The launch of the international open innovation competition The Pella Challenge, implemented by Interfima , and supported by PMI Science .

Purpose of the competition The Pella Challenge is support scientists, research institutions and start-ups from the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa) the creation of work ideas and scenarios and participation in the process of hatching new business schemes to exploit research results that appear to be able to positively develop the market.

In addition, The Pella Challenge aims to:

• promoting new partnerships
• strengthening cooperation between researchers
• the exchange of knowledge between the business and academic world

The aim is to move from scientific discovery to business application.

Applications are accepted in areas such as:

• Innovative solutions for sustainable magnetic materials: Focus on alternatives to replace ferromagnetic materials with new, ideally non-metallic materials, which should be biodegradable or compostable or at least have an improved impact on the environment.
• Systems and applications for age prediction: Emphasis is placed on determining the biological/chronological age of an individual. The proposed solution should work seamlessly and be scalable. The technology could be based on visual, sensory, auditory, biomarkers, movement, etc.
• Individual element identification/discrimination systems for devices consisting of fixed and detachable parts: Focus on technologies and applications for the detection and classification of detached-consumable elements under high temperature conditions. It should be possible to reduce the system. In addition, if the proposed system requires the same consumables, these should be low-cost.

The above fields are presented quite generally. The purpose of this open call is not to exclude ideas, theories and applications that may be related and applied in the above cognitive environments.

The Pella Challenge programme will be implemented in two stages

During the 1st stage, candidates will work closely with an interdisciplinary team of experts to elaborate the ideas and adapt them to specific applications. The selected ideas will be prepared to be presented to PMI Science representatives. Following the results of the 1st stage, the selected ideas will proceed to the 2nd stage. During this 2nd stage, a detailed work plan will be developed and the teams will start working on the proof-implementation of the idea and the development of a prototype.

After the completion of this stage, additional funding and investment opportunities may arise for the projects that will be deemed interesting by PMI Science. The international innovation competition The Pella Challenge is supported, among others, by:

• The region of Central Macedonia,
• The Alexandria Innovation Zone,
• The Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH),
• the THESS INTEC technology park, and
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) by providing free cloud computing services for the teams selected to participate in the program.

Who can apply

"Individuals, groups of researchers, high-tech application professionals, engineering researchers from research centres, universities and other scientific institutes as well as high-tech companies from the EMEA region are eligible to apply. We are looking for candidates (teams and individuals) with a strong scientific and technical background and with a proven ability to design and implement a high-quality project in one of the directions of the program. The desired background of the candidates (but not limited to) is: Chemistry, Materials Science, Biology, Engineering, Innovation and Technology Management, Physics, Mathematics, etc. Scientific knowledge (academic qualification) as well as experience in carrying out research projects are an additional advantage".

The benefits of participation

• Possibility of cooperation under market conditions with a multinational organization
• Ability to transfer technology from the laboratory environment to the actual market and promote this achievement
• Participation in corporate – operational bootcamps
• Access to free computing services (cloud credits)
• Funding and investment opportunities of the idea and technology

How to apply for the programme The Pella Challenge

Those interested should fill in the Online Application and upload the proposal. All documents in the application package are submitted in English. The deadline for applications is 26 August 2022. For any information you can contact the pella@interfima.org.