Union to Japan, (left) and Noriko Mita, Manager in EEN Japan at the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation (right)
Manuel de la Gándara, Secretary of the Spanish Japanese Chamber of Commerce, speaking on behalf of its president, Miguel A. Martínez Massa (left), and Jean Aznar, Secretary General and Co-founder of Diplomatic World (right)
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.
Masashi Ueda, Incubation Manager at Keio Fujisawa Innovation Village (left) and Koju Ito, CEO of AZUL Energy (right)
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.
Alberto Navarro, Training & HR Manager at Finnova Foundation (top left), Tom Kuczynski, Science and Technology Advisor at the Delegation of the European Union to Japan (top right), and Juan Viesca, EU Funds Director at Finnova Foundation (bottom)
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.
Hayato Maemura, Japan-EU Innovation Cooperation Assistant in Finnova Foundation in Brussels
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
The webinar was held on 10 August 2021 to commemorate International Youth Day. It focused on training and mobility opportunities for young Latin American people
The main goal of Next LATAM-EU Generation is to promote business cooperation between EU and Latam countries
The event was assisted by Red Business Market and the Congreso Iberoamericano de Empresas Familiares y Pymes
A meeting will be held in Medellin (Colombia) in late 2021 to deliver the LATAM Startup Europe Awards
Brussels, 11.08.2021 – On Tuesday 10 August, on the occasion of International Youth Day, Finnova Foundation and Startup Europe Awards, together with Red Business Market and the Congreso Iberomaericano de Empresas Familiares y Pymes, held the fifth session of Next LATAM-EU Generation, named “Training and Mobility Opportunities for Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs”. The goal of this session was to forge partnerships bringing together different types of entities to offer in a single platform training opportunities in the EU, to promote cross-border mobility and to enhance the level of employability of young people. This event was attended by His Excellency Mr Darío Chiru, Ambassador of Panama in Belgium.
The fifth session, which was held from 16:30 to 18:30 (CEST), was broken down into five panels chaired by Juanma Revuelta, CEO of Finnova Foundation. Throughout the event, Mr Revuelta stressed that “young Latin Americans have numerous mobility and job opportunities in Europe at their disposal”.
Juanma Revuelta, who chaired the event, pointed out that “up to 400 youth have been trained in Finnova thanks to various European schemes”
Panel 1 (institutions) featured Bruno Castro Benito, EU Relations with Latin America Officer at DG EAC(Directorate-General of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture) in the European Commission as well as Moisés Álvaro, ecosystems developer in Southern Europe at EIT Climate-KIC – European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
Mr Castro kicked off the panel by introducing finance and cooperation opportunities both for individuals and institutions offered by European schemes like Erasmus+ (higher education, vocational training and youth organisations) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie (doctoral and post-doctoral research). Later on, Moisés Álvaro declared that “EIT Climate KIC is tasked to tackle climate change through public-private partnerships. Thanks to EIT Climate-KIC’s climathons, the most important hackhaton in terms of climate innovation among others, we manage to give a hand to young entrepreneurs”.
Moisés Álvaro: “Thanks to Climate-KIC’s climathons, the most important hackhaton in terms of climate innovation among others, we manage to give a hand to young entrepreneurs”
Panel 2, presented by Alberto Navarro (entrepreneurship and innovation director at Finnova), centered on Next Talent Generation EU, Finnova’s internship search engine. “Next Talent Generation enables users to look for internships offered by private and public institutions in Europe. Each offer includes additional information such as duration, economic retribution, etc.”
The following panel was devoted to European funds. In it, Adrián Noheda talked about the different ways non-EU countries can benefit from EU funds. He stated that “Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela, among others, may be eligible for funds under Horizon Europe”.
As regards other funding facilities, such as LIFE, Mr Noheda pointed out that “although it is quite difficult to integrate enterprises from non-EU countries, we in Finnova propose creative solutions such as incorporating branches in Spain or justifying the implementation of an innovative technology”. A good example of this is LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0, by Global Omnium and Finnova. It has a €1 M budget and will last for four years. In essence, this project will implement new technologies promoting the circular economy and the mitigation of climate change.
María José Valero, CEO of Talent Growth Management, also talked about LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0. Thanks to her support, five girls from Technovation Girls CV developed and app whereby they took part in Finnova’s challenges. This app encourages the re-use of food wastes by drawing inspiration from LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0. These five students subsequently visited the wastewater treatment plant located in Quart the Poblet (where the project is being tested) and operated by Global Omnium.
