Roadshows & Hackathons Grant
In context
This call is open to startups, small and medium-sized businesses and social enterprises, at idea and R&D stage, prototype and pilot stage and pre-seed. Funding is an accelerator programme. Coverage is read from the notice itself: France, Slovenia and Greece.
Three two-day roadshow and hackathon events in France, Slovenia, and Greece connecting rural founders with investors, corporates, and domain experts to accelerate bioeconomy and circular-economy ventures. The programme targets early-stage rural innovators seeking capital, partnerships, and mentorship.
About this grant
DRIVE is launching a series of three regional Hackathon Roadshows in Slovenia, Greece, and France, each centered around locally rooted innovation challenges reflecting the real needs of rural communities and ecosystems. The Roadshows are designed to catalyze innovation, digitalization, and sustainable entrepreneurship in Europe's rural bioeconomy by offering participants the opportunity to co-develop high-impact, region-specific solutions for a more circular, digital, and sustainable bioeconomy. Each Roadshow combines high-level knowledge exchange with hands-on problem-solving, bringing together local and international stakeholders including bio-based SMEs, startups, researchers, investors, cooperatives, and policy experts. Each event is structured around the identification of regional needs and challenge-based innovation, opening with expert-led seminars followed by an intensive Hackathon-style competition where multidisciplinary teams co-develop practical solutions. The events are part of a broader effort to build tailored business models, enhance investor-readiness, and foster long-term innovation ecosystems in rural Europe.
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Eligibility
Applicants must be individuals or teams active in bioeconomy, rural development, circular economy, or sustainability innovation. Eligible applicants include startups or SMEs, researchers or students, NGOs or cooperatives, individual innovators with technical or entrepreneurial expertise, and academic or vocational institutions with relevant focus. While Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is not a strict exclusion factor, ideas beyond the concept stage are encouraged and should clearly relate to the regional challenge. Participation is free of charge. Participants can apply to multiple Roadshows but can only be selected for one.
How it's scored
Finalists will be selected based on relevance to the challenge, innovation and business potential, and team skills.
Key requirements
- ✓Rural-based founder or team with bioeconomy or circular-economy focus
- ✓Participation in one of three two-day roadshow/hackathon events (France, Slovenia, or Greece)
- ✓Willingness to pitch to and engage with investors, corporates, and domain experts
Frequently asked questions
- Who can apply for Roadshows & Hackathons?
- Eligibility covers organisations in FR, SI, GR; startup, sme, social-enterprise. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.
Relevant sectors
How this compares
- Compared with 14 similar grants (circular in France) listed in the last 12 months.
- The same organisation listed 2 other similar grants here in the last 12 months.
Closest open grants
Figures are computed from notices listed on Raise Lens in the same sector and country over the last 12 months.
About this sector
Circular economy funding supports reuse, repair, remanufacturing, product redesign and secondary materials markets. Grants tend to back pilots with businesses and local authorities, while tenders buy collection, sorting and recovery services. Applicants are usually asked to show the material flows involved and who will buy the recovered output.
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