Greentech and Circular Economy Innovation Call
In a global context where companies are increasingly called upon to innovate to reduce their environmental impact, green technology is crucial for addressing challenges related to resource management, waste disposal, and energy consumption.
The “Greentech and Circular Economy Innovation” call specifically targets start-ups and SMEs that are already developing innovative solutions in these areas, contributing to a more circular and competitive future. This project, as part of the Federated Innovation @MIND initiative—promoted by Eni and MAIRE, in collaboration with A2A Life Company and supported by the Circular Economy Lab, an initiative by Cariplo Factory and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center — aims to develop a Proof of Concept (POC) at the MIND-Milano Innovation District or at the industrial sites of the participating companies.
Up to 10 start-ups will be selected and invited to a Selection Day to pitch their ideas to the competition’s organizers. Up to 3 ready-to-implement solutions will be chosen for joint projects with A2A Life Company, Eni and MAIRE.
Target
This call is open to Italian and international innovative start-ups and SMEs in the greentech sector. The objective is to select those that have developed technologies for improving refinery waste management, remediating soil and water contamination, and improving energy system efficiency in highly complex industrial settings.
Area of Interest
The areas of interest where innovative solutions are sought are outlined below. For each area, a brief description and a list of relevant technologies are provided. This list is for illustrative purposes only and is therefore not exhaustive and not binding for the application process.
Energy Supply and Demand Management
IT and digital solutions are sought for effective energy demand management in complex systems. These solutions should leverage historical and real-time data, AI, data mining, predictive analytics, weather forecasting, consumption patterns, and user preferences. The goal is to identify technologies that optimize energy usage, reduce costs and emissions, and ensure security and reliability. The desired solutions may include:
- Machine learning algorithms to forecast energy supply and demand, allowing for real-time adjustments in production and consumption.
- Intelligent control systems to coordinate and prioritize energy sources and storage systems, based on efficiency, sustainability, and convenience.
- Smart agents that encourage users to adopt more efficient and responsible energy behavior, through tools such as dynamic pricing systems, real-time feedback, and personalized suggestions.
Data Center Heat Load
Cross-infrastructure IT solutions are sought for managing heat loads in data centers, to improve overall operational efficiency. Proposals may include approaches that optimize energy consumption and improve cooling management. Example of desired solution is:
- Integrating thermal sensors with cooling systems, coupled with software designed to optimize operational loads at the individual server level.
Recovery and Remediation of Contaminated Soil
Innovative solutions are needed for recovering and remediating soil, water, and sludge contaminated by organic and inorganic compounds. The goal is to restore ecosystem functionality, improve environmental quality, and ensure community safety. Possible areas of interest include:
- Advanced biotechnologies for remediation
- Nanotechnologies for remediation
- Phytoremediation
Refinery Waste Recovery
Technologies that recover and reuse of refinery waste, including oily sludge, inert materials, and spent catalysts, are sought. Examples of solutions of interest include:
- Advanced separation and biological processes for hydrocarbon recovery
- Pyrolysis-gasification technologies
- Application of nanotechnology to enhance metal recovery efficiency and reduce environmental impact
- Hydrometallurgical technologies for the extraction, purification, and separation of precious and rare metals from spent catalysts
- Closed-loop technologies for tank sludge treatment
Challenge Rules
Eligibility
- The challenge is open to all startups, tech companies, and individual innovators globally. Employees of A2A Life Company, Eni, MAIRE, Cariplo Factory, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, Federated Innovation @MIND, and other corporates or institution participating to the network of Federated Innovation @MIND as well as their immediate families, are not eligible.
- All solutions must be new and original and not infringe on any copyrights or patents.
- Submissions should include a detailed proposal of the solution and answers to all the specific questions detailed within the Application Form (name of the startup, previous projects, country, website, maturity, etc..)
Disqualification
Any submissions found to be plagiarized, not meeting the guidelines, or submitted after the entry period will be disqualified.
Data Protection
All personal data submitted will be handled in strict accordance with data protection regulations.
Selection
The ready-to-implement solutions will be selected by a jury composed of members from A2A Life Company, Eni and MAIRE, based on predefined criteria.
Upon selection of the ready-to-implement solutions, the start-ups may have the chance to develop their solutions by elaborating a Proof of Concept (POC) in cooperation with A2A Life Company, Eni and MAIRE, where interested in the projects, and with assistance of the Circular Economy Lab, an initiative by Cariplo Factory and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center. It is understood that:
- the Challenge is aimed at selecting the three ready-to-implement solutions submitted by the participating start-ups;
- POC development will therefore be outside the scope of this Challenge (and A2A Life Company, Eni and MAIRE are not bound in developing POCs with the selected start-ups);
- any possible cooperation between the selected start-ups and A2A Life Company, Eni and MAIRE aimed at POC implementation shall be possible upon execution by the selected start-ups of POC agreements submitted by A2A Life Company, Eni and MAIRE.
The ready-to-implement solutions submitted by the participating start-ups shall be made available to Federated Innovation Network and its members (including A2A Life Company, Eni and MAIRE), it being understood that:
- further Federated Innovation Members further to A2A Life Company, Eni and MAIRE may be interested in implementing and developing the proposed solutions (even if not selected in the context of the Selection Day, as identified below);
- availability of the ready-to-implement solutions vis-à-vis the Federated Innovation Network members shall in any case be without prejudice to participating start-ups’ rights on the said solutions, including without limitation confidentiality and IP rights.
Amendments
The promoter reserves the right to amend the rules for participation at any time, provided that such amendments:
- shall be communicated with a reasonable prior notice (and participants shall be granted the right to withdraw with no penalties from participation by reason of the amended rules);
- in any case shall not impair or reduce the rights granted to the participants.