S3E hosts Start Open Day to unveil the selected deep tech projects from Southern Europe
The South3E consortium is to introduce the 14 deep tech projects participating in the 2024 edition of S3E Start, our program of support for research teams and technology transfer officers in Southern Europe. For this year's edition, we're really excited to announce that the full event will be broadcasted live from the iconic Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon!
After completing the 20-week programme of training and mentoring coordinated by HiSeedTech, focused on building a lab-to-market business strategy for their science-based products, the pioneering research teams are now ready to introduce their deep tech solutions to the European innovation ecosystem.
During the celebration of the Start Open Day, a total of 14 teams — encompassing nearly 60 researchers from academic institutions in Spain, Portugal, Romania, Italy, Greece and Türkiye — will take centre stage at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon .
When & where
This will be a hybrid event, taking place in-person at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon and broadcasted live on Tuesday 18th June 2024, 15:30 - 19:00 CET
How to participate?
Register to access the live stream on the day following . We strongly encourage Investors, Business Angels, Business Support Organisations, Innovation Agencies, Accelerators, Innovation Hubs and other researchers to attend!
Programme
- 15:30 Opening session by a representative of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
- 15:50 Welcome to S3E Deep Tech Revolution: Introduction to the S3E Start program by HiSeedTech
- 16:00 Deep Tech projects presentation - Part
- 17:10 Break
- 17:40 Inspirational talk: 'Deep Tech Entrepreneurship'
- 18:10 Deep Tech projects presentation - Part II
- 19:20 Closing remarks with HiSeedTech
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S3E Charge showcases the most innovative deep tech startups from Southern Europe in celebratory open day
On 24 April, the South3E consortium celebrated the end of this year's edition of the S3E Charge program, in a virtual open day that gathered the startups of the 2024 cohort to pitch in front of venture capitalists, business angels and other key stakeholders from across the European innovation ecosystem.
The event, which attracted 80+ people to register, marked the completion of the 18-week acceleration program that started earlier in January, coordinated and led by Christina Deligianni and Spyros Kouvelis from the Institute of Sustainable Development at EPLO.
Throughout their time with S3E Charge, the 17 selected startups and their teams received dedicated mentoring and support, as well as training through a series of webinars delivered by experts in innovation and entrepreneurship — a fully packed program centred around a key mission: to gear them up with all the necessary tools to successfully grow their businesses by expanding their reach and tapping into new markets and opportunities.
After 3 intense months, their journey culminated with the celebration of the S3E Charge Open Day, where they put all the skills and knowledge gained during the program to pitch their deep tech products and services, with the goal of introducing their solutions to European audiences and accessing funding opportunities.
"I'm very proud of all the participating teams. We've had the honour of working with very mature startups in this edition of S3E Charge, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they all progress and go from strength to strength now that they've officially graduated from the program. A big congratulations to all of them!" — Christina Deligianni
Besides the pitches delivered by 14 of the Charge startups (3 of them unfortunately couldn't attend due to unforeseen circumstances), the open day also counted with the support of Gerald Cultot from the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), and two of the top leading voices in the European innovation ecosystem: Sonia Marzo Arnaez from Microsoft, and international Venture Capitalist & Entrepreneur Dimitris Kalavros-Gousiou.
The South3E team would like to express their gratitude to everyone involved in this year's edition of S3E Charge, including our community of mentors for the invaluable support and, of course, the participating startups for their commitment to the program and their drive to make a positive change in the world through their innovations.
"For the second year in a row, it's been a privilege to host an open day to celebrate a group of startups that are doing impressive work on promoting sustainability through their solutions. The goal of EPLO is to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals around the world in every way, and that's also our mission when working with the startups in this program, to empower them to 'do well by doing good'; to help them champion economic, environmental and societal growth." — Spyros Kouvelis
Full list of startups of S3E Charge 2024: Baukunst, Arquitectura y Patrimonio Virtual, BEDEV, Bomensoft, CRIAM, Archimed IoT, Ecobubble, ELNAV.AI, EntoProtein, eXRciser, Innervoices, Intellectra Technologies, ivoluntry, MOVEN, Nanomik Biotechnology, Orbiba Robotics, QX and Rosey's Mark.
Did you miss the open day? You can now recap on the full event via our YouTube channel! If you don't fancy watching the whole recording in one go, make sure to check the time stamps to navigate directly to the startup pitches.
https://youtu.be/bjvjgJ4dX_g?feature=shared
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S3E Reverse launches Open Call #2 for Solvers — new challenges added!
South3E has launched a new Open Call for scale-ups and SMEs from Southern Europe to join S3E Reverse — our brokerage program that connects corporate challenges with deep tech solutions developed by startups, designed upon a successful open innovation methodology.
Watch our latest info session and learn from Odysseas Spyroglou the main insights to apply to the Open Call!
https://youtu.be/k67kNjdcOeQ
How it works
SMEs and scaleups interested in participating are invited to submit a solution to address one of the challenges we've received from large organisations. Our deep tech brokers will select the most mature and fitting 'Solver', according to the ideas or products submitted, and match them with the challenger organisation.
Through S3E Reverse, the selected SMEs and scale-ups will benefit from a customised innovation support program designed specifically for them, which includes 1-1 business coaching and technology brokerage services.
The programme will operate on a first-come, first-served basis; when a match is identified by the Broker, the Challenger and the Solver will be notified so they can start working together.