After the European funds section, the floor was given to His Excellency Mr Darío Chiru, Ambassador of Panama in Belgium. Having an extensive background in international affairs, Mr Chiru expressed his concern vis-à-vis youth employability, by claiming that “young people aged 15 to 29 make up one third of active population. 10 years back, they accounted for 1 out of every 4 jobs; nowadays, young people account for only 1 out of every 10 jobs”.
Darío Chiru, Ambassador of Panama in Belgium: “Young people aged 15 to 29 make up one third of active population. 10 years back, they accounted for 1 for each 4 jobs; nowadays, young people account for only 1 for each 10 jobs”
The fifth session of Next LATAM-EU generation also discussed the role of universities in promoting young entrepreneurship, especially regarding under- and graduates.
Speaking from Ideas UPV – the Entrepreneurship Department of Universitat Politècnica de València –, Lorena Pedros said that her department has been the first one in Spain to assist students and staff to develop their business ideas. From 1992, Ideas UPV has helped over 8000 entrepreneurs.
Later on, Frank Babinger, advisor to the Employability and Entrepreneurship Department of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, said that “our university has pre-incubators in all faculties. This means that we foster entrepreneurship in humanities, social sciences, exact sciences, etc.”
Jose María Imbert: “Any youth irrespective of whether they are EU nationals or not can take part in this scheme. The only prerequisite is for them to be residents”
Jose María Imbert, speaking from Yes Europa, showed attendees the possibility to take part in programmes such as short-stay Erasmus grants (one to three weeks), in which “young people from all over Europe get together to develop a small European project in any city across the Union”. Mr Lambert also talked about European Solidarity Corps, i.e. a volunteer programme whereby young people can improve their employability prospects. In addition, according to the speaker, “any youth irrespective of whether they are EU nationals or not can take part in this scheme. The only prerequisite is for them to be residents”.
The fifth session of Next LATAM-EU was wrapped up by two young people who benefited from European programmes and who shared their experiences with the audience.
Renan da Silva, a youth from Florianópolis (southern Brasil),explained the differences which exist between both continents. As a beneficiary of a Unia Beca grant from Universidad Internacional de Andalucía, he urged Latin American countries to “endorse youth employability just as it is done in Europe. […] I am very lucky and grateful to have taken part in this project”.
Ana Piñero: “As a member of Interreg CILIFO, I have learnt how a cross-border European project is programmed and managed”
Thanks to her experience at Interreg CILIFO, a project under Interreg Volunter Youth, Ana Piñero was able to learn how a cross-border European project is programmed and managed. She also seized the opportunity to encourage attendees to get out of their comfort zone, just as she did – Ms Piñero worked as a communication officer in CILIFO despite holding a BA and a MA in Law.
“I would like to encourage all youth to take part in projects like Interreg Youth or European Solidarity Corps. The downside of it is that you can only take part once”.
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PREVIOUS SESSIONS
The first LATAM-EU session was held on March 8 on the occasion of International Women’s Day. It was run by several female speakers, such as Patricia Llombart, EU Ambassador in Colombia, Liskel Álvarez, External Actions Senior Officer at Cabildo de Tenerife, and Adriana Vargas, head of Trading Links of the Colombian Mission in the EU. The goal of this event was to discuss the role of women in business cooperation between Latam and the EU, especially as regards innovation and entrepreneurship.
The second session, which was held on April 6 – on the occasion of World Health Day (7 April) –, was named “Challenges and Opportunities for Tourism through Cooperation between Latam and the EU during Covid-19”. Its main topics were the challenges that the tourism sector has to face and how to. This session was attended by Manuel Vegas, president of Asociación Española de Directores de Hotel (AEDH); Antonio López de Ávila, co-founder and CEO of Tourism Data Driven Solutions (TDDS), and Irene Sánchez, business creation manager at EIT Health Spain.
The third session, which was held on May 11 on Global Recycling Day (17 May), was named “Challenges of Circular Economy in LATAM-EU Cooperation as a Production and Consumption Model for Sustainability”. Speakers included Isabel Silva Souza, Ambassador of the European Commission’s Climate Pact; Álvaro Hernández, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Inboplast; Sharam Yalda, partner of CirCoAX and founder of HumanNation; Alonso Salguero, CEO at GTA Ingeniería y Medioambiente, and Giuseppe Liberati, Executive Director at Bridging Value.
