Details
Application is now open for the ISC3 Innovation Challenge in Sustainable Chemistry and Waste: Prevention, Valorization & Management.
The Innovation Challenge is an annual challenge by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre. It focuses on a specific topic that follows a respective focus topic.
The prize
- The finalists will gain access to customized support from ISC3 Global Start-up Service, pitch training, networking opportunities, as well as visibility.
- The winner will gain a monetary prize of 15,000 EUR.
- Also, the winners of the “Best Social Impact” as well as “Best Regional Impact” categories will receive 5,000 EUR each.
- All three winners will also receive digital award credentials as well as blockchain-based certificates and badges.
Areas of Challenge
The current third Innovation Challenge addresses innovators developing solutions in the following thematic areas:
Waste Prevention:
- Avoiding as well as reducing environmental impact
- Durability and resilience
- Closing material, molecule, and energy cycles
- Waste reduction/avoidance by resource-efficient chemical as well as biotechnological production
- Substitution of critical product ingredients preventing recycling
- Also, Product design for longevity and better recyclability
Waste Valorisation:
- Recovery and reuse of waste streams:
- plastic and other materials waste
- electronic waste
- agricultural and food waste
- construction waste
- production waste
- waste-water
- Also, other waste streams
- Recycling, beneficial reuse, value recovery
- In addition, Waste reclamation
- Energy and scarce element recovery
- Also, business models facilitating waste collection and valorisation
Waste Management:
- Safe and sound management of waste
- Waste and waste-water treatment
- Also, harmful substances in materials and products
- Collection, transport, treatment, disposal, monitoring as well as regulation
ISC3 2022 special focus topic:
- Waste management related to renewable energy supply
Also check out: Fishbowl Challenge 2022 || Pitch to launch your social venture
Submission of proposals
The submission of proposals will follow a 2-stage procedure. First stage submissions include an online template that asks for a brief description of the innovation, the business perspectives as well as the innovators team.
Eligible submissions will get invitation to the second stage where you will learn more about this stage.
Competition criteria
The proposals will be assessed against the three main criteria:
- Innovation level: Is the innovation unique, distinct as well as truly original?
- Business viability: What is the market potential of the innovation? Also, is the idea commercially feasible?
- Sustainability: What is the sustainability impact of the innovation?
Rules and Eligibility
- All innovators and entrepreneurs are eligible
- Enterprises participating in the challenge shall have a staff headcount not exceeding 50 (full-time equivalent)
- The enterprise should also have an annual turnover of max. 10 Mill. Euro.
- Moreover, Enterprises majority-owned by large enterprises is not eligible for the award, with the exception of innovations leading to the creation of independent spin-offs.
- Proposals submitted by innovators and entrepreneurs from developing countries and tackling challenges in developing countries are considered as particularly important.
- Moreover, female entrepreneurs are specifically encouraged to submit a proposal.
The timeline
Deadline for first stage submission: April 19th, 2022
Deadline for second stage submission: June 15th, 2022
Jury Evaluation: June 16th – July 11 2022
Finalist announcements: after July 15, 2022
Finalist pitch training: September 2022
Innovation Challenge Award Ceremony: November 2022
Specifications
| Type of Opportunity | Entrepreneurship Events |
|---|---|
| Deadline | 19 April,2022 |
| Field | Sustainable Business |
| Open to | All |
| Organizer | International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre |
| Contact the organizer | astrid.ewaz©isc3.org |