LIFE funding for start-ups

The LIFE Cyclamen team organised an Online Info Day titled: “The LIFE Programme helps close-to-market projects: Start-ups driving the green revolution!” on Wednesday June 17, 2020.

The purpose of this Info Day was to introduce businesses and start-ups to this funding instrument, and encourage them to participate in close-to-market LIFE projects.

Our guest speaker, Dr. Alexandros Charalambides, gave useful advice for successful participation of start-ups in the LIFE Programme, while using practical examples to describe the main reasons why most start-up fail and how this can be avoided. Dr. Charalambides is an Associate Professor at the Cyprus University of Technology and one of the founders of Chrysalis LEAP - the first idea accelerator in Cyprus for green development in the energy sector and proud partner of EIT Climate-KIC.

Participants also had the opportunity to learn about the basic characteristics of the LIFE Programme, such as priority areas, rules for proposal submission and co-funding percentages. Particular reference was made to the LIFE 2020 novelties introduced by the European Commission in this year's call for proposals. These novelties can benefit start-ups by enabling them to move to a full market development.

In addition, our experts used a plethora of examples of LIFE projects under Environment & Resource Efficiency, and Climate Action thematic priorities, showcasing how the business sector and particularly start-ups in Cyprus could benefit from participating in a LIFE project.

The workshop attendees included representatives from the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation and Cyprus Energy Agency, business consultants, as well as start-ups from Cyprus and Greece. Moreover, participant from academic institutions and NGOs also joined this online event.