European founders, that is your second! On 23 October 2025, the Innovation Fair lands in Brussels (with a hybrid format) underneath the theme “Enabling that step ahead”. It’s searching for 16 excellent startups to take the stage along with innovators from Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean to showcase their revolutionary options with potential for market and societal uptake throughout the three areas.
What’s in it for you
Sixteen startups/SMEs (together with college spin-offs) shall be chosen to ship a two-minute pitch to an viewers of private and non-private traders, policy-makers and potential companions (together with corporates, researchers, and civil society organisations).
Profitable pitchers will obtain a tailor-made prize to assist de-risk and advance their initiative – for instance, assist with mental property, enterprise and go-to-market planning, advertising, R&D scaling, or manufacturing and manufacturing processes. They may even be sponsored to attend the occasion in Brussels.
Who’s it for?
Candidates’ pitches ought to give attention to worldwide collaboration with Africa and/or the Mediterranean area, aligning with the analysis and innovation cooperation priorities under:
- Public Well being (4 startups/SMEs): How does your innovation concretely enhance public well being in Europe and/or Africa and/or the Mediterranean area?
- Inexperienced Transition: How does your innovation (a) enhance meals safety and agriculture, or (b) assist to halt local weather change and foster the inexperienced transition in Europe and/or Africa and/or the Mediterranean area?
- a) Meals and Vitamin Safety and Sustainable Agriculture (2 startups/SMEs)
- b) Renewable vitality, local weather change and sustainable/renewable vitality (2 startups/SMEs)
- Innovation and Know-how (4 startups/SMEs): How does your innovation concretely enhance innovation and know-how in Europe and/or Africa and/or the Mediterranean area?
- Capacities for Science (4 startups/SMEs): How does your innovation strengthen innovation, entrepreneurship and/or analysis ecosystems in Europe and/or Africa and/or the Mediterranean area?
Candidates can apply to pitch whatever the stage their startup/SME is in.
The way to apply
Submit your expression of interest by 24 August 2025 (midnight CEST). Embody a brief description of your innovation, the problem you tackle, your traction, and the assist that may enable you scale. Please guarantee all questions are answered totally and that every one required paperwork are hooked up.
Shortlisted candidates shall be contacted with sensible particulars.
Concerning the Innovation Honest
The pitching will happen as a part of the Innovation Honest, which shall be a landmark occasion celebrating the vibrancy of R&I cooperation between Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean area. It marks the continued implementation of key multilateral regional coverage initiatives: the AU-EU Innovation Agenda, the upcoming New Pact for the Mediterranean, and the Union for the Mediterranean R&I Roadmaps.
The Innovation Honest will include a collection of pitches within the morning and an exhibition of revolutionary options within the afternoon, with roughly 500 attendees on-site. Pitchers may have the chance to community and change in rooms stuffed with key R&I stakeholders, traders, and Senior Officers.
Who’s behind it
Expressions of curiosity shall be assessed by a process pressure from the Innovation Honest organising group, with representatives from the Africa–Europe Innovation Platform (AEIP), Strengthening European and African Digital Ecosystems (SEADE), the AU–EU Innovation Agenda Working Group of the AU–EU Excessive-Degree Coverage Dialogue on Science, Know-how and Innovation, and the Union for the Mediterranean.
Two key occasions – again to again!
The Africa-Europe Innovation Platform (AEIP) is organising its annual occasion, Bridging Continents through Innovation: Africa-Europe Innovation Dialogues, sooner or later previous to the Innovation Honest, on 22 October, in Brussels, Belgium. The AEIP is a Horizon Europe venture that fosters African-Europe analysis and innovation collaboration.
Profitable pitchers may even be invited to those Innovation Dialogues, the place they will meet different stakeholders from the innovation worth chain, equivalent to African and European coverage makers, civil society, incubators, accelerators, and extra. They may even get first-hand details about the AEIP Platform and actions, equivalent to alternatives for coaching, constructing partnerships, networking, and so on.
You don’t want to be a pitcher on the Innovation Honest to attend the Africa-Europe Innovation Dialogues, so join now to profit from each occasions! The occasion shall be held in a hybrid format, so you can too register your curiosity for the net participation. Register here.
For extra details about the Innovation Honest and how one can apply, you may click here or contact [email protected].
