Innovation Competition: The New Edition of the i-Nov Section

The French government has launched the new edition of i-Nov, part of the larger Innovation Competition. The goal of the i-Nov section is to support projects developed by start-ups and innovative SMEs. Candidates have until May 12 to submit their entries.

A GOVERNMENTAL PRIORITY

The government wants to make France a leading nation in the creation and development of innovative companies, making use of cutting edge French research in the realms of technology and environmental, energy and agri-food transitions. The Innovation Competition was launched to further this goal. Its three-pronged system has already, according to the Ministry of Research, permitted "the co-financing of research, development and innovation projects with total costs of between 600,000 and 5 million euros." 62 projects from the i-Nov section were chosen in 2019, for a total amount of 34 million euros.

NINE INNOVATIVE TOPICS

Participating start-ups and SMEs have until May 12, 2020 to submit their entries for the fifth official i-Nov competition to its two operators, ADEME and Bpifrance, each in charge of considering the entries in light of nine topics, split between the two.

• ADME is responsible for four topics: renewable energy, energy systems and storage; sustainable transportation and mobility; eco-efficient industry and agriculture; and water and biodiversity.
  
  
• Bpifrance is responsible for five topics: digital deep tech; health and emergency situations; French Fab - industry of the future; cybersecurity; and sustainable foods for health.
  
  

THE INNOVATION COMPETITION, A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM

The Innovation Competition is made up of three complementary sections:

• the i-PHD competition, an upstream contest for young researchers.
• the i-Lab competition, which supports research and researchers in the finalization of a product, procedure or innovative technological service.
• the i-Nov competition, which helps start-ups and SMEs develop innovative solutions.

To find out more: Visit the website of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation