ACCELERATE YOUR PROTOTYPE: Do you have a good idea and a working prototype?

Take part in the selection! The best proposals will win a coaching programme dedicated to
accelerating the process from prototype to market. You and your team will be joined by
experts and advisors from the FabLabNet project, and you will take part in two international events in Bratislava and Budapest. The best European proposals will take part in the Tech-Fest in Munich.

CONNECTING TO BUSINESS

AIMS OF THE CALL: The call is open to students and young professionals and aims to accelerate the arrival of prototypes on the market. The prototype should relate to the priority areas of smart specialisation (health and quality of life, energy and sustainable environment, transport and mobility, security, food and bioeconomy, and horizontal ICT and KET), but all innovations will be taken into consideration.

PARTICIPANTS: Each prototype may be presented by an individual or by a working group (informal, such as a group of friends, or a legal entity – a startup, a company, an association). A minimum age of 16 is required, as well as a willingness to travel in order to present the prototype. Participation is free of charge and subject to the selection of the applications considered most suitable.

HOW AND WHEN TO APPLY: Fill in the application form (link), which must be submitted by Thursday, 8 February 2018 at 4 p.m. at the latest. Fill in one registration form per prototype, regardless of the number of people making up your team.

SELECTION / EVALUATION CRITERIA: Applications will be assessed by an international jury. Among the submitted projects, at most two applications per national partner will be selected for inclusion in the pilot activities. The selection criteria will assess the degree of the proposed innovation, its originality, usefulness, the potential for further development of the prototype, its relevance to the priority areas, environmental and ethical aspects (circular economy, renewable raw materials), aesthetics and appearance, promotional potential (name, motto) and social impact.

PRIZES: The selected prototype teams will have the opportunity to develop their prototypes in the following phases:

• A coaching programme and access to FabLab resources. Between March and April 2018, a specific coaching / incubation programme will be set up for the prototypes. In this phase you will have free access to FabLab’s facilities and machines, and we will provide you with the basic materials with which you can develop your prototype further. At the end of this phase the prototype will be practically ready to be placed on the market, and you will have a business and production plan.
• Two international FabBusiness events. In May there will be two events for presenting the prototypes, in Budapest and Bratislava. Prototypes from the other partners will also take part in these events.
• And if you are selected… the Tech-Fest in Munich! Out of all the prototypes, 4 will be selected to take part in the Tech-Fest in Munich, the largest event of this kind in the EU.

Participants undertake to attend the coaching programme in the city of Zagreb. The programme is free of charge and financed by InterregCE. It covers the coaching programme carried out at FabLab in Zagreb, the use of FabLab resources, machines and materials, and travel and accommodation for at least one team representative for the events in Bratislava / Budapest and, if selected further, at the Tech-Fest in Munich. Participants are responsible for travel to and from Zagreb, food and accommodation during the training and everything else not explicitly listed. There are no monetary awards or other prizes!

THE CALL IS ORGANISED BY: MUSE FabLab, Progetto FabLabNet, CLAb Trento, HIT Hub Innovazione Trentino, Digital Innovation Hub Brescia, FabLab Budapest, FabLab Slovensko, UnternehmerTUM | MakerSpace, FabLab.hr

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FABLABNET PROJECT!