Wine ageing, grain sorting with AI and sustainable fertiliser among seven ideas to compete in European climate programme

The Portuguese final of the world’s largest cleantech competition is organised by UPTEC, Ordem dos Engenheiros – Região Norte and Fórum Oceano/Hub Azul

In detail, the seven projects are:

– DAM – ChainReactor uses renewable energy to power modular 3D printers using biomaterials or recycled plastic filaments to print high-quality, affordable, customisable bioreactors.

– Farm Akademy has developed an educational programme that aims to directly impact young students living in rural municipalities, awakening their interest in agriculture and increasing their agricultural literacy.

– Mermaid’s Cellar uses artificial reefs to age wine underwater, in coastal areas or underwater caves, in a unique blend of environmental sustainability and innovative wine production techniques with sustainable cellars.

– PhosTech specialises in the advanced production of struvite, a sustainable fertiliser from agro-industrial effluents, with the possibility of soil testing services, effluent characterisation, pot experiment testing, the output of oxygenated water for irrigation and other by-products.

– Seedsight has a platform capable of validating cereal characterisation information via low-cost online biomolecular and biophysical analyses on a large scale, using blockchain technologies, deep learning, AI and optical sensors.

– Susplus collects and organises data on the sustainability of SMEs’ operations and products in the fashion category. This allows them to comply with the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and improve their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives.

– UPWIND is a portable, easy-to-install generator that produces electricity based on wind energy. It consists of an aerial device connected to a ground station via a cable. This ecological alternative doesn’t require refuelling and offers excellent cost savings (around 83% reduction).

ClimateLaunchPad is the largest cleantech competition in the world and is organised in Portugal by UPTEC– Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, Ordem dos Engenheiros – Região Norte (OERN) and Fórum Oceano/Hub Azul. Agriculture, air and environment, clean energy, clean industry, energy storage, efficiency, transport and water are the European Union initiative’s categories that want to grow cleantech projects worldwide.

The three winners of the ClimateLaunchpad national final will represent Portugal in the regional final of the competition. They will enjoy free incubation at UPTEC for four months, mentoring, training, and other prizes awarded by the programme’s partners, valued at 10,000 euros.

Several organisations in Portugal are participating in the biggest cleantech competition. This edition is supported by 3xP Global, Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos, Crowe, Galp, Prio, Vieira de Almeida and Smart Waste Portugal.

Throughout the programme, participants participated in an online course and an intensive 3-day boot camp with a certified trainer from EIT Climate-KIC, the European Union’s main initiative in climate-related innovation. In addition, participants had access to pitch training and mentoring sessions with experts in environmental sustainability and the circular economy, including professionals from the programme’s organisers in Portugal: UPTEC, OERN and Fórum Oceano/Hub Azul.

Since the competition began in 2014, almost 15,000 business ideas from 60 countries worldwide have applied to ClimateLaunchpad. The 5,000 “green” companies that have passed the programme have already received more than 500 million euros in external investment.

Running in Portugal since 2016, the programme has received more than 150 applications and supported more than 80 teams and more than 150 participants. Portugal also has three international winners — Pavnext, Eco2blocks, Mudatuga, and Windcredible and Build.ing — who reached the regional final.

June 20, 2024