The challenges
1. Collaborative Intelligence in the Service of Humanity
Challenge organisation: Infinitivity Design Labs (IDL)
Solution needed: How can AI be designed to prioritise collaborative intelligence and effectively address human needs? Are there concrete use cases? The solution will need to demonstrate how AI can addressing specific human/business needs in various sectors (e.g. healthcare, agriculture), focusing on the collaborative intelligence aspect of AI.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
2. Route Optimisation for Meter Reading Collection
Challenge organisation: EYATh (Thessaloniki Water & Sewer Company S.A.)
Solution needed: Water meter routes currently lack geographical optimization. Considering traffic patterns and existing route parameters, can you develop a route optimisation tool for cost and time efficiency using geographical and network analysis?
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
3. Improving User Experience for Data Protection and Privacy
Challenge organisation: University Hospital Cologne
Solution needed: How can users have more control over health data usage, enhancing trust in data sharing for research? Help us design user-friendly and secure solutions giving citizens and patients greater control over their health data; consider routine and research workflows.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
4. Integrating collaborative robots into various facets of the food production industry
Challenge organisation: I4byDesign Competence Centre
Solution needed: Address the integration of collaborative robots (cobots) in the food production industry focusing on hygiene, safety, adaptability, human collaboration, quality control, traceability, sustainability, and resource efficiency. We're looking for innovations in cobot technologies that enhance food safety, adapt to diverse environments, facilitate human-robot collaboration, ensure product quality, and promote sustainability.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
5. Weather Radar Interference
Challenge organisation: 3DSA - General Aviation Applications
Solution needed: 3DSA's weather radars are experiencing interference from wireless communication devices operating on the same frequencies. This disrupts weather monitoring, potentially impacting storm tracking and warnings. We need solutions or technologies that can mitigate or filter severe interference on weather radar output, while maintaining accuracy in detecting precipitation and storm behaviour.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
6. Reduction of Free Melamine Content in Wastewater
Challenge organisation: Sonae Arauco
Solution needed: Due to melamine's carcinogenic classification, how can it be removed from wastewater in processes like decorative paper impregnation? To tackle this challenge, you need to develop a competitive, industrially-applicable, and scalable solution to remove free melamine from wastewater without impacting current production processes.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
7. Automobile Sales Forecasting with AI: Reducing Deviation Rates and Improving Accuracy
Challenge organisation: Otokoç Otomotiv
Solution needed: Collaboration with a startup offering AI solutions can lead to more precise and reliable sales forecasts for Otokoç Otomotiv. Improved forecasting accuracy enables better business planning and strategy development. The use of advanced technology can help in adapting to market dynamics, especially with the evolving landscape of electric vehicles, and make informed decisions.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
8. AI Based Damage Inspection
Challenge organisation: Otokoç Otomotiv
Solution needed: A product or platform to detect vehicle damages using image processing technology. It should provide quick reports on the vehicle's condition based on the detected damages. The solution should also analyze the cost of damages and provide information on whether vehicle parts need replacement, along with the associated prices.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
9. Creation of lightweight installation structure
Challenge organisation: Babylon Gardens
Solution needed: The solution should facilitate the easy installation and removal of plastic bottles, be economically and sustainably produced, and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the installations.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
10. Enhancement of Operational Efficiency and Industry 4.0 Adoption
Challenge organisation: SOLIMPEKS
Solution needed: SOLIMPEKS faces challenges in various operational aspects, including investment planning, plant commissioning, facility layout, digital marketing and Industry 4.0 implementation. These challenges result in increased costs, reduced productivity, and decreased competitiveness. Addressing these issues requires adoption of advanced project management methodologies for investment commissioning, lean manufacturing principles for facility optimization, investment in digital marketing training and tools, and implementation of Industry 4.0
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
11. Reduction of Food Waste in Aquaculture
Challenge organisation: Strategis Maritime
Solution needed: Incorporate bioprocessing and extraction technologies, green chemistry, materials science for biomaterial development, and AI for waste characterization and process optimization to tackle food waste effectively.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
12. c-BEMS + CO2 Emissions Calculator
Challenge organisation: Inteligg
Solution needed: Advanced AI/ML algorithms for real-time energy management and emissions calculation, integration of IoT platforms for device and protocol management, and development of user-friendly interfaces for global remote monitoring.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
13. Internationalization of R&D
Challenge organisation: Innorma
Solution needed: A system capable of streamlining regulatory compliance, optimizing budget, ensuring technical scalability, minimizing environmental impact, and attracting skilled labor. There needs to be an emphasis on developing unique selling propositions and setting realistic development and market entry timelines.
Solve this challenge: Apply here.
How to apply
Startups and SMEs interested in becoming a Solver to tackle one of the listed challenges will need to complete this online application form as soon as possible, considering the matching process is done on a first come - first serve basis. We advise all applicants to download and carefully read our Application Guidelines for further information about the program and the selection process.
The S3E Reverse Open Call for Solvers welcomes applications from startups and SMEs based in:
- South European countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain.
- Associated countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Turkey.
Please note: Solver organisations may apply for more than one Challenge, with different applications. The matching between challenge organisations and solvers will be kept confidential; all SMEs and startups will be notified regardless of the result of the selection process.
Key info to keep in mind
- We will update the list of challenges on a monthly basis.
- The final deadline to apply to the Call is 30 October 2024.
- The matching process between the challenge organizations and solution providers will be on a first come – first serve basis, so the faster you submit your proposal the more chances you have to be selected for a suitable match.
