The Enel Innovation Hub in Catania has put out a call for startups and SMEs that develop technological solutions in the field of renewable energy. Following the upgrading of the lab announced in March, on the occasion of the visit to the Passo Martino site by Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, the programme was announced that will give companies the chance to collaborate with Enel in the development of their technology, offering the possibility to benefit from the technological laboratories that are specialized in renewable energy.
The proposals, which can be submitted both by startups and SMEs before 31 December, will be collected through the website Open Innovability and should concern innovative solutions in one of the eight fields that Enel has identified as being strategic. From new technologies for solar generation, to components and devices to improve the performance of renewable plants, extending the research also to automation and artificial intelligence for construction and maintenance. Other fields of interest concern systems of hybrid generation for renewable sources, the new technology for augmented reality and improving safety and security, to digital innovative services relating to energy (Iot, Big Data Analytics, Predictive and automatic O&M).
The selected projects must be at least in the prototype phase, and must be able to demonstrate that they have already been applied to an operative environment on a preliminary level. Also considered strategic will be the business potential and the quality of the team involved, in addition to the protection of the intellectual property (IP) and the availability of clients even in the initial phases.
The selection will be finalized in January, the selected startups will benefit from access to Enel’s internal market and the commercial network, the laboratory specialized in renewable technology and specific testing areas, as well as synergies with universities and with specialized research centres, Enel’s international network developed with other Hubs around the world, support in the search for public funding to finance the projects and the acceleration programme dedicated to startups.