Deadline: 13-Jun-2024
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) is seeking proposals for programme entitled “Support Agri-Food Coop Network in Palestine (SANET)”.
CIHEAM Bari, as implementing body of the Result 3 named Agri-food sector inclusiveness improved to provide access to women and youth, and in partnership with Ministry of Agricolture of Palestine, will be responsible for its execution until September 2025.
The Result 3 of Sanet programme aims to cooperate with existing incubators in supporting their capacities to support young entrepreneur (business plan development, entrepreneurship training, mentoring) and to achieve a relevant impact, that is reaching and triggering the active role of a vital actor in the field of innovation. By building the capacity of business incubators (implementing partners of the programme) the project aims to encourage the development of local start-ups operating in the agri-food sectors and involved in digitalization processes.
CIHEAM Bari is the organizing body of the present call whose aim is to select 30 startups. This group can include young entrepreneurs running an already well-established company, to younger groups active since at least 3 years with a convincing innovative business idea, revolving around the agribusiness and sustainable use of natural resources. The youth groups selected according to a public call will be offered a comprehensive and tailored training course and incubation services which will permit to the best ideas (pilot projects) to become, with the adequate technical and financial support, a concrete business.
Purpose
- The Sanet call for applications aims at selecting 30 startups. It allows:
- The selected 30 start-ups for an intensive remote training course, being held shortly after the selection. These young people will attend a 10-day intensive course to enhance their capacity to master the entire cycle from the first concept to the sale and post-sale service (if applicable), passing through the idea development, the business plan, the search of partners and funds, the marketing strategy and so on.
- Following the intensive training, the 30 start-ups will have the opportunity to have dedicated support (each start-up will have an Innovation manager available) which will allow them to concretely develop their project idea by following up on the theoretical concepts addressed during the plenary course.
- the best 10 ideas (start-ups) will be selected to participate in the 6-month incubation period.
- The best 10 replies to this challenge, evaluated by the same commission that made the first selection, will receive, during a local event, a grant supporting one strategic part of their development plan such as tools, training, coaching, services, and equipment to be validated, together with the Coordination team of CIHEAM Bari. The grant will be made available for immediate use. Its use will be described by the young entrepreneurs at the end of the brokering event.
Topics
- To be selected the Startup needs to demonstrate that it is bringing an innovative and feasible project in the field of Agri-food sector, with a particular focus on at least one of the following topics:
- Sustainable Management of Natural Resources: innovative models and tools for the management of water, soil, land, animals, trees.
- Sustainable Agriculture: Adoption of agricultural practices that minimize the use of harmful chemicals, preserve biodiversity and promote environmental sustainability.
- Smart Farming: the broad range of decision support software and high-performance hardware technologies, that include sensors, cameras, drones and UAVs, image processing, AI, and data-analytics., used for precision irrigation, integrated pest management, yield forecasting, and farm management.
- Crop Protection & Fertilizers: New technology helping farmers for protecting the crops from pests & diseases, non-toxic and environmentally friendly.
- Biotech: Genetics & Breeding Agricultural science including genetic engineering, molecular markers, molecular diagnostics, vaccines, and tissue culture, to modify living organisms (Breeding): plants, animals, and microorganisms.
- Livestock & Poultry: technologies that enhance the management, welfare, and value of livestock and poultry, covering applications from breeding and feeding systems to animal health and cattle monitoring.
- Farming & Robotics: Building robotics, machinery, and equipment used to automate farm work, harvest crops and to sort it.
- Innovative Food Products: new food products or production processes in order to find more nutritious and healthy food.
- Valorization of Negleted and Underutilized Crops (NUS): crops that have been prioritized as “Future Smart Foods” because they are nutritionally dense, climate-resilient, economically viable, and locally available or adaptable food crops.
- Novel Farming Systems: Solutions utilizing space, light, soil, and water in nontraditional ways to grow crops in places and conditions that were hitherto impossible, as vertical and indoor farming systems, based on aero, aqua or hydroponic systems.
- Post Harvest: solutions that handle cleaning, sorting, processing, packing and storing of produce to secure, improve or maintain the quality of the produce following harvest, including freezing and thawing, biodegradable packaging and environmentally friendly coverings.
- Farm to Consumer: New business models to shorten and simplify the supply chain by connecting the farm to the end consumer.
- Recycling and Waste Management: Strategies to reduce waste, promote recycling and implement sustainable waste management practices.
- Irrigation & Water Management: smart systems optimizing irrigation by utilizing sensors, data and sophisticated software.
- Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency: Development and adoption of clean energy sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal waves and tides; implementation of technologies and practices aimed at reducing energy consumption.
Funding Information
- The winners, the best 10 ideas (start-ups), will be informed by email. The grant consists in a sum of € 10.000,00 to be used in the form of support tools, training, coaching, services, and equipment according to the choice of the winners.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications are done in the name of a Startup. Personal applications will not be accepted. To apply to the present call, companies must be formally registered since at least 1 year from the deadline of the present call in the country where it operates.
- The Startup must commit to the Sanet call by indicating in the application form the names of the team members who will participate in the program and their roles in the Start up.
- To be selected the Startup needs to demonstrate that it is bringing an innovative and feasible project in the field of Agri-food sector, with a particular focus on at least one of the given topics:
- Startup who are already trading in their markets and that can demonstrate active sales of their project are encouraged to apply.
- If the Startup has not gone to market yet, the startup must prove that it has validated their project (product/service) and their markets by showing concrete steps undertaken and their results.
- For participation in the call Sanet is not eligible any illegal activity under international regulations, conventions and/ or agreements and in particular:
- Production or trade of any illegal product or activity under the laws of the host country or international regulations, conventions and/or agreements.
- Production or activity involving forced or child labour.
- Trade in animals, plants or any natural products which do not comply with the legal provisions.
- Any operation involving or requiring the destruction of critical habitat, and any forestry project not implementing a sustainable management plan.
- Production, use or trade of pharmaceuticals, pesticides/herbicides, ozone depleting products or any other hazardous product subject to international prohibition or phase-out.
- Production and distribution or participation in racist, anti-democratic or discriminatory media.
- Participation in the call for applications is free of charge.
- The application form must be drafted in English language.
- For each application, the applicant must be a member of the company, either a founder, co-founder, majority partner or a person with power of representation and decision within the startup.
- Participation is strictly nominative. It is strictly forbidden to submit your application under several usernames, with several email addresses or on behalf of other participants. Any submission duplicated by the same person (same name, same first name, same IP address), under different company names will result in the cancellation of the participation of the candidate and the teams concerned.
For more information, visit CIHEAMBari.