DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL EUROPEAN INNOVATION AND STARTUP VILLAGES

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CONCEPT:

The objective is to analyse the state of innovation and entrepreneurship at rural areas at European level and also promote there innovation and entrepreneurship, based on a study about Startup Villages and The Long Term Vision, aligned with the concepts supported by the European Commission. 

Note: Potential definition of startup village:
It is related to villages willing to execute activities helping themselves to become stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous areas and communities, having approximately a population equal or lower than 15.000 inhabitants.

Such actions should be orientated to create new opportunities to attract innovative businesses (startups, innovative SMEs, digital nomads, innovators, etc.), provide access to quality jobs, promote new and improved skills, ensure better infrastructure and services, and leverage the role of sustainable agriculture and diversified economic activities.

Such villages must have a coworking space as a tool to promote the above actions where relevant aspects related to innovation and entrepreneurship should be taken into account. These relevant aspects include, among others:

– The number of startups and entrepreneurs associated to the Startup Village.
– The innovation and entrepreneurship activities (eg. events, matchmaking, etc) carried out at it.
– Access to connectivity (fiber).
– The participation of the Startup Village and its entrepreneurs/startups taking part in events and other activities related to entrepreneurship and innovation.
– The number of activities organised by the Startup Village.
– Description of the coworking space (a photo and a description of the coworking space, etc.)

 WHO IS ELEGIBLE:

To participate, each Startup Village should get registered and allow the project to use the information for this study and to be included and shown in the repository. This information will refer to:

Relevant aspects related to innovation and entrepreneurship:
– The prospects and problems of startups in European rural areas and in the Startup Villages which currently exist.
– The number of startups and entrepreneurs associated to each Startup Village.
– The innovation and entrepreneurship activities (eg. events, matchmaking, etc) carried out at them.
– Access to connectivity (fiber).
– The participation of the Startup Village and its entrepreneurs/startups taking part in events and other activities related to entrepreneurship and innovation.
– The number of activities organised by the Startup Villages.
– Description of the coworking space (a photo and a description of the coworking space etc.)

General aspect of the village:
– The number of inhabitants (maximum of 15.000 inhabitants approx.).
– A brief description of the village and its commercial/business/entrepreneurial activity.
– A photo of the village and the coworking space must be inserted, as well as a description of the latter.

 DATES:

– Call for startup villages and Registration – NEW DEADLINE : 21st February ‘22.
– Winner announcement: end of February ‘22.
– Execution: Starting March ‘22 and ending November ‘22.

 AWARDS:

(Major awards) Six awards of 20.000 € each (taxes included) + (Minor awards) Three awards of 10.000 € each (taxes included), consisting of covering the salary of 1 employee to run the coworking space of the startup village (to ensure the operavility of the coworking space and attract startups, digital nomads, etc.), during a period of at least 12 months. (Every 2 months the employee will have to send to the organisation a report of the improvement made). The award also covers at least 2 travelling cost to attend the launch event.

Ten awards of startup OLÉ ’22 package. Each package includes: Networking Platform / APP | Round Tables | Matchmaking | Pitch Competition | Virtual Fair / Stand | Global Visibility | Networking Cocktails (for 2 persons of each team) | And much more… As well as the above award, it also covers the traveling cost to attend the event in Salamanca, Spain.

INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY AT STARTUP VILLAGES

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Geographical scope: Spain and Portugal.

BACKGROUND TO THE PLEDGE:

With a history of over 170 years, today Iberdrola is a global energy leader, the number-one producer of wind power and one of the world’s biggest electricity utilities by market capitalisation. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries, has more than 600,000 shareholders, a workforce comprising almost 39,000 employees and assets worth more than €123 billion.

The group is leading the transition towards a sustainable energy model and today is one of the companies with the lowest emissions and an international benchmark for its contribution to the fight against climate change and to sustainability. Additionally, Iberdrola was recognized by the European Commission as the most innovative Spanish utility and the third one at European level. In the short term, the utility will assign 330 million euros by 2022 for R&D activities,
reaching 400 million euros by 2025.

