EIT Food

The Innovation Prizes 2019 competition, organized by EIT Food (part of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology) in collaboration with Techcelerator. Two Romanian startups that use the Internet in the field of food, Virtual Taraba and FoodKit, have obtained non-reimbursable funds of 10,000 euros, respectively 5,000 euros, in a competition held by the EIT Food Hub which was held recently in Bucharest. 10 business ideas were qualified in the final that took place in Bucharest on September 12, 2019. Of these, 2 startups awarded their non-reimbursable funds totaling 15,000 euros: Virtual Taraba - a grant of 10,000 euros FoodKit - a grant of 5,000 euros. Virtual Tent has a mobile application, on Android and iOS, and a website, which puts small producers in direct contact with those interested in buying local, natural products. The business was established in 2017 by two developers from Bucharest, Roxana Bitoleanu and Vlad Retca. According to the official site, the platform "Taraba Virtuală" is owned and managed by the company Fespore IT SRL, from Bucharest. According to the official data from the Trade Register, accessed through the Termene.ro portal, this company is officially owned by Sanda Laurenitia, from Bucharest. The other winning startup at the pitching session in Bucharest is FoodKit. Through its website, it offers healthy food kits, which are delivered fresh, in vacuum packs, ready to serve in 5 minutes or less. According to the data available on Termene.ro, the FoodKit platform is operated by the Foody Delivery Corp SRL company, from Bucharest, established in February 2019 and owned by 3 Romanian entrepreneurs: Catalin Cristian Mușat, Ramona Pîslă and Alexandru Popescu (the last two, through another company, City Business SRL). Read more: Startup Cafe

 

On the 30th of August we have done a training session for startups participating in the Demo Day about #pitching. It was great to see all the startuppers learn, exchange ideas and #network.  

 

On the 4th November 2019 we have organised a workshop for the target group of local businesses and SMEs on how to get their business online and how to reach international clients. The event was organised in collaboration with ADR Vest – Agentia pentru Dezvoltare Regionala Vest ( West Region Development Agency). We have presented the various programmes of EIT Food, and there was a lot of interest in the acceleration programme as well as the Test Farms. Among the participants there were representatives of the University as well as students who were interested in the RIS Fellowship programme and have been put on the mailing list targeted for the RIS Fellowship. In the afternoon we have executed the workshop on why and how get your business online, and how to reach international clients. As there were present a few companies that already have had experience in export of their product, a discussion on the certification process of alimentary products was born. We have tackled the problem of the high cost of certification as well as the food labelling although being regulated on a European level, there are still companies that don’t apply correctly the legislation.

 

On the 18th of November we have carried out a 2 day event. The first day was concentrated on the workshop with SME’s and local businesses as well as University representatives about the Food Tourism and various strategies that can be applied. In the first part of the day we have had a discussion panel with experts from various sectors with the topic of ‘Potential of the Food Tourism – methods of development and objectives’ - various insight and best practices applied in other areas or countries have been brought up in the discussion. The afternoon was dedicated to various sessions of workshops with the experts concentrated on the business model, marketing strategies and social media for the food tourism. During the question sessions there was a positive interaction between the participants and the speakers and various difficulties have been brought up such as lack of logistics or touristic connections, the proposed solution to such questions was the fact that currently the trends for tourism show that tourists are searching for unique experiences, connected also with culinary tourism and exploration, meaning that if promoted correctly the lack of transport infrastructure shouldn’t be a barrier for development. The presentation by Mario Becchetti has tackled important strategic aspects and real-life examples of various strategies and has presented how to develop and execute those strategies. The second day of the event was dedicated to an awareness session about the EIT FOOD programs and activities and in the afternoon we have executed visits at local business involved in the food tourism with a discussion of good practises and areas of improvement.

 

MSc students and graduates with different educational backgrounds as well as PhD students and post-docs from 28 European countries will discover job opportunities in the food industry, by getting a unique, professional, paid 3-6 months internships. If you want to be one of them, keep reading.

 

Benefits of the internship
• Precise matching candidates to the offered internships areas specified by each host company.
• Gain hand-on experiences by creative problem solving and solving real work problematic situations of the organizations.
• Get 1,350€ (Fellowships) – 2,000€ (Talents) gross grant/month for support your expenses.
• Know and learn about other ways of working and discuss from a different point of view.
Improve your curriculum vitae and get contacts and opportunities that will open up doors for your professional life.

Enrich yourself knowing another country and getting involved in its culture.
• STEP 01 > Fill in the application form and upload 1-minute self-video. (APRIL)
• STEP 02 > Participate in workshops (Just for RIS Fellowships candidates). If you have been selected we will contact you to take part in one of the 15 workshops that will take place in different RIS countries. Challenge yourself by solving group case-study and taking paper-pencil tests. (MAY)
• STEP 03 > Present yourself during online interviews. If you meet the selection criteria, you will be invited to interviews with host companies. Check the final list of interns on the project´s website (JUNE)
• STEP 04. Enjoy your internship! (JULY-DECEMBER)
• Here's the link for the application: eitfoodrisfellowships.eu
Promotional video:Watch it now!

