EIT RawMaterials Regional Innovation Competition
/Regional Innovation Competition 2022

Regional Innovation Competition 2022

From regional to international markets

Scale up your Start-up, win €6,000 and connect with European Innovators and Business.

Are you a start-up with an innovation for the raw materials sector? Apply to the Regional Innovation Competition 2022 to scale up, reach new markets and connect with a pan-European ecosystem! The Regional Innovation Competition is one of EIT RawMaterials business creation initiatives and is dedicated to supporting start-ups from Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) countries.

The competition is open for innovators from the RIS countries and regions covering:

  • EU Member States: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.
  • Horizon Europe Associated Countries: Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine.
  • Outermost Regions: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint-Martin (France), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain).
THE CALL IS CLOSED

The Regional Innovation Competition 2022 aims to provide established start-ups in the RIS region with:

  • access to local EIT RawMaterials RIS start-up incubators
  • access to local and pan-European ecosystems and markets
  • coaching opportunities
  • EIT RawMaterials Business Creation & Support programmes (RawMaterials Accelerator, Booster Call)

The Regional Innovation Competition is an innovation programme with exciting, customised workshops, coaching vouchers, and local support via RIS incubators. The competition will close with a final pitching competition and prize awards.

The Regional Innovation Competition is divided into three phases.

Submission of ideas

  • To participate in the Regional Innovation Competition 2022, the applicants must present a full application on the predetermined online form. Submission deadline: 10 October 2022, 17:00 CET.
  • The top start-ups will be selected to enter the next phase.

Workshops and coaching

Selected start-ups will be invited to participate in online bootcamps and will receive 4–6-hour vouchers for coaching. They will also connect with local EIT RawMaterials RIS Incubators for support. Selected teams will be granted €2,500 to cover travel and accommodation costs, as well as business needs during the programme.

The online bootcamps include, among others:

  • Design Thinking
  • Business Model Validation
  • Business Model Canvas & Value Proposition Canvas
  • Finance
  • Go-to-Market Strategy
  • Pitch Deck

Final pitching and awards

After intensive training and coaching, start-ups will be invited to pitch their idea in front of a jury of the EIT RawMaterials team and external evaluators.

The top 3 start-ups will be awarded:

  • 1st prize: €6,000
  • 2nd prize: €2,500
  • 3rd prize: €1,500

Thematic scope

To be selected as a finalist, your solution should address a challenge in the innovation areas we support.

These innovation areas are known as the EIT RawMaterials Lighthouses and include:

  • Circular Societies (new circular business models such as reuse, repair, remanufacturing, sharing economy).
  • Sustainable Materials (materials for electrification such as batteries, fuel cells, magnets; materials for lightweight design including steels, non-ferrous alloys, composites, multimaterials).
  • Responsible Sourcing of primary and secondary resources (innovative solutions based for example on artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual reality etc.) for securing and processing strategic mineral resources in a sustainable and safe way and with a social license to operate.

Application process

Key dates

  • Deadline for applications: 10 October 2022, 17:00 CET
  • Selection of start-ups and notification of decision: mid-October 2022
  • Workshops and coaching vouchers: October-December 2022
  • Final Award Ceremony: December 2022

Eligibility criteria

The following entities may apply:
  1. SMEs (according to the European Commission’s definitions) having innovation projects relevant to the prize topics defined above
  2. Start-up or spin-off companies at least registered at the time of the application

For more information

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with Antonis Politis, Senior Business Development Manager at EIT RawMaterials.

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