The EIT Food website is not compatible with Internet Explorer. Please visit our website with another browser, like Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari, for the best possible experience.
Our RIS entrepreneurship programmes

Our RIS entrepreneurship programmes

Startups may be small in terms of staff and revenues, but they can be big in the role they can play in economic growth and in transforming the food system.

Startups spur innovation and are open to fierce competition, therefore we provide them with support at every step of their company’s development, from ideation to acceleration and funding.  

  • Innovation Prizes: Europe’s largest agrifood startup competition with more than 250.000 euros in prizes. The competition is for early-stage entrepreneurs who are transforming our food system with innovative products and services, making it better for people’s health and the environment. There are 15 live finals across Europe, where entrepreneurs will receive top quality business training and be able to pitch to investors and industry experts.
    RIS Innovation Prize: applicants must be citizens and/or residents of Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Turkey
    Innovation Prize: any resident, citizen or legal entity based in an EU Member State and Horizon 2020 associated countries

    For whom: early-stage start-ups and entrepreneurs
    More information here or here

    Demo Day: this is the final step of the RIS Innovation Prizes. It is a series of 1-day local events for agrifood entrepreneurs in RIS countries organized by each EIT Food Hub. During those events entrepreneurs meet and pitch in front of the agrifood community, producers, investors and innovators.
    For whom: early-stage start-ups and entrepreneurs from RIS targeted countries (Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Turkey)
     
  • RIS Legal and accounting support: grant that provides entrepreneurs and early stage startups from RIS countries with pro-bono legal and accounting services to support their legal and accounting needs (entity registration, investment, labelling, compliance, sales contracts etc.)

    For whom: idea holders (not registered yet) and registered startups from RIS targeted countries (Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Turkey)
    More information here or here
     
  • Test farms: this project matches high-potential startups with farmers to test the most innovative technologies on the field

    Fom whom: startups with solution applicable in farming; farmers open to testing new technologies from RIS targeted countries: Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Turkey
     
  • Challenge Labs: creative groups designed to find solutions to current and future challenges in the food and agriculture system and spark cofounder relationships in a mixed environment of agrifood enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, industry experts and EIT Food partners

    For whom: enthusiasts wanting to start a business or with an idea in mind, experts from the agrifood field from RIS targeted countries: Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Turkey

For all the business creation activities you can contact Adriana Bałazy (CLC North-East) adriana.balazy@eitfood.eu or Joseph Gridley (CLC South) joseph.gridley@eitfood.e

Current projects

Legal and Accounting Support for Early Stage Entrepreneurs
Regional Innovation Scheme

Legal and Accounting Support for Early Stage Entrepreneurs

EIT Food knows that the legal and financial hurdles of startup life can be very challenging. In fact, recent statistics demonstrate that a failure to manage finances well...

Read more

Our other Regional Innovation Scheme programmes

Our RIS education programmes

Our RIS education programmes

Cultivating and attracting talent is essential to create a future innovative food system that produces sustainable and healthy food, and at the same time helps to increase the innovativeness and competitiveness of regional economies.

Learn more
Our RIS innovation programmes

Our RIS innovation programmes

RIS innovation programmes target societal challenges through technology-based products and services with breakthrough potential.

Learn more
Our RIS public engagement programmes

Our RIS public engagement programmes

Communication is at the centre of all our activities. We want to engage all European citizens and turn them into enthusiastic change agents in the food system through multiple initiatives.

Learn more