Periodic Reporting for period 1 - S3E (Southern European Entrepreneurship Engine)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-12-31
S3E's goal is to foster growth in Southern European deep tech innovation ecosystems, categorised as moderate or emerging innovators, according to the EIS - European Innovation Scoreboard. By accelerating deep tech projects coming from research teams and deep tech solutions coming from startups and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), S3E seeks to advance solutions for a more sustainable economy, impacting regional growth and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, contributing to flagships 1 and 3 of the New European Innovation Agenda.
The S3E primary objective is to mitigate market risks encountered by the Deep Tech ecosystem in Southern Europe, particularly in securing funding and reaching the market, by:
● Upskilling researchers to develop an entrepreneurship mindset.
● Supporting growth-stage startups in business development.
● Brokering access to investment.
● Facilitating Open Innovation with Industry partners.
● Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The S3E primary objective is to mitigate market risks encountered by the Deep Tech ecosystem in Southern Europe, particularly in securing funding and reaching the market, by:
● Upskilling researchers to develop an entrepreneurship mindset.
● Supporting growth-stage startups in business development.
● Brokering access to investment.
● Facilitating Open Innovation with Industry partners.
● Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To achieve the objectives, the S3E consortium is implementing the following actions:
1) Building partnerships with entities of the national science systems in targeted countries to identify entrepreneurial research teams and provide training programs.
2) Partnering with innovation ecosystem organisations to disseminate the project, attract startups, and connect with corporates.
3) Developing hands-on training experiences for R&D teams in commercialization skills.
4) Fostering networking between project partners and various European start-up development facilitators, investors, and stakeholders.
5) Establishing transnational programs to support deep tech startups in developing investor-ready business plans and fostering sustainable networks.
6) Brokering collaborations between scaling deep tech startups and corporate entities.
S3E has run the First Open Call, receiving 208 total applications (90 experts, 30 research teams, 14 TTOs, 36 deep tech startups, 13 corporates and 25 applications applying to challenges), supporting 18 research teams, 12 startups and 8 corporate startups matches, with the collaboration of 52 selected experts.
1) Building partnerships with entities of the national science systems in targeted countries to identify entrepreneurial research teams and provide training programs.
2) Partnering with innovation ecosystem organisations to disseminate the project, attract startups, and connect with corporates.
3) Developing hands-on training experiences for R&D teams in commercialization skills.
4) Fostering networking between project partners and various European start-up development facilitators, investors, and stakeholders.
5) Establishing transnational programs to support deep tech startups in developing investor-ready business plans and fostering sustainable networks.
6) Brokering collaborations between scaling deep tech startups and corporate entities.
S3E has run the First Open Call, receiving 208 total applications (90 experts, 30 research teams, 14 TTOs, 36 deep tech startups, 13 corporates and 25 applications applying to challenges), supporting 18 research teams, 12 startups and 8 corporate startups matches, with the collaboration of 52 selected experts.
S3E aims to leave a legacy in Southern Europe by training researchers to explore the commercial potential of their scientific discoveries. This initiative is intended to lead to the creation of startups or the licensing of technologies. It involves training TTOs in our methodology, ensuring the sustainability of the program post-project. Furthermore, supporting startups in developing robust business plans, offering challenge-solving opportunities, and connecting them with potential clients is envisioned to create scientific job opportunities and enhance technology commercialization expertise in the region.