GSO4SCHOOL Summer School 2020
FRACTALS is one of the 16 FIWARE accelarators, aiming to support startups and SMEs in harvesting the benefits of FIWARE to develop applications for agriculture. FRACTALS will distribute a total grant support of 5,5 m€ to 50-60 SMEs to develop FIWARE based applications for the agricultural sector. From September 2014 €80 million became available for around 1300 small businesses and web entrepreneurs using FI-WARE tools. FI-WARE not only offers open access to application-building tools but also provides funding, business support, mentoring and the chance to network and share with peers through the so-called accelerators.
The FRACTALS Open Call will be launched at the end of November 2014, while the Call will remain open until the 28th of February 2015. The project partners are: The Development Fund of the Autonomous Province Vojvodina (SRB), ATOS (ES), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR), DLO (NL), BioSense Center (SRB), Association of ICT Companies of Northern Greece (GR), Vojvodina ICT Cluster (SRB), YASAD Software Industrialists Association (TR) and Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BG).
The provided support is going to be multi-dimensional in the sense that it aims to span beyond grant assistance to also include: (1) the technical capacity building of ICT SMEs and Web entrepreneurs with respect to developing applications based on the FIWARE enablers and the achieved results from the first two phases, (2) the testing and validation of applications in an open innovation context (by involving end-users in the testing/validation assignment through a Living Labs environment), and (3) clustering and mentoring services related to entrepreneurship and venture capital finance. FRACTALS Call will be open to all European SMEs and Web entrepreneurs but will additionally focus on areas which are considered as “white spots” with respect to FIWARE (Balkans, South East Europe).
A message from the FRACTALS team to interested applicants
“Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity” is a famous quote by the American artist Henry Hartman. In FRACTALS we provide the opportunity for ICT SMEs and Web Entrepreneurs, but investing some quality time in preparation can significantly raise your chances for a successful proposal. The call will be officially announced on the 30th of November 2014 and will receive applications until the 28th of February 2015, but now is the time to start putting your ideas together. We propose three key steps that will help you organize your work:
1. Get familiar with FIWARE: All funded applications must integrate a number of Generic Enablers and/or Specific FIWARE Enablers, thus you need to make proper strategic choices. Your technical people (some call them geeks) should carefully study what FIWARE is all about and how your company can benefit from this technological framework. Please start here:
http://www.fi-ware.org/developers-entrepreneurs/
2. Fine-tune your idea: FRACTALS focuses on the broader agricultural domain. Make sure that your idea fits with this particular call. You can get a better understanding of the proposals we expect by looking at slides 19-21 of the introductory FRACTALS presentation at:
In case your solution doesn’t fit to FRACTALS don’t be discouraged! Other FIWARE accelerators are covering multiple domains including Smart Cities, eHealth, Transport, Energy and Environment, Media and Content, Manufacturing and Logistics and Social and Learning .Find out more about them at:
http://www.fi-ware.org/fiware-accelerate/
3. Study your market: We are looking for innovative applications with significant market potential. Make sure your idea can provide value to a sufficient number of potential customers. Talk directly to potential users to validate your initial hypotheses. Estimate the size of your market, competition (if any) and the barriers to entry. Think about your business model and your growth engine. Prepare a draft business model Canvas and brainstorm with your team.
For more information please visit:
www.fractals-fp7.com or contact Grigoris Chatzikostas at: chatzikostas@biosense.rs
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