An EC-funded project co-ordinated by Minerva has launched a new awards scheme to showcase innovation in European scientific research.
The CommBeBiz Awards 2015 will give scientific researchers across Europe a ‘real opportunity’ to make their ideas a reality, addressing major societal challenges for the benefit of the EU & its citizens whilst showcasing innovative ideas emerging from research projects in the bioeconomy sector – food, agriculture, fisheries, forestry and biotechnology.
The Awards are also an ideal opportunity for entrants to demonstrate clear and effective engagement – a key criterion of the current EC-funding stream Horizon 2020. To qualify for funding, researchers are expected to communicate from the start of their project – not just when they have results – as Rhonda Smith, CommBeBiz project co-ordinator & Director of Minerva, explains:
“CommBeBiz is an EC-funded support action project created to help the research community across Europe grasp opportunities for knowledge transfer to the right audiences for the benefit of the EU and its citizens, through the generation of new thinking, products or policies. These free-to-enter Awards are a valuable opportunity for researchers to test and validate the potential of their ideas.”
Laura Lecci from Brussels-based innovation network EBN – the CommBeBiz project partner responsible for managing the Awards – adds, “We are looking for ambitious ideas with the potential to address major challenges in the bioeconomy sector with clear business or social innovation potential – a unique proposition clearly differentiated from alternatives already in the marketplace or public domain.”
Fifteen winning projects will benefit from a tailored support package including investor-readiness preparation and 1-1 customized support from European experts in innovation, to help bring their idea to fruition.
All winners will receive an expenses-paid trip to the EBN Congress in Brussels (28 – 30 October 2015) to pitch and present their ideas to an audience of key stakeholders including investors, entrepreneurs, policy-players and the media. One overall winner will then be selected at the event to become the focus of a media campaign.
“These Awards are a real opportunity for researchers to bring their ideas to the attention of key decision-makers. We want to support researchers on their journey from innovation to reality, contributing to the state of the art in scientific thinking and development in Europe,” says Laura.
The closing date for the CommBeBiz Awards is 31 August 2015. Winners will be notified by 30 September 2015 and must be available to attend the EBN Congress from 28 – 30 October 2015 in Brussels.