Two spin-offs involving researchers of IMB-CNM-CSIC have been awarded in the V call of "Premio Emprendedores de Repsol"
Fundación Repsol has announced the names of the two projects chosen to be part of the Entrepreneurs Fund from the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM). This initiative, now in its fifth edition, is an incubator which aims to provide support for the best entrepreneurial projects that provide innovative energy and energy efficiency solutions.
The awards ceremony took place at Repsol Campus and was presided over by the chairman of Repsol and the Fundación, Antonio Brufau, and the vice-chair of Fundación Repsol, Ignacio Egea.
The winning projects and ideas have been selected from over 200 proposals received for the fifth intake of the Entrepreneurs Fund. After a rigorous assessment and selection process, the expert panel of judges chose the best projects and ideas from a group of 12 finalist proposals.
The projects beginning their incubation process will receive economic support of up to €288 000 over a maximum period of two years, and the ideas will receive €24 000 across one year for their development. There is a team of tutors, technical and legal assessors, and the training adapted to the teams' needs at their disposal. In addition, they will be able to make use of the Repsol Technology Center facilities and the infrastructures of a leading energy company such as Repsol.
Selected projects and ideas
The selected projects and ideas stand out for their high level of innovation and seek greater energy efficiency in different fields of action, ranging from generation and production of energy to its distribution and final use.
The Entrepreneurs Fund has two support categories: business projects and ideas that require a development process and are awaiting validation of the proof of concept.
Projects from the IMB-CNM:
- Fuelium (FutureSiSens): batteries made from ecological paper and biodegradable materials. IMB-CNM (Dra. Neus Sabaté and Dr. Juan Pablo Esquivel).
- SiTerm: high precision thermoelectric microsensors to detect variations in gas flow. UAB, UPC and IMB-CNM (Dra. Libertad Abad).
The Entrepreneurs Fund in figures
As part of our commitment to a more sustainable future for energy, Fundación Repsol launched the Entrepreneurs Fund in 2011 with the aim to support the best technological solutions in the energy and energy efficiency fields. After five years, they have incubated 32 startups, investing and financing over €11 million.
The 35 new patents granted and the 13 companies who already have a turnover are some examples of the successes achieved by the Entrepreneurs Fund incubated projects.