The climate accelerator

accelerator_portada

accelerator_portadaAuara is a solidary mineral water brand. Their developers are a group of youngsters with experience in cooperation projects. They have founded this social and environmentally committed enterprise that aims to bring potable water to people living in extreme poverty. One of them, Pablo Urbano, says that their goals for 2020 are: «producing forty million litres of water, investing two and a half millions of euros in social projects to facilitate the supply of this basic resource to developing areas, and having reused the plastic from ninety million bottles».

This Madrid-based start-up is one of the fifteen selected to participate in the 2016 edition of the Climate-KIC Accelerator, an European programme for entrepreneurs that has just kicked off in Valencia. Its aim is to promote innovative ideas that help mitigate climate change. These ideas are many and diverse: Desinope, from Elche, processes paper waste to produce footwear; Balamis, from Castelldfels, has created a sensor that measures the moisture of the soil to increase agricultural productivity and prevent floods; Rotary Wave, from Valencia, focuses on developing technologies that use power from sea waves; and Klenergy, from Castellón, works to obtain a more efficient system for energy storage using hydrogen.

accelerator_auaraCOACHING IN CLIMATE CHANGE

During nine months, these enterprises will receive support and training – an area where the University of Valencia will participate, as a collaborating member of Climate-KIC. They will follow a broad programme of mentoring, coaching and international masterclasses in eighteen European cities, whose management has been appointed to the Valencian Association of Companies from the Energy Sector (Avaesen). At the same time, they have access to a non-refundable 60,000 euros fund and without having to sign over property. The most competitive among them will have the chance to participate in the Venture Competition, the biggest European contest aimed at clean technologies start-ups.

NETWORKING WITH INVESTORS

Among the advantages of the climate accelerator, «we should point out that we help bring entrepreneurs and specialised investors closer together, since our organisation, supported by the European Institute of Technology and Innovation (EIT), has more than a hundred public and private partners. Moreover, we offer them the possibility of participating in the exchange programme with accelerators in other cities such as New York, Singapore, Dubai, Paris, etc.» says José Luis Muñoz, director of Climate-KIC Spain.

CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Climate-KIC, based in London and with offices distributed in several European countries, is a Knowledge Innovation Community from the EIT, born from private and public collaboration. Their mission is supporting ideas for products and services that help moving towards low-carbon societies to reduce the environmental impact. That is, ideas that contribute to the mitigation and adaptation to climate change, by means of clean technologies, CO2 emissions reduction, energy efficiency, sustainable transport and the reuse of waste.

Maria Josep Picó i Garcés. Environment and science journalist.
© Mètode 2016
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© Mètode 2016

Periodista especialitzada en medi ambient i Premi Nacional de Periodisme Ambiental. Càtedra de Divulgació de la Ciència de la Universitat de València.