ELEVATE Project Selects 12 Teams for European Acceleration Programme
Following the evaluation of 23 applications, the European ELEVATE project, coordinated by Universidade Católica Portuguesa, has selected 12 teams for the first edition of its European Acceleration Programme.
The selected teams are developing projects across the programme’s four strategic areas: Artificial Intelligence, Food and Biotechnology, Biomedicine and Health, and Cultural and Creative Industries.
Twelve teams from four European countries
One third of the selected teams are from Universidade Católica Portuguesa, representing the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF) at the Faculty of Biotechnology, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Institute for Computing and Data Science.
The remaining teams come from institutions in Italy, with three teams, Germany, with three teams, and Denmark, with one team.
A 12-week acceleration programme
Over the course of 12 weeks, the teams will participate in an acceleration programme combining specialised training in key areas that support entrepreneurship and start-up creation, one-to-one mentoring sessions, and networking opportunities with academic partners, businesses, and investors.
The programme brings together trainers and mentors from leading universities, companies, and innovation organisations in Portugal, Italy, and Denmark.
Immersion Week in Trieste
The programme includes an Immersion Week, taking place in early December in Trieste, Italy.
During this intensive week, all participating teams will come together for training, mentoring, networking, and engagement with the local innovation ecosystem.
The initiative will conclude with a final pitching event, during which a €5,000 prize will be awarded to the winning team in each of the four thematic areas.
According to João Cortez, Director of the Research and Innovation Office at Universidade Católica Portuguesa and Coordinator of the ELEVATE project, the University’s central role in the programme, including its contribution to the team of trainers and mentors, reflects its commitment to promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, and the transfer of knowledge to society.
A European Catalyst for Innovation
ELEVATE is a European project led by Universidade Católica Portuguesa that aims to transform knowledge into solutions with real societal impact by promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in the fields of Food and Biotechnology, Biomedicine, Artificial Intelligence, and Cultural and Creative Industries.
Funded by the European Union’s EIT Higher Education Initiative (EIT HEI), ELEVATE brings together higher education institutions and industry partners from Portugal, Italy, and Denmark:
- Università degli Studi di Trieste, Italy
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
- Aarhus University, Denmark
- Food4Sustainability CoLAB, Portugal
- TecmaFoods, Portugal
- MateraHub, Italy
The ELEVATE Acceleration Programme connects three European innovation ecosystems through an interdisciplinary approach covering four strategic domains. By bringing academic knowledge closer to real societal challenges, the programme supports the development of innovative solutions with economic and social impact.
The programme received 23 applications from teams across 10 countries. These included 13 applications involving universities from the Transform4Europe alliance and three applications submitted by teams that had previously participated in ELEVATE training activities.