Iberdrola is strongly committed with rural areas as key stakeholders for the energy transition, with several initiatives and projects to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and the generation of local employment, to boost the economic activity of these regions and to decarbonize rural activities, for the consolidation of a zero emissions energy model.

CONCEPT

In this context, Iberdrola will focus on the objective to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability at rural areas in those geographies the group operates (for this call, specifically Spain and Portugal) throughout the identification of Startup Villages that could be eligible to become a Sustainable Startup Village.

Note:

Potential definition of start-up village: It is related to villages willing to execute activities
helping themselves to become stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous areas and communities, having approximately a population equal or lower than 15.000 inhabitants.

This initiative would be oriented to create new opportunities to attract businesses and job opportunities around reforestation and usage of land for sustainable activities that helps to improve biodiversity and reduce or capture CO2 emissions, via innovative solutions supporting the digitalization, monitoring and maintenance of these sites (e.g. reforestation sites).

Such Startup Villages must have a clear strategy and plan on the promotion of entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability. It will be considered, among others:

– Planned initiatives such as events, coworking spaces or others with focus on creating
new business opportunities and talent attraction.
– The village’s strategy regarding rural and demographic challenges.
– The village’s plan regarding sustainability with special focus on renewable energy, demand electrification (mobility and heat) and decarbonization of other rural activities.
– Grants and public support for new businesses creation (i.e. start-ups) and talent attraction.
– Grants and public support regarding sustainable initiatives.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

To participate, each Startup Village should get registered and allow the project to use the information for this scouting and to be included and shown in the repository. This information will refer to:

Relevant aspects related to innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability:
– Number of start-ups and entrepreneurs associated to each Startup Village (if any).
– Innovation and entrepreneurship activities (e.g. Coworking spaces, events, matchmaking, etc) to be carry out.
– Number and brief description of activities developed by the Startup Villages before 2022.
– Strategy and plan regarding innovation and sustainability including grants and public support.

General aspect of the village:
– Number of inhabitants (maximum of 15.000 inhabitants approx.).
– A brief description of the village and its commercial/business/entrepreneurial activity.
– Content showing innovation, entrepreneurial and sustainable initiatives (e.g. pictures, videos, news, etc.)
– Availability of recent reforestation land or land to be reforested (preferably owned by the town council), including land characteristics (dimensions, location, etc.)

DATES

– Open call for start-up villages registration: January 1st – end of March ‘22
– Winner announcement: end of March ‘22
– Execution period: April ’22 – December ‘22

PRIZE:

The prize will consist on a collaboration with IBERDROLA which will support the cost of land reforestation and implementation of innovative solutions for the digitalization, monitoring and maintenance of the reforestation site, for up to 5 awarded proposals (depending on the quality of applicants). This could include:

– Land reforestation (if needed).
– Implementation of innovative solutions for the digitalization, monitoring and maintenance of the reforested site.
– Identification as “Sustainable Startup Village” and promotion of the initiatives on social media and public events.
– Guidance and support on other sustainable initiatives such as renewable energy, mobility or heat electrification.

Additionally, the village will be awarded with a Startup OLÉ ’22 package. Each package includes: Networking Platform / APP | Round Tables | Matchmaking | Pitch Competition | Virtual Fair / Stand | Global Visibility | Networking Cocktails (for 2 persons of each team) | And much more…

Legal Bases [PDF]

EUROPEAN STARTUP VILLAGE - ATTRACTING REMOTE WORKERS AND JOB CREATION INITIATIVE

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CONCEPT:

The objective of this pledge is to support European Startup Villages in becoming the ultimate “Live-Work Destinations” by making a mark on the global map and eventually attracting remote workers, inward investment, and top-sought skills in this new world of work and opportunity.

