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Details of the creation competition

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Presentation of the mechanism

In order to identify, bring and develop, in Aquitaine, the creation of services, technologies and facilities to measure, prevent, reduce and remedy environmental damage, the Regional Council of Aquitaine and OSEO Aquitaine are launching, in 2009, a competition at the national level to support the creation of eco-innovative companies in the Aquitaine region.


The winners of the competition will be accompanied in their projects of creation and development by the regional Council of Aquitaine and OSEO Aquitaine.

Furthermore, the best ones will receive an award from one or several partners of the competition.

Priority eco-innovative activities for the Aquitaine region

They include:

• Energy efficiency and renewable energies
  
• Sustainable construction and development
  
• Prevention of pollution and nuisances
  
• Management of waste and of polluting emissions
  
• Tools for measurements, environmental evaluation or decision support
  

Aid received by the winners of the competition

Section 1 - support to initiators of projects for the creation of eco-innovative companies
According to eligible expenses presented by the project initiators winning the competition, the aid may take the following form:

• personalized accompaniment of the creators by a technopole to complete the file of creation (roundtables, development of partnerships, contact with experts, etc.)
  
• financial support for internal and external expenses borne by the project initiator for the preparation of the project: aid for preliminary studies, support of eco-innovation, time spent by creators, etc.
• loans on trust
  

Section 2 – support for newly created eco-innovative companies in the Aquitaine region
According to eligible expenses presented by the eco-innovative companies winning the competition, the aid may take the following forms:

• personalized accompaniment of the newly created company by a technopole (roundtables, development of partnerships, contact with experts, etc.)
  
• financial support for internal and external costs incurred by the companies for the development of the eco-innovative activity and / or the commercial launch of the product or service (one year support for setting-up the business, support of eco-innovation)
  

The prizes of the competition

On the proposal of the jury, for each of the 2 sections, prizes will reward the projects deemed particularly exemplary according to the following criteria:

• breakthrough innovation, innovative design method,
• participation of scientific actors, collaboration with research laboratories,
• respect for the principles of sustainable development (social, economic, environmental),
• stakes of the project for the Aquitaine region (user sectors, tons of CO2 avoided, jobs created, etc.)
  
• profile and complementarity of the team,
• development strategy of the activity,
• international dimension of markets,
• regional roots of the company (history, partnerships, subcontracting networks, identified demonstration sites, coherence with actors and needs of the territory).

Nature of prizes

On proposal of the jury, the funders and private partners of the competition may choose to award prizes which may take the following forms:

• Free hosting of the project initiator for a year within a technopole in Aquitaine,
• "young innovative company" prize (financial support),
• Advice, sponsorship, participation in capital, letters of order, free services, etc.
  

NB: The prizes may be combined and complementary to any aid received by the winners in the framework of the national competition for support for the creation of companies.

Selection of projects and attribution of prizes

A selection committee for the applications, composed of the regional Council, OSEO Aquitaine and the Aquitaine technopole managers, will take note, in all confidentiality, of the files as of the date of submission.
This committee will officially meet in early May to choose the receivable applications and classify them in section 1 (support to project holders) or 2 (support for eco-innovative companies). The project holders will then be informed in writing of the outcome of their proposals.

The selected creators or companies will be invited to present their projects before a panel that will include:

• the members of the selection committee,
• l’ADEME,
• l’Agence de l’Eau Adour-Garonne,
• la DRIRE et/ou la DRRT,
• representatives from capital venture businesses,
• the private partners of the competition.
  

At the end of June, following the interviews with the jury, the winners will be notified of the aid awarded to them.
An event will be organized at the Aquitaine regional Council by the private partners of the operation for the awards to the best projects.