After evaluating 23 applications, the European ELEVATE project, coordinated by the Portuguese Catholic University, selected 12 teams for the first edition of its European Acceleration Program. The selected teams are developing projects in the program’s four strategic areas: Artificial Intelligence, Food and Biotechnology, Biomedicine and Health, and Cultural and Creative Industries. Of the 12 selected teams, one-third are from the Portuguese Catholic University, representing the Center for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF) at the School of Biotechnology, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Institute of Computing and Data Science. The remaining teams come from institutions in Italy (three), Germany (three), and Denmark (one).
Over the course of 12 weeks, the teams will have access to an acceleration program that combines specialized training in key areas for supporting entrepreneurship and startup creation, individualized mentoring sessions, and networking opportunities with academic and business partners and investors. The program also brings together trainers and mentors from leading universities, companies, and innovation organizations in Portugal, Italy, and Denmark.
The program includes an Immersion Week, which will take place in early December in Trieste, Italy, bringing all the teams together for an intensive week of training, mentoring, networking, and engagement with the local innovation ecosystem. The initiative will culminate in a final event to present the projects, at which a prize of 5,000 euros will be awarded to the winning team in each of the four thematic areas.
“The central role of the Portuguese Catholic University in this program—in which it is also part of the team of trainers and mentors—reflects its commitment to promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, and the transfer of knowledge to society.”, , says João Cortez, director of the Research and Innovation Office at the Portuguese Catholic University and coordinator of the ELEVATE project.
A European Catalyst for Innovation
Turning knowledge into solutions that have a real impact on society—this is the goal of ELEVATE, a European project led by the Portuguese Catholic University that promotes entrepreneurship and innovation in the fields of Food and Biotechnology, Biomedicine, Artificial Intelligence, and the Cultural and Creative Industries. Funded by the European Union’s EIT HEI initiative, ELEVATE brings together higher education institutions and business partners from Portugal, Italy, and Denmark (Università degli Studi di Trieste (Italy); Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy); Aarhus University (Denmark); Food4Sustainability CoLAB (Portugal); TecmaFoods (Portugal); MateraHub (Italy).
“The ELEVATE Acceleration Program offers a unique environment, connecting three European innovation ecosystems through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates four distinct strategic areas. By bridging the gap between academic knowledge and real-world societal challenges, ELEVATE supports the development of innovative solutions with economic and social impact,” notes João Cortez.
A total of 23 applications were received from 10 countries, including 13 involving universities from Transform4Europe (an alliance of European universities) and three from teams that had previously participated in ELEVATE training activities.