In BIND 4.0 SME Connection, startups will be able to face new industry challenges and immerse themselves in the Basque Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, through open innovation. The selected startups will be able to implement their solutions in real environments, collaborating with benchmark industrial SMEs in the Basque Country.
This is a new public-private initiative of BIND 4.0, created in collaboration with the industry’s Cluster Development Organisations (ODC [Organizaciones Dinamizadoras de Clústeres]). The aim is to bring startups closer to SMEs in order to speed up their digital transformation and face and solve their technological challenges.
The driving force behind the SME Connection initiative is to use the connections and experience of the BIND 4.0 Open Innovation Platform to generate new opportunities for collaboration between Basque SMEs and startups, following the Cluster Challenges model.
Figures from the 1st edition
SMEs and
their challenges
Cluster Development Organisations
Challenges
posed
Startup solutions
Applications
Projects
Leading Basque SMEs, together with the clusters, identify a series of common challenges that directly affect their businesses. The aim of the BIND 4.0 SME Connection initiative is to respond to these challenges with the best technological response on the market. Participating SMEs can select the solutions presented that best fit their demand, depending on the challenges posed.
They are leading benchmark companies in the sectors of Aeronautics, Food, Automotive, Bio-health, Construction, Energy, Railway Equipment, Foundry and Forging, Habitat, Wood, Office and Contract, Maritime Industries, Environment, Paper, Iron and Steel Products and Facilities, Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, ICTs and Knowledge and Transport, Mobility and Logistics, which are seeking external solutions for their internal digital transformation challenges. These SMEs are also active members of the clusters that promote industrial challenges.
Phases of the programme:
1
January
Public presentation of Cluster challenges and Open Call for startups
2
February
Pre-selection and evaluation of desired solutions. Preliminary list of selected startups.
3
March
Startup pitching sessions and matchmaking with participating SMEs
4
April
Definition and agreement of the terms for each startup – SME challenge
5
May - October
Implementation of startup solutions in real environments
6
September-October
Open call for new Clusters, SMEs and challenges
7
October
The Programme ends with the Innovation Showcase, presenting the results of the applied solutions
Startups developing new technologies for the industrial sector and its related services, which have already completed their technological development. In other words, startups that have a product or solution that can be seen, demonstrated, tested and even already available on the market.
Startups no more than 8 years old, which make use of new technologies to improve industrial processes and that are ready to accelerate their business development.
Startups with disruptive solutions that can be applied to the Energy, Smart Industry, Environment and Automotive industries, including: artificial intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Computing, cybersecurity, machine vision, IoT, 3D printing – additive manufacturing, collaborative robotics, nanotechnology, new materials, augmented reality and virtual reality, among others.
Applications must meet the following minimum requirements:
These are the characteristics that participating SMEs must meet:
BIND SME Connection is mainly focused on the following startup profiles:
Participating SMEs commit to:
The latter implies a minimum dedication of 40 hours in order to get involved and benefit from the programme, which implies a proactive participation in the programme and the work to be done internally in the organisation. The minimum tasks and hours to be performed are as follows:
BIND 4.0 SME Connection gives startups from all over the world the opportunity to present their solutions to the technological challenges of Basque companies in the same sector of activity