Press Release: BioBase4SME Innovation Biocamp

Posted in: biobased

28/03/2017

Press Release, March 29th, 2017: BioBase4SME Innovation Biocamp

Start-up, biobased businesses can benefit from fully funded, intensive business training for successful innovation.

The BioBase4SME project, co-financed by Europe’s Interreg NWE programme, is now providing start-up companies working in the bioeconomy with €7,000 worth of specialist training, fully funded by the project. An intensive, week-long Innovation Biocamp will give these companies the tools they need to commercialise their idea and grow their company. The training culminates in a live pitch to investors.

Start-up and spin-out, biobased companies based in the Interreg North West Europe area are encouraged to apply for their place on the Innovation Biocamp, which will take place in Yorkshire, UK from 23-28th July, 2017. The course includes a series of lectures from experts in key aspects of business growth, such as value propositions, business modelling, financing growth and risk management. Each lecture is followed by group exercises mediated by an experienced facilitator. Participants will then work with mentors to apply this learning to their own company.

Successful applicants will benefit from:

mentoring sessions with successful business leaders and investors
masterclasses from experts in finance, regulation, risk and opportunity
live pitch to a panel of specialist investors, active in the sector
peer-to-peer learning and networking with biobased companies from across NW Europe.

The deadline for applications for the Innovation Biocamp is 19 May 2017. More information on the Biocamp, including further details on the selection criteria and the application procedure can be found online at: www.biovale.org/event/innovation-biocamp/ or www.nweurope.eu/BioBase4SME

For more information:

Other business support available from BioBase4SME:

BioBase4SME offers professional innovation support services to SMEs and start-ups active in the bioeconomy. The expert network organises workshops on specific topics, diverse training events and an innovation biocamp. Furthermore, BioBase4SME runs a very successful Bio-Innovation Coupon Scheme, offering coupons with a value up to €100,000 to SMEs looking for technical (process development, scale-up…) and non-technical support (LCA, application testing, market research, business plan coaching, social acceptance…). More information: www.nweurope.eu/BioBase4SME.

Notes to editors:

1. The project:
The European Commission has launched through its INTERREG NWE Programme a three-year project “BioBase4SME” to further support the development of the biobased economy in North West Europe (NWE). The €5.83 million project will help start-ups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to overcome technological and non-technological barriers on their path to turn biobased research into commercial innovation. BioBase4SME offers training, innovation biocamps, workshops and innovation coupons worth up to €100.000. The BioBase4SME partnership includes eight organisations from six different countries http://www.nweurope.eu/BioBase4SME

2. The BioBase4SME partners are:

Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP), Ghent, Belgium, http://www.bbeu.org/pilotplant/
Flanders Biobased Valley, Ghent, Belgium, http://www.fbbv.be
Materia Nova, Mons, Belgium, http://www.materianova.be/
Association of the Chambers of Agriculture of the Atlantic Arc (AC3A), Nantes, France, http://www.ac3a.fr/AC3A_en.php
CLIB2021 Cluster Industrielle Biotechnologie, Düsseldorf, Germany, http://www.clib2021.de/en
tcbb RESOURCE, Galway, Ireland, http://www.tcbbresource.ie/
REWIN Projecten, Breda, The Netherlands, http://www.rewin.nl/
NNFCC, York, UK, http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/
The University of York, York, UK, https://www.york.ac.uk/

3. INTERREG North-West Europe Programme
BioBase4SME is 60% funded by the INTERREG NWE Programme. The Interreg North-West Europe Programme fosters transnational cooperation to make the North Western Europe a key economic player and an attractive place to work and live, with high levels of innovation, sustainability and cohesion. http://www.nweurope.eu/

4. BioBase4SME is co-financed by:

5. BioBase4SME Project Office:
The BioBase4SME project is coordinated by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (Ghent, Belgium). For more information, comment or interview requests about BioBase4SME, please contact:
Dr Lieve Hoflack, Project Manager, tel: +32 (0)9 335 70 01, lieve.hoflack@bbeu.org
OR
Katrien Molders, Communication Manager, tel: +32 (0)486 951 109, Katrien.molders@bbeu.org
http://www.nweurope.eu/BioBase4SME
For more information on the Natural Fibertastic Workshop, contact Roel Koevoets, tel: +31 (0)6 226 639 34, r.koevoets@rewin.nl.