The fourth session of Next LATAM-EU Generation, “Entrepreneurship and Water: a Driver of Economic Recovery and Social Development of Regions and Municipalities” was held on 13 July on the occasion of World Population Day (11 July) and World Oceans Day (8 June). Speakers included Rafael Heredero, policy advisor at EurEau secretariat in Brussels, Javier Vázquez Hueso, CEO of EMALGESA and deputy mayor of Algeciras City Council, Luis Lehmann, international expert on circular economy, Miguel Lemos, CEO of Águas de Gaia, and Ana Beccar Varela, water project manager at The Nature Conservancy.
Next LATAM-EU Generation is made up of nine online events which will take place every second Tuesday of each month. Each event is held on the occasion of an International Day in line with UN SDGs. To top it all off, if the health situation allows it, an on-site event will be held in Medellin (Colombia) to celebrate the final of LATAM Startup Europe Awards.
About LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0
LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0 is a European project which utilises a digital control system to automatically pump specific amounts of organic wastes into anaerobic sludge digesters in order to maximise the on-demand production of biogas – a renewable energy source.
The project has been designed to make biogas a reliable source of green energy to meet the industrial energy demand and to comply with the EU’s goal to produce at least 27% of energy out of renewable sources by 2030. This system is of special interest to Europe, as there are 18,000 wastewater treatment plants which account for 0.8% of all energy consumption.
The project was initiated on 01/09/2020 and will operate until 29/02/2024. It is coordinated by Global Omnium Medioambiente and partnered by Finnova Foundation and Portuguese consortium Águas do Centro Litoral. It has a €970,000 budget.
Finnova Foundation is a Belgian-Spanish foundation which helps institutions and organisations getting funds for innovative projects. Its objective is 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.
Startup Europe Awards is an initiative by DG CONNECT and has been implemented by Finnova Foundation since 2016. Startup Europe Awards are an open innovation mechanism aimed 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 circular economy, sustainable tourism and fighting against climate change.
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
On 12 August – International Youth Day – we commemorate youth as a driver of change
Finnova Foundation has put in place several initiatives supporting training for young people in European affairs
Young people wishing to work in European matters can carry out internships both in Spain and abroad
As a result of this commitment, Finnova has trained over 400 young people in European affairs
Brussels, 12.08.2021 – Today, 12 August, we celebrate International Youth Day. Established in 1999 by the UN General Assembly, this day aims to bring together young people and future challenges in order to raise awareness and to make them become key pivots for change. A committed generation to paramount goals like Agenda 2030 and SDGs needs sufficient tools to learn and forums to pool their ideas.
As part of its commitment on youth talent, Finnova Foundation offers young people training and a professional experience in European matters to learn about European financing and other pivotal subjects, e.g. energetic and digital transition, rural development, circular economy, etc. Up to date, and after 10 years of work, more than 400 young people have been trained in Finnova’s HQs.
On the other hand, EU Training Platform is a training platform created by a team of Finnova experts offering courses in several areas, including the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, EU funding programmes, LIFE, EU funds for circular economy, etc. Each 40-hour course is coupled with mentoring sessions and practical activities which enable students to become real experts. At the end of the course, participants receive a certificate of completion.
Apart from providing this e-learning platform, and due to difficulties young people must face jobwise because of the economic consequences of the pandemic, Finnova Foundation promotes professional experiences in European affairs thanks to Next Talent Generation EU. Once young participants sign up in this platform, they receive relevant information in terms of grants and other financial aid to begin their professional career both in Spain and abroad – mainly in Brussels, the core of the European Union.
In addition, thanks to this platform, young people can cut their teeth in Finnova’s HQ by directly working with the foundation or by getting involved in some of the projects where Finnova is a beneficiary, such as Interreg NAPOCTEP and CILIFO, or LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0 and CirCoAx by CircularInnoBooster. All these projects focus on topical issues like the promotion of sustainable tourism; the prevention and fight against forest fires; circular economy to turn organic wastes into green energy, and the transformation of the textile and fashion industries by applying a regenerative economy model, respectively.
Young people are offered the opportunity to take part in grant programmes like Interreg Volunteer Youth, thanks to which six young people from the foundation have benefited. One of such youth is Ana Piñero, who formerly worked as a volunteer in CILIFO in Finnova Foundation thanks to this shceme. As a member of the communication department of this collaborative project between Andalusia and the Portuguese regions of Alentejo and Algarve, Ana was able “to raise awareness about the importance of taking care of our natural spaces and to really be cautious when it comes to forest fires in rural areas”.