EIT Food is on a mission to transform Europe’s food system – making it better for people and the planet.  Working with entrepreneurs, innovators and the wider community, EIT Food is changing the way we produce, process, distribute and consume food. The proposed products or services must align with one or more of EIT Food’s strategic objectives:
• Making the food system better for people’s health
• Making the food system better for the environment
• Making the food system more trusted and transparent
The Innovation Prizes competition is one of Europe’s largest startup competitions in the agrifood vertical. The Innovation 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. This year, the Innovation Prizes are open to entrepreneurs and startups from across the whole of Europe. Excitingly though, there are additional prizes available for entrepreneurs based in Eastern and Southern Europe, through the Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS).

 

We welcome applications from those who meet the following eligibility criteria:
• any resident, citizen or legal entity based in Europe or EIT Food associated countries
• to be considered eligible for the Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) competition, the applicant must be a citizen and/or residents of: Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Greece
The proposed products or services must align with one or more of EIT Food’s strategic objectives:
• Making the food system better for people’s health
• Making the food system better for the environment
• Making the food system more trusted and transparent

• Here's the link for the application: f6s.com

Participants will work in interdisciplinary teams, identifying problems, prototyping viable solutions with a validated value proposition and pitching their projects in front of a panel of experts.

• All undergraduate, graduate, PhD students, post-docs,
• early-stage researchers and young professionals, who are working/studying in one of the RIS regions*
• aged at least 18, are welcome to apply for the EIT Food RIS Venturing School.
• There is no precondition concerning study background.

• More information: pan.olsztyn.pl/eitfood/vs2019/
• For online submission, please apply here: https://apply.eitfood.eu/courses/course/28-eit-food-ris-venturing-school
• Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d18zzMKd_-M&feature=youtu.be
• We highly appreciate your support in sharing our EIT Food RIS Venturing School details with your colleagues to utilize this meeting opportunity.
• Feel free to contact us for any information: [email protected]

EIT Food Government Executive Academy will bring together 39 government representatives from 13 RIS countries with experts working in the field of agri-food innovations from industry, academia and European institutions. If you think you should be among them, apply here EIT Food GEA is a week-long training program that offers insights into challenges related to food system innovations and regulations. It is also an opportunity to exchange best practices that will contribute to further improvements of Research & Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies and inspire the future development of operational programs based on the EU Structural and Investment Funds.

Key features of the Academy

• workshops focused on real-life challenges experienced by global food industry players and actual needs of industry and customers
• lectures offering insights into the complexity of food system, state-of-the-art technologies and innovations developed by the agri-food industry
• highly interactive learning program based on case-studies and real-life examples
• working with European experts in agri-food industry and innovation management
• participants do not pay tuition fee and have travel and personal costs reimbursed (up to the level of €1,000 gross refunded in accordance with EIT/Horizon 2020 rules)
• excellent opportunities to build an international network of policy‐makers working on the agri-food related Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3), exchanging experiences to continuously improve the national and regional policies.

You will meet
You will be part of a cohort of 39 government representatives from 13 RIS countries (Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey) involved in the design, implementation and/or monitoring of Research & Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) related to agri-food industry or in defining regulatory policies related to agri-food industry. During the Academy, you will meet government executives, directors, managers, scientists and other experts working in the agri-food industry, non-governmental sector, European institutions and media.

You can expect
The Academy will supply you with expert knowledge on challenges faced by the global agri-food industry, state-of-the-art technologies relevant to the contemporary food system and best practices in innovation management. With our guests and experts from the field, you can expect to strengthen the innovation eco-systems in your country, increase the internationalisation of your country’s agri-food companies and increase success rates of new product launches to leverage the benefits of public funding distributed for Research & Innovations. You will also have an opportunity to share good practices, benefit from lessons learned of other countries and participate in an international network of policy experts involved in the updates of RIS3 and the development of the future operational programs based on European Structural and Investment Funds, 2021–2027.

The organizers aim at outstanding employees of national or regional governments (including ministries, agencies and regulatory bodies) from 13 RIS countries (Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey). The ideal applicant should:

• Be involved in the design, implementation and/or monitoring of Research & Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) related to agri-food industry or in defining regulatory policies related to agri-food industry in her or his country
• Have relevant knowledge and experience in public policy development on a regional or national level
• Have a leadership potential which means she or he has a track record in coordinating projects or contributing to new initiatives in RIS3
• Have an entrepreneurial approach to problem solving and willingness to share her or his knowledge with other participants of the EIT Food GEA
• Bring diversity. We strongly encourage applications from various geographical regions submitted by specialists in multiple fields.

All workshops will be held in English. Therefore at least a working knowledge of this language is required.

To apply visit academy.eitfood.uw.edu.pl/admissions
The application deadline is 20 September 2018.

The Academy is delivered by University of Warsaw, EIT Food CLC North-East and EIT Food CLC South with a group of industrial partners: Colruyt, Givaudan, Maspex, PepsiCo and Siemens.

