Launched during the month of March, the "Eni Joule for Entrepreneurship" 2023 award aims to promote innovative and sustainable entrepreneurship in the field of decarbonisation of processes and products, the circular economy, and the fight against climate change, in order to contribute to the energy transition and foster the socio-economic development of the country.
The initiative is part of the Eni Awards, established in 2008 by Eni to reward and promote research and technological innovation in the field of energy and the environment. Special attention is paid to solutions that promote cutting-edge technologies, greater access to energy for developing countries and the use of digital tools such as IoT, machine learning and big data management.
Evaluation criteria and prizes
Eni Joule for Entrepreneurship 2023 will review the applications received according to certain evaluation criteria in particular:
- skills of the proposing team;
- innovativeness of the proposed solution and level of technological development;
- market potential;
- prospects of environmental and social value that can be generated in the long term.
According to the terms of the initiative's full announcement, the prize offered consists of the awarding of three special mentions to three individuals, selected from among teams, university spin-offs and start-ups, who have developed or are developing innovative, sustainable - not only economically but also environmentally and socially - and high-tech entrepreneurial projects with the potential to contribute to the aforementioned objectives.
The winning projects will be selected by August 2023. The main prize will consist of a personalised silver plaque, which will be presented during an official ceremony in Rome to be held in autumn in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and Eni's top management. The company will also provide hospitality to the winners attending the ceremony, covering travel expenses to Rome, transfers, food and accommodation during the ceremony up to a maximum of two nights' stay.
How to join the call
Entries for the Eni Joule for Entrepreneurship award must be accompanied by a pitch deck, i.e. a presentation summarising the business plan of the entrepreneurial project and providing an overview consistent with the objectives of the award and the evaluation criteria.
The full announcement of the competition, its complete rules and application form are all available on the official webpage of the initiative.
The deadline to apply for the initiative is Friday 14 April 2023. In May and June, an Eni pre-evaluation committee will review the applications in order to submit a short list to an external commission that will designate the winners by July.