Some other programmes where Finnova is involved include the PICE scheme, by Garantía Juvenil, or Eurodyssey, the exchange programme set up by the Assembly of European Regions (AER). Speaking of which, Christel Poignet (24), a French national from Congolese origin, has benefited from a Eurodyssey grant to carry on her professional education in these unprecedented times. As a marketing specialist in Finnova’s HQ in Valencia, Christel claims that “Thanks to Eurodyssey, I have the opportunity to gain experience abroad and to discover a new culture”.
Finnova’s commitment to young people means that its team is always looking for opportunities for those recent graduates who wish to kick off their career in European affairs. That is why the Next Talent Generation EU sessions are held regularly – an event which aims to share information and where representatives from EU institutions and public administrations managing grants and financial aid offer information about their schemes. Young people benefitting from these programmes are also invited in these events to talk about their experiences.
If you are aged 18 to 30 and want to know how to shape your career in European affairs, don’t hesitate to contact our team.
Alberto Navarro,
Project Manager, Training & Employment
E-mail: navarro@finnova.eu
About Finnova
Finnova Foundation is a Belgian-Spanish foundation which helps institutions and organisations to get funds for their innovative projects. Finnova aims to promote private-public cooperation through innovation in order to address social challenges, e.g. employment, training, entrepreneurship, SDGs, circular economy, etc. As part of its commitment to innovation, Finnova has been organizing the Startup Europe Awards since 2016, an initiative by the European Commission.
Finnova’s HQs are located in Belgium and across Spain – the Valencian Community, the Basque Country, Andalusia, Madrid and the Canary Islands. It also has branches in Chile and Panama.
The main objectives of Next LATAM-EU Generation are the transfer of knowledge, the dissemination of information on available funding facilities for both continents, and the development of shared projects among Latin American and Europe countries in order to forge business alliances. Each Next LATAM-EU Generation session focuses on a specific world day based on the UN SDGs.
The upcoming event on 10 August will be chaired by Juanma Revuelta, one of the promoters of Next Talent Generation and CEO of Finnova, a foundation which endorses employment and training for young people. “Next Talent Generation enables to find paid internships across Europe in order to reduce the number of unemployed highly qualified young people”, claims Mr Revuelta.
The fifth session of Next LATAM-EU Generation, “Training and Mobility Opportunities for Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs”,will feature Bruno Castro, EU Relations with Latin America Officerat DG EAC (Education and Culture) in the European Commission; Moisés Álvaro, ecosystems developer in Italy and Spain, whose mission is to transfer EIT Climate-KIC strategic programmes to these countries; Lorena Pedrós, start-up advisor at IDEASUPV (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia); Frank Babinger, advisor to the Employability and Entrepreneurship Department of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), and María José Valero, CEO of Talent Growth Management and ambassador of Technovation Girls Comunidad Valenciana, among others.
Next LATAM-EU Generation was first launched after the success of the Congreso Iberoamericano de Empresas Familiares y Pymes, run by Red Business Market, and which was held on January 2021. It hosted 558 enterprises, more than 60 domestic and international speakers and nearly 9,000 attendees (enterprises). This event showed that transatlantic collaboration is needed in order to face shared challenges in both continents, such as digitalisation, sustainability and circularity after Covid-19.
Josu Gómez Barrutia, CEO of Red Business Market, says that “there is no doubt whatsoever that in an evolving and challenging era in terms of society, economy and geopolitics, creating meeting points, partnerships and strategic connections in the entrepreneurship, business development and cooperation domains between the EU and Latin America is crucial”.
The first LATAM-EU session was held on March 8 on the occasion of International Women’s Day. It was run by several female speakers, such as Patricia Llombart, EU Ambassador in Colombia, Liskel Álvarez, External Actions Senior Officer at Cabildo de Tenerife, and Adriana Vargas, head of Trading Links of the Colombian Mission in the EU. The goal of this event was to discuss the role of women in business cooperation between Latam and the EU, especially as regards innovation and entrepreneurship.
The second session, which was held on April 6 – on the occasion of World Health Day (7 April) –, was named “Challenges and Opportunities for Tourism through Cooperation between Latam and the EU during Covid-19”. Its main topics were the challenges that the tourism sector has to face and how to. This session was attended by Manuel Vegas, president of Asociación Española de Directores de Hotel (AEDH); Antonio López de Ávila, Co-founder and CEO of Toursim Data Driven Solutions (TDDS), and Irene Sánchez, Business Creation Manager at EIT Health Spain.