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Contact
Name: Frank Hysa
Organisation: Satean Foundation
Email: [email protected]

Satean Foundation and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) are organising a conference to discuss the future of innovation in Europe with relevant national and international stakeholders. You are invited to participate in the event, meet representatives and contribute actively to the discussions.

Participants will have the opportunity to meet representatives of the six EIT Innovation Communities, will learn about the EIT Community’s results and activities, and how to get involved with the EIT.

Participation is open to innovators, public organizations, researchers, students, entreprises and general public.

Location: Dunarea de Jos“ University of Galati, Romania.
Date: September 20th
Agenda: More information including t will be made available in due course.

Please confirm your participation by sending an email to:

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Contact
Name: Frank Hysa
Organisation: Satean Foundation
Email: [email protected]

RIS Innovation Grants is a business creation activity in the framework of EIT Food RIS. Grants are awarded to support the commercialization of novel products, services or business models which make the agri-food sector more innovative, especially at the local level.
Phase 1: Submission of ideas
Interested candidates must submit their application here www.f6s.com/innovationgrants until the 30th of September
Phase 2: Application Review
The applications will be scored by a panel of judges. The ten startups with the highest scores all be invited to Romania EIT Food DemoDay.
Phase 3: EIT Food Demo Day
This will be an open start-up networking event, where selected applicants will present their idea in a form of 3 min pitch presentation + 2 min Q&A part in front of a selected jury who will pose questions and will rate the performances based on specific criteria.
This event will bring together investors, corporates, start-ups and entrepreneurs working in the Food industry at Galati on the 13th of November

The prizes will go to the two teams with highest scores after the written and Demo Day performances have been combined.

• 1st prize is €10,000
• 2nd prize is €5,000

Startups must address one of the main challenges of the EIT Food strategic business agenda:

• Making the food supply chain more sustainable and efficient - from farm to fork;
• Developing innovative food products that fill a gap in the market and help consumers lead healthier lives;
• Building trust in the food system through improving traceability, food safety and increasing consumers access to information;

• - Applicants must be a citizen and/or resident in Romania;
• - Applicants cannot have received more than 60,000 Euros from EIT Food and its other programmes to support agrifood startups/entrepreneurs.
• - Only candidates who submit a complete application, answering all the questions on the platform will be evaluated by the reviewers for the second stage of the competition – EIT Food Demo Day.

Fullfill the application form until the 30th of September - click on the buttom Apply.
If you are one of the ten startups with the highest scores from each you will be invited to pitch at EIT Food Demo Day, at Galati, on the 13th of November.

The RIS Fellowships project is dedicated to students and graduates of Msc., with different educational levels, educational and professional background, coming from different universities from 13 RIS countries. Gain hands-on experience and strengthen your job-related skills during a 3-month internship in a company from the food sector. The internship is focused on cross-country mobility meaning you will carry out your internship in a host company outside your region of study or origin.

Various companies across Europe and Israel are looking to host young, creative minds like yours. You can find the list of companies here: http://timo.wz.uw.edu.pl/risfellowships/#inter Selected candidates will be matched with a host company outside their region of study or origin according to their interests, background and skills.

The deadline for application is: April 30th 23.59 pm (CEST)2018 . Please send in your LinkedIn profiles and 1-min self-made video by this date (see “How to apply” below for details). Mid-May-Mid-June: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a fun and challenging workshop in one of 13 countries (country of your choice, according to where you would like to attend the workshop – see “how to apply” below for details) Beg Jul: interviews with host companies The internships will take place between Aug-November 2018

You will receive a EUR 1000/month scholarship to cover all travel and accommodation expenses.

Step 1. Create or update your professional LinkedIn profile, add a 1-minute self-made video Step 2: Once your profile is ready, join 1 of 13 available RIS Fellowships groups on Linkedin. You should choose the group according to the country in which you would like to attend the workshop in Mid-May/Mid-June. Find details and guidelines to help you apply: http://timo.wz.uw.edu.pl/risfellowships/#apply

Candidates must study or come from one of the following countries or regions: Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy (only regions of: Basilicata, Calabria, Molise, Puglia, Sardegna and Sicilia), Lithuania, Poland (only regions of: Dolnośląskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Łódzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Małopolskie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie and Wielkopolskie), Romania, Slovenia, Spain (only regions of: Andalucia, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-la Mancha, Extremadura, Illes Balears, La Rioja, Principado de Asturias and Región de Murcia), Portugal, Turkey Candidates must be Msc students (min. completed the second year of study) or Msc graduates (up to 2 years after graduation) in a relevant field (see relevant fields below) Candidates must be able to work in the English language (min. C1 in CEFR level of English is required) Candidates must have a LinkedIn profile in English, Candidates must apply via 1 of 13 RIS Fellowships group on LinkedIn Candidates must be available during the period from August until November 2018, Candidates must be interested in the agri-food sector, Candidates must have health insurance required for cross-country mobility.