For the first time, Know Hub Ignition 04 is open to Colombian science- and technology-based ventures, allowing them to take part in a USD 140,000 international call designed to help them structure their businesses.
A new edition of Know Hub Ignition 04 kicked off on May 29. It is an acceleration program for science- and technology-based companies (EBCTs) that has operated regionally since 2019 and this year will be open to ventures from Colombia.
Ignition 04 is a regional initiative born from the efforts of Know Hub Chile in collaboration with Tec de Monterrey, in Mexico, and seeks to select 3 Latin American science- and technology-based startups to support them in structuring their businesses.
The selected ventures will have access to USD 140,000, to be distributed among the winning teams. On inviting Colombian startups, Javier Ramírez, executive director of Know Hub, states:
“This year we wanted to expand the call to Colombia because the country has taken significant steps to strengthen its technology entrepreneurship ecosystem. Chile has the opportunity to learn from these experiences and best practices to boost its own development. In addition, this opens the door to collaboration, investment and knowledge transfer between both countries, promoting an exchange that benefits growth and innovation in the region.”
Ignition 04 categories
In line with Ignition 04’s principles of strengthening and promoting regional EBCTs that tackle national problems and have international reach, registration for the call is free and available at this link, in two main categories:
- Science and technology areas, such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics, software, synthetic biology, sensors and space technologies.
- Dual innovation, where science and technology interact to generate value in both the civilian and defense spheres.
Among the benefits, the winning teams will have an international immersion phase in an ecosystem suited to their target market, business model and technology readiness level, such as Mexico, Spain, France or the United States, among others; the location will be determined during the program.
According to its organizers, this call gives EBCTs the opportunity to advance their Technology Readiness Level (TRL), which means improving and validating the maturity of their technologies, moving from the initial research and development stages to more advanced phases where their products and solutions are ready to be commercialized and used in the market.
Deadline and requirements
Open until July 16, Ignition 04 is aimed at multidisciplinary teams of entrepreneurs, researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs and other professionals linked to research and development institutions in countries of the region.
As part of the requirements, each team must have at least 2 members, and the ability to combine technical and business skills, as well as other competencies relevant to the entrepreneurial challenge, will be valued.
This strategic collaboration between Know Hub Chile and Tecnológico de Monterrey is also supported by Chile’s National Research and Development Agency (ANID) and Lockheed Martin.
Read the original article at https://impactotic.co/ciencia/ignition-04-abre-sus-puertas-a-las-startups-de-colombia/