The third session, which was held on May 11 on Global Recycling Day (17 May), was named “Challenges of Circular Economy in LATAM-EU Cooperation as a Production and Consumption Model for Sustainability”. Speakers included Isabel Silva Souza, Ambassador of the European Commission’s Climate Pact; Álvaro Hernández, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Inboplast; Sharam Yalda, partner of CirCoAX and founder of HumanNation; Alonso Salguero, CEO at GTA Ingeniería y Medioambiente, and Giuseppe Liberati, Executive Director at Bridging Value.
The fourth session of Next LATAM-EU Generation, “Entrepreneurship and Water: a Driver of Economic Recovery and Social Development of Regions and Municipalities” was held on 13 July on the occasion of World Population Day (11 July) and World Oceans Day (8 June). Speakers included Rafael Heredero, Policy Advisor at EurEau secretariat in Brussels, Javier Vázquez Hueso, CEO of EMALGESA and deputy mayor of Algeciras City Council, Luis Lehmann, international expert on circular economy, Miguel Lemos, CEO of Aguas de Gaia, and Ana Beccar Varela, water project manager at The Nature Conservancy.
Next LATAM-EU Generation is made up of nine online events which will take place every second Tuesday of each month. Each event is held on the occasion of an International Day in line with UN SDGs. To top it all off, if the health situation allows it, an on-site event will be held in Medellin (Colombia) to celebrate the final of LATAM Startup Europe Awards.
About Finnova Foundation
Finnova Foundation is a Belgian-Spanish foundation which helps institutions and organisations getting funds for innovative projects. Its objective is 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.
Startup Europe Awards is an initiative by DG CONNECT and has been implemented by Finnova Foundation since 2016. Startup Europe Awards are an open innovation mechanism aimed 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 circular economy, sustainable tourism and fighting against climate change.
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.
The Next Talent Generation programme was designed to create an European partnership bringing together entities from different backgrounds, e.g. non-profit organisations, enterprises, universities, European institutions, national administrative authorities… to offer training opportunities in the EU in a single platform. This tool seeks to list all programmes offering internship mobility opportunities across Europe in order to foster cross-border mobility and to enhance the level of employability of young people.
Currently, Finnova offers internships in all EU countries through the Programa del Sistema Nacional de Garantía Nacional Juvenil.
El programa desafía a chicas de entre 10 y 18 años a crear una aplicación móvil que solvente un problema social de su comunidad
València, 18 de enero de 2021.- El pasado sábado se lanzó una nueva edición del mayor concurso de emprendimiento tecnológico para niñas a nivel mundial, de la asociación americana sin ánimo de lucro Technovation. Participaron 261 asistentes desde 170 conexiones, más 20 ponentes, invitados y profesores y 150 niñas y mentores en las diferentes actividades realizadas.
El evento fue inaugurado de María José Valero, embajadora de Technovation Girls Comunidad Valenciana y Pilar Bernabé, Teniente Alcalde del área de Desarrollo Innovador de los Sectores Económicos y Empleo del Ayuntamiento de Valencia. “La baja presencia de mujeres en carreras STEM se debe en parte a la falta de referentes que fomenten la vocación científica en las niñas y tanto con este programa como desde el Espai Lidera luchamos para crear referentes para nuestras niñas”, apuntó Pilar Bernabé.
El evento se desarrolló en formato digital y supone el arranque del concurso que reta a las niñas, cada año, a cambiar el mundo a través de la tecnología. Un concurso en el que, por equipos y con la ayuda de mentores/as crearán sus propias apps para resolver problemas sociales reales. Los diferentes ponentes que participaron fueron aportando ideas para que todo esto sea posible.
Por su parte, Debra Westall, directora del American Space Valencia y profesora de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia da su mano a las niñas que lo necesiten para implicarse en proyectos tecnológicos, agradeciendo la posibilidad de trabajar directamente con ellas. “Como madre estoy entusiasmada de saber que nuestras jóvenes van a tener la oportunidad de ver los problemas de la CV y poner soluciones”.Amparo Oliver, catedrática de Psicología de la Universitat de València, comentó que “desde la UV apostamos por el emprendimiento y la reducción de brecha digital de género. La tecnología es una de las bases del progreso de nuestra sociedad y si no atacamos este problema que existe actualmente, no vamos a poder conseguir una igualdad real”.
