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
RIS Innovation Prizes is one of the largest startup competitions in the agrifood vertical in Southern and Eastern Europe. Prizes are awarded to entrepreneurs and early stage startups to support the development of new products and services which can help transform our food system, making it healthier, more sustainable and more trusted.
The prizes will be distributed at 17 regional finals with the three best startups taking €1,000, €3,000 and €5,000 in each final. In addition to the cash prizes, participating startups will benefit from access to investors, high-quality training and our community of mentors and experts.
The competition will conclude with the Grand Final during which the 1st prize winners from all 17 countries will compete for three main prizes: €10,000, €15,000 and €25,000.
For whom: early stage agrifood startups and entrepreneurs from RIS targeted countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Turkey).
More information - see the competition webpage here.
Legal and Accounting Support:
Legal and Accounting Support offers up to €2,500 to startups and entrepreneurs to cover the costs of company incorporation, intellectual property protection, trademark and permit registration, accounting and other.
For whom: idea holders (not registered yet) and registered startups from RIS targeted countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Turkey).
More information can be found here. Applications for Legal and Accounting Support are being accepted in five rounds with the final deadline on September 30, 2020.
Test farms
Test Farms programme is designed to link agricultural startups with farmers and testing-land.
Through enabling these links EIT Food wants to help innovative agritech ideas to validate and test their products and services,showcase their business to customers and investors and finally support the technological transformation in European agriculture.
Fom whom: startups with solution applicable in farming; farmers open to testing new technologies from RIS targeted countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Turkey
More information can be found here.
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.
More information can be found here.
For all the above business creation activities you can contact :
Adriana Bałazy (CLC North-East) adriana.balazy@eitfood.eu
Yulia Bodnar (CLC North-East) yulia.bodnar@eitfood.eu
Joseph Gridley (CLC South) joseph.gridley@eitfood.eu