The Startup Village Award and Discounted Pledge will promote regional rebalancing, encourage attraction and retention of skills, and help rural areas reach their full potential whilst also aligning with the bigger mission supported by the European Commission.

Note: Potential definition of «startup village»
It is related to villages willing to execute activities helping themselves to become stronger, connected, resilient, and prosperous areas and communities, having approximately a population equal to or lower than 15,000 inhabitants.

SOLUTION:

The Startup Village Platform, developed by Abodoo, is a visual and interactive citizen map of your startup village containing all of the key information and insights about the region’s assets that are needed to attract remote workers and support rural regeneration. This is an incredible opportunity for villages to showcase themselves as a live-work destination.

For every worker that relocates to the startup village, there is an economic impact of 2.5 service jobs created, leading to economic prosperity with limited investment.

START UP VILLAGE PLATFORM – THE THREE-FOLD METHODOLOGY

The StartUp Village Pledge includes four key elements to support your Village in driving inwards people and company investment.

1. The “Live and Work in…” Promotional Landing Page

We create a “Live and Work Promotional Landing Page” for each village, highlighting the key reasons why it is a wonderful place to locate.

This landing page is the first engagement point with potential new resident remote workers that are realising they can work from anywhere.

This landing page can be hosted by the village or by Abodoo, and its purpose is to entice the reader to enter their name and email address to access information about the startup village.

2. The StartUp Village Platform: An interactive visualisation of the region’s
key assets

The user can then access a dynamic dashboard from anywhere at any time. The map is interactive and enables the user to have all the information in one centralised location.

• The number of startups and entrepreneurs associated with each Startup Village
• Housing (Average Prices)
• Schooling (Number and Capacity of each school, higher education institutes)
• Childcare/Creche Facilities
• Transport Connectivity to nearby locations and main cities
• Co-working locations (number and capacity of each co-working space)
• Connectivity (3-5 G/ Fiber)
• Estimated Living Expenses
• Population Demographics (Census)
• Local Attractions (Tourism Data)
• Data on other key social infrastructures.

*Data observations are dependent on what is available from the village and public online information.

3. An inclusive register and discovery process for interested remote workers
and global businesses

The users who are visiting the landing page and are intrigued by the asset map of the startup village are then invited to register their interest, which captures the following information for the startup village.

• Contact Telephone and Email Address
• Current Location (Are they already residents or not? If not, what’s their current location)
• Do they want to relocate?
• Are they currently working or not?
• What is their job/experience type? (Remote/On-site/etc.).
• What is their job/experience industry?
• What are their job/experience skills?
• What are their estimated earnings?
• Dependents and their respective ages?
• Do they currently own a home or rent a place?
• Do they plan to buy a home or rent a place in the startup village?

This information can be accessed by the StartUp Village in real-time.

AWARD AND DISCOUNT OFFER

One award valued at €24,000 was awarded on April 4th, to Berzosa del Lozoya. This winning startup village was assessed by a judging panel.

The first 22 Startup Villages that sign up before October 31st, 2022, will receive a 65% discount. The standard monthly subscription for the Startup Village Platform is 2000 euros. The applied discount of 65% brings the total investment down to 700 euros per month on an annual licence.

Each startup village will get:
– The creation of a landing page to promote the StartUp Village.
– An interactive map to showcase the StartUp Village.
– The registration process is to capture interested remote workers and digital nomads.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE:

To participate, each Startup Village should have the ambition of wanting to attract remote workers, families, entrepreneurs, and inward investment through jobs, and global companies.

The key criteria to be eligible for this initiative include:

• The number of inhabitants (a maximum of 15.000 inhabitants approximately)
• Access to internet connectivity and fibre connectivity
• A vision for job creation, advancing social infrastructure, and repopulation to support future
  investment strategy, reskilling, and funding applications.
• The Startup Village should also be part or have applied to become part of the EU Startup Village
  Forum.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Discount Registration is from February 10th, 2022 to October 31st, 2022.