Juan Manuel Revuelta, Director General de Finnova, ha destacado la importancia de la tecnología a la hora de dar solución a los problemas que se abordan desde Naciones Unidas a través de los ODS, y con los que la fundación tiene un fuerte compromiso, lanzando cinco retos a las participantes. Para ello, ha citado proyectos con los que Finnova trabaja y que les pueden servir de inspiración a la hora de desarrollar sus apps. El primero de estos retos se centra en el cambio climático. Los incendios forestales son uno de los grandes desafíos para este problema. Así, se ha propuesto la idea de desarrollar proyectos que ayuden a una prevención, actuación y regeneración de los espacios quemados, tal y como hace el Proyecto CILIFO, del que Finnova es entidad beneficiaria. Otro ámbito fundamental es el de la economía circular, para la que se ha planteado la creación de tecnologías vinculadas al mundo del textil sostenible, acorde con este modelo de economía. Sirva como ejemplo el proyecto CircularInnoBooster, cuya meta es la instauración de una industria textil mucho más comprometida con estos valores. Dentro del principio de la economía circular, el CEO de Finnova también ha hecho mención al proyecto Waste2Energy, que permite una reconversión de deshechos en energía. La optimización de los residuos es un propósito clave para combatir el cambio climático. Por ello, Juan Manuel ha introducido el proyecto LIFE ECOdigestión 2.0. que, gracias a la tecnología, permite maximizar la producción de biogás en los digestores anaeróbicos de EDAR, generando energía verde. En último lugar, se ha lanzado un quinto reto, esta vez relativo al turismo rural, donde la tecnología se erige como el mayor aliado para la promoción y desarrollo de áreas rurales. Si se habla de España vaciada y turismo rural, es importante destacar el proyecto NAPOCTEP, basado en una serie de rutas en zonas del territorio nacional con bajas tasas de población que giran en torno a la figura de Napoleón.
El evento también contó con la participación de diferentes empresas. En este sentido, Mercedes María Ruiz, ejecutiva de ventas en Capgemini España contó cómo nació su vocación tecnológica cuando era una niña, y cómo su curiosidad marcó su futuro profesional. Un testimonio muy inspirador para las niñas y adolescentes que participan en el Technovation Girls CV. Marisa Doménech, Health Manager de Everis compartió su historia de vida y alentó a las niñas a que no tengan miedo, que se atrevan incluso cuando tengan vértigo. Vanessa Peino, directora comercial de Sector Público de Google Cloud puso de relevancia la importancia de la tecnología para hacer frente a diversos problemas sociales. Por ejemplo, la Inteligencia Artificial es fundamental en nuestro día a día y cómo será un sector clave en el futuro, generando un fuerte impacto social.
Otra de las invitadas a participar en este evento fue la periodista y escritora Nieves Concostrina, que dijo “las pioneras del futuro sois vosotras y es todo un orgullo ver cómo las niñas han ido creciendo en este país. Hay mucho por hacer, y solo la educación os va a hacer libres y la ciencia mejores personas. Y, la investigadora valenciana, Petra Mª Pérez, planteó un decálogo a las niñas “¿Qué objetivos tenéis?, podéis lograrlo. El reto es seguir adelante”.
Tras la presentación, las jóvenes y sus mentores realizaron las actividades, enfocadas al acercamiento al APP Inventor, la edición de vídeo y narrativa y la facilitación de sesiones colaborativas virtuales con MURAL. Tras subir sus programas a la plataforma, el 19 de abril, entrarán en la final regional de mayo, dónde de cada 10 equipos, uno pasará a la final europea, dónde estarán las finalistas. Las cinco mejores puntuaciones de cada categoría (junior 10-14 y senior 15-18) irán a la final mundial.
En la Comunidad Valenciana este programa lo lidera y promueve la empresa Talent Growth Management (TGMBP) en la figura de su CEO María José Valero.
Cuenta con el apoyo de la Generalitat Valenciana, la Universidad de València, la Universitat Politécnica de València y la Universitat Jaume I. Además, colaboran el Ayuntamiento de València, Valencia Activa, la Diputación de Castellón, el American Space Valencia, Google, Capgemini, Everis, 480, la Cátedra de Innovación, Taronja TIC’s, y la Fundación Finnova.
La Fundación Finnova apoya el programa en el marco de Startup Europe, una iniciativa de la Comisión Europea para conectar a startups de alta tecnología, scaleups, inversores, aceleradores, redes corporativas, universidades y medios de comunicación. Startup Europe Awards, es una iniciativa de la DG CONNECT de la Comisión Europea, implementada por la Fundación Finnova desde 2016.
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.
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
