Applications Open for KATANA Projects! Supporting European SMEs and Start-ups in Agri-food Value Chain

Deadline: 28 February 2017

Applications are open for KATANA Projects that aims to support European SMEs and start-ups in the agrifood value chain to access knowledge, technology, capital and markets in order to respond to the global competitive environment.

KATANA is a perfect opportunity for start-ups and SMEs coming from agrifood value chain, ICT sector and emerging industries to team up with other partners from other sector and/or other countries and opt for the rich portfolio of services and direct funding KATANA team offers.

KATANA provides access by leveraging the multiplier potential of cross-border/cross-sectoral collaboration, and with its systemic approach, which homogenizes services towards the overall aim to place new products/ services in the market. KATANA’s systemic approach entails combining

• an innovative selection and funding scheme based on peer to peer evaluation and crowd funding;
• a holistic portfolio of support services covering the entire KATANA lifecycle and
• three large scale demonstrators capitalizing upon emerging industries (eco-industries, mobile services and personalized health).

Funding Information

• KATANA will support the most successful 10 European start-ups/SME consortia by providing them additional funds – up to 50K per start-up/SME – and provide them with the opportunity to attract equity funding on the top of that, by delivering tailor made investment readiness training and providing access to the community of professional investors through an equity crowdfunding platform.
• Starting from the first Open Call we will publish later this year start-ups and SMEs will be given the opportunity to present who they are and how the think (in a format of 2-minutes video pitch) and participate in community-driven peer-to-peer evaluation that will bring the best 100 European teams (who will be financially supported with 2K Eur each for traveling, finding partners for the next phase and attending bootcamp in Stuttgart) who enter the next phase and form consortia that prepare reward crowdfunding campaigns.

Areas of Interest

• Precision Agriculture for sustainable farming,
• Mobile Services in Accessing Agrifood Markets
• Functional Foods for personalized nutrition.

Evaluation Criteria

Criteria for evaluation of pitches in the first round of KATANA:

• Previous experience and current activities
• Understanding of the dynamics across the value chain
• Vision for new products/ services

Eligibility Criteria

The accepted applicants for KATANA Open Call 1 – Call for teams have to be:

• Natural persons and companies that comply with the Commission Recommendation for Small and
• Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) 2003/361/EC1
• Located in Eligible countries
• From following sectors: ICT and internet based business companies, companies from the agrifood value chain or companies active in emerging industries that are in focus of the KATANA project (eco sustainability, mobile markets and personalized health)

How to Apply

Interested applicants can apply via given website.

Eligible Country

• European Union countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom;
• The Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) linked to the Member States: Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Territories, Greenland, Montserrat, New Caledonia, Pitcairn Islands, Saba, Saint Barthélémy, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Wallis and Futuna.
• H2020 Associated countries: Iceland, Norway, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Israel, Moldova, Faroe Islands, Ukraine, Tunisia, Georgia;

For more information, please visit Katana Project.