Project description
Inclusive and gender-equal deep tech innovation ecosystem for the Baltic Sea Region
Start-ups play a crucial role in the development of green and smart solutions and technologies. However, their potential is often hindered by a lack of visibility and funding, which can impede their growth and wider impact on the green transition. This challenge is even more prevalent in less connected and developed innovation ecosystems and for women-led and deep tech start-ups. In this context, the EU-funded FINEST SCALEUP project will collaborate with leading innovation and research entities to establish an inclusive, gender-equal deep tech innovation ecosystem in countries surrounding the Baltic Sea Region. This ecosystem will provide start-ups and entrepreneurs with a cross-border infrastructure for knowledge transfer, connections, and enhanced visibility and access to investment opportunities.
Objective
The FINEST SCALEUP project brings together leading research and innovation actors to establish the Baltic Sear Region countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Poland, onwards referred to as the ‘BSR-5’, as a cross-border, inclusive and gender equal Deep tech innovation ecosystem with the main goal to support companies, start-ups and entrepreneurs to showcase innovative technologies, attract investment and reach global markets.
The FINEST SCALEUP addresses the lack of scale-up funding for startups from 'Less Connected and Developing Innovation Ecosystems', particularly those women-led and from the Deep tech sector .
It leverages on the FinEst Centre, as a world-class Centre of Excellence for Smart Cities Research and Innovation, has developed a cross-border knowledge transfer infrastructure (Urban Operating Platform) that supports its piloting programme, with a combined 100M€ budget to invest in research heavy solutions that have a strong potential to develop into deep tech companies. In the FINEST SCALEUP project, the FinEst Centre capitalises on Finnish-Estonian macro region’s scientific and empirical knowledge to build and strengthen the innovation potential of gender neutral deep tech entrepreneurship across the BSR-5.
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support ActionsCoordinator
12616 Tallinn
Estonia