Last Tuesday we were happy to take part at EDF Pulse 2016 kickoff.
The équipe from EDF Pulse organized a great conference to launch both their internal and external awards for this new edition. The internal awards aimed to make the group’s employees aware that they are full of bright ideas, and the external ones to foster innovation outside of the firm.
It was 2014 when EDF decided to officialize its flair for innovation inaugurating EDF pulse awards, to live up to the belief that progress and innovation lead to growth, and now they are on track for their successful third edition.
The EDF Pulse Awards are divided into 3 main categories:
- Smart home: for innovations that make the home safer, more energy saving and, in general, more responsive today’s smart living;
- E-health: for innovation with improving autonomy and health of dependent individuals;
- Low Carbon City: for innovations promoting energy efficiency across towns and cities and reduced carbon footprint as well as the growth of electric-powered urban transport, the smart city, “low carbon” city services and smart grids.
A winner will be chosen for each category. EDF Pulse Awards will provide the winners with a both tangible and operational support: a €100,000 grant as well as EDF’s assistance in improving their visibility and reputation (media campaign).
Startups, what are you waiting for?
Applications will be open from October 26 to December 6th.
To be eligible for entry, a project must match one of the three awards categories and it must also:
- Be from a corporate entity of less than 30 people
- Be based in Europe
- Be created before the end of 2015
- Have a prototype or a model of the product
- Be in a pre-commercialisation phase or time to market of 18 months, not have commercialized for less than a year
- To start clinic testing before 31/12/2016 in case of e-health
The applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Ease of understanding the innovation
- Progress at individual and/or community levels
- Originality and distinctiveness of the innovation
- Economic viability of the project (potential market, business model, etc.)
- Quality of the team
- Clarity, accuracy, and concision of the application
- Expected impact of the EDF Pulse Awards on the project
- Interest from Internet users.
A first selection will occur between December 7th and January 31st, 12-15 nominees to be picked by an official jury on February 10th.
And when you think it could not get better…you find out that EDF doesn’t require any capital participation. EDF Pulse genuinely aims to promote innovation and to contribute to the development of the future by providing support and exposure to their startups.
Keep an eye on their site and don’t forget to apply!