ONBOARDING:

On registration, we will arrange a meeting to discuss your StartUp Village needs and ambitions. Any Startup Villages who enter their details will automatically be entitled to the discount offer on a first-come, first-served basis till October 31st, 2022.

Once a region is onboarded, the following details need to be shared by the rural region with Abodoo:

To set the context, the following data points need to be shared:

• A summary of the village’s commercial/business/entrepreneurial activity and social infrastructure
• The existing vision for job creation and repopulation
• Recent photos or video graphics from the region
• The description of the coworking space (a photo, the description of the coworking space, etc.)

REGISTER NOW:

Click here to register your Startup Village!

DESCRIPTION:

To ensure that rural areas can continue to play the essential roles they currently do, the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas up to 2040 has been set up. In this framework, the European Startup Village Forum, through its “pledges”, aims to support innovation, sustainability at the European level, to generate a positive impact in many ways.

The following pledge proposes Hontoria, a small town in the central area of Spain, as an ideal Startup Village to deploy the first PEM electrolyser factory in the country. Enagás, as the main gas TSO in Spain and with presence in 7 other countries, in its firm conviction to become a carrier of renewable gases, is the initial promoter that bets in 2020 for the constitution and acceleration of H2Greem, the first Spanish company that designs, manufactures and commercializes electrolyzers for the production of green H2 (owned technology).

The company has made so far an investment in the startup of around 300.000€ and with the forecast of new investments of Enagás and other investors around 1-1,5 MM€ in the short therm, H2Greem projects the leap from the laboratory to industrialization, for which the location of the town of Hontoria, strategically located in the central region of the country, is proposed.

Nowadays, the Company already carry out their activities from this small village located in the region of Castilla y León, in the province of Segovia, where less than 500 inhabitants are living today. Following the startup’s values, interests and willing to contribute to one of the EU’s objectives regarding geographical democracy, Hontoria is as well the location chosen by Enagás to locate H2Greem. From there, H2Greem will lead the manufacture of green hydrogen electrolyzers, and where the next stage of business development will be built.

The increasing global interest in the hydrogen sector is clearly reflected in the growth of the company, so H2Greem plans to scale up from the laboratory to the industrialization of its process, aiming to respond to this demand. The target market for H2Greem goes from the industrial range to high production for supply in gas networks. All of this being framed in a country that hosts more than half of the European production capacity planned for this type of technology.

In addition, the initiative aims to contribute to mitigating one of the country’s major current problems, the massive concentration of the population in very specific points of the territory, which implies a further general issue regarding the lack of resources and opportunities of the so called «empty Spain», where the rural exodus has affected progress and development, harming these areas and limiting their growth. Hontoria would be a witness and active party in the construction project of this factory, which is estimated to last 2 years and has a total budget of 0.4-0.6M€.

In addition, H2Greem’s sales plan includes the sale of electrolysers in 2022 for a value of more than 680,000 € and the already mentioned imminent entry of new investors in its shareholding will give even more value to the startup. In this favourable stage of H2GReem’s development, to continue hosting the activity of the Company would mean for Hontoria a powerful trigger for the attraction of new projects to the area. This doesn’t only mean a great opportunity offered to the talent of the area, but also the ability to generate and attract qualified quality employment (including specialized jobs) linked to the activity, and therefore income that will directly and positively impact the economy of the region. At this moment, H2Greem already has 6 workers, all of them highly qualified, working from Hontoria.

In addition to the dynamizing effect on the service sector that the factory will have imminently, it is very likely that suppliers, both generic and technology, will be able to locate or frequently visit H2Greem’s facilities. The boost that can be given to H2Greem by this project is strengthened by contributing jointly to two important common objectives: promoting the production of green hydrogen in Spain and attracting industrial activity, talent and employment to rural areas with a lot of potential for development and much to contribute to the energy landscape.

Hontoria would therefore become the Spanish town where the first factory of hydrogen producing equipment is located, playing an strategic role in the long-awaited decarbonization of energy.