Seize the opportunity for ARGE ALP Award for Innovative Digital Solutions

ARGE ALP Award for Innovative Solutions

The health emergency experienced by Europe and the entire world in recent months has had a significant impact on society and the economy in every country and region. As we move towards the establishment of a new normal, needs related to health, safety, connectivity and, more generally, the need to rethink our daily lives, relationships and activities are emerging more strongly than before.

Against the backdrop of this scenario, unimaginable until a few months ago, ARGE ALP, chaired by Lombardy, is launching an ARGE ALP award for innovative digital solutions: Young entrepreneurs or founders are invited to develop products and services that can be harnessed for the post-pandemic reboot and whose use will help reshape our system of relationships and actions and strengthen the resilience of systems and communities on the ground in mountain and pre-Alpine regions.

The Working Community of Alpine Regions invites young entrepreneurs and founders (of small and medium enterprises) from the member regions of Arge Alp to participate in a competition for the best digital solution to promote the relaunch and recovery of the Alpine area in the period during and after the Corona crisis.

Themes of education, business, tourism and culture in the foreground

The innovative solutions must have been developed specifically in response to the new demands and needs created by the pandemic and must be beneficial to the Alpine region by promoting its economic and social recovery.

The innovative solution must also make an important contribution to tackling common problems in at least one of the priority areas of cooperation in Arge Alp: culture, tourism, education, environment, landscape and nature conservation, agriculture and forestry, energy and transport, economy and competitiveness of the Alpine region.

The jury will give priority to solutions presented in areas most affected by the new Covid scenario and affecting a large number of citizens, in particular education and training, business, tourism and culture.

Competition for young inventors under 35

Young inventors or company founders who are under 35 years of age at the time of application and reside in one of the Arge Alp member countries/regions/autonomous provinces/cantons are eligible to apply for the prize. Both innovative digital solutions that have not yet been tested and solutions that are currently being tested or applied for the first time may be submitted. In both cases, the solutions submitted must not already be patented or currently being used commercially.

Prizes will be awarded to the three best proposals for innovative solutions. The best proposal will be awarded 10,000 euros, while the second and third best solutions will each receive 5,000 euros. The prize is intended as an incentive and a contribution to the costs of applying for a European patent.

Timeline

March 1, 2021 4:00 p.m.: Deadline for submission of applications to be sent to the office responsible for the respective region.

May 2, 2021: Results of formal examination (by countries/regions/autonomous provinces/cantons).

June 30, 2021: Results of the technical evaluation (international jury).

July 2, 2021: Award ceremony at the Conference of Heads of Government in Lombardy.