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Scotland-wide search is on for global green ideas competition

ECCI is opening the ClimateLaunchpad green business competition – with cash prizes of up to €10,000 – for applications today.

The COVID-19 crisis has shown that innovation in the face of global challenges is more essential than ever. Climatelaunchpad is adapting to the crisis by switching all elements of the competition online, with over 50 countries taking part.

Recruitment, training and pitching (and winning!) is all possible from home, so ECCI is keen to attract green entrepreneurs from all corners of Scotland.

How to enter

To enter the competition, budding inventors and entrepreneurs simply have to submit an idea or innovation that is tackling climate change.

If selected competitors will take part in an online Boot Camp and coaching sessions to develop their idea into a rock-solid business plan, with a chance to pitch this idea during the online Scotland-wide final later this year.

The top two winners of each national competition will go on to compete in the worldwide Grand Final with prize money of up to €10,000 for the overall winner. On top of that the top ten winners move on to the renowned EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator programme to help low carbon start-ups get investment-ready.

ECCI’s Head of Innovation and Skills Jamie Brogan said: “The COVID-19 crisis has shown that innovation is more essential than ever so ECCI is delighted to be launching ClimateLaunchpad in Scotland again this year.

“The whole process has been adapted so that it runs entirely online, which we hope will encourage climate entrepreneurs from all over Scotland to apply."

“Whether your idea is just on a napkin or your smartphone, or you’ve been dreaming of making it happen for years, if you have a business idea that is tackling climate change then we want to hear from you!”

Founder of Falkirk-based start-up uFraction8, Monika Tomecka, who won a top 10 place in the Global Final in 2017, said: “ClimateLaunchpad is a great place to bounce your ideas off other entrepreneurs as well as experienced mentors.

“The competition offers amazing training which helps you to prepare for the final pitch - but more importantly, it helps you to define what you've got and what you're lacking to develop your idea into successful business.”

In 2018 ECCI hosted the Global Grand Final of ClimateLaunchpad in Edinburgh for the first time, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon giving the keynote address. ECCI-supported start-up Crover beat off stiff competition from hundreds of competitors to bag third place, becoming the top performing Scottish team in the competition ever.

Crover founder Lorenzo Conti said: "During the path to the Grand Final we discovered a fantastic community of people and projects with similar goals, which makes me more optimistic about the future. We'll keep working hard and making Scotland proud!”

Apply now

If you’ve got an idea with positive climate impacts and the potential to go stratospheric, submit your idea for ClimateLaunchpad by Friday 5 June.

You must be available to take part in the online bootcamp via Zoom on Friday 26, Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 June (4 hours each day).

ClimateLaunchpad is one of the programmes delivered by ECCI in partnership with EIT Climate-KIC, alongside the EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator - ECCI’s three-stage programme for low carbon entrepreneurs and start-ups in the UK. Since launching in 2017 ECCI's Accelerator businesses have secured more than £1.75m worth of investments and won more than 50 awards. Watch this space for news of Accelerator 1 opening for applications soon.