88 students from six EIT-Labelled Masters connect directly with leading European start-ups

The 4^th Label StartUp, EIT RawMaterials’ Academy start-up-to-student mentoring event, was the largest and most successful to date. 88 students from across six EIT-Labelled Masters programmes were mentored by leading raw materials start-ups over three days. The Label StartUp took place at the EIT RawMaterials Summit 2022 in May.

The EIT-Labelled Masters (and PhD) courses are offered through the RawMaterials Academy. Label StartUp is one of a series of extra-curricular events on offer to students during their course.

The unique event provides EIT-Labelled Masters students with direct, face-to-face training by entrepreneurs on the practical tools and knowledge to establish their own start-ups in the future. It also gives students the opportunity to identify and secure internships with EIT RawMaterials-supported start-ups.

Label StartUp – Real Life Challenges

The students, from over 30 countries, took part in real-life scenario challenges set by the diverse range of start-ups covering the entire raw materials value chain.

Participating start-ups included Vidmo (high tech software for subsurface tomography), Embneusys (IoT solutions for mining machinery) and Terranigma (geoscientific software for geological modelling).

Students were challenged by the start-ups to create solutions to both technical and business problems. They were tasked with using the Business Model Canvas to solve these real-life scenarios. Challenges included:

1. New use cases for penetrating radar.
2. How to aggregate suppliers from different countries, minimising imports from non-EU countries.
3. Increasing safety, visibility, and data transfer in underground mining through new technologies.
4. How and where (geographically and sector wise) should a start-up plan to expand on a time horizon (year-by-year roadmap).

RawMaterials Academy and Label StartUp

Label StartUp 2022 was also the first face-to-face EIT RawMaterials-Labelled event since the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to connect directly, not only with start-ups, but also with their peers and the team from EIT RawMaterials.

The EIT-Labelled Masters programmes offer a unique combination of in-depth technical knowledge with entrepreneurship and innovation training. From advanced materials to sustainable resource management, the programmes cover the entire raw materials value chain. Students benefit from international experience, exclusive extra-curricular activities, and opportunities to connect with the EIT RawMaterials ecosystem.

The Label StartUp is one of a series of events that students are invited to participate in during their education programme. Other events include the Label Launch. This took place in June and combined career development and professional networking workshops with a graduation celebration.

Find out more about EIT RawMaterials Academy and mine your raw talent today!