Kick-off INSPIRE: the new acceleration program for innovative startups in Southern Italy

Officially launched INSPIRE (Integration of Networks and Services acceleration Program – from Innovative Research to Enterprise), the new free acceleration programme dedicated to teams, spin-offs and startups seed, early stage and early growth, with the aim of promoting the creation and development of new enterprises in Southern Italy, with innovative solutions in the field of integrated networks and services for ubiquitous and sustainable digitalisation.

A strategic project for the innovation of Southern Italy

INSPIRE is promoted within the framework of the RESTART Programme – Spoke 2 "Integration of Networks and Services", funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

The programme is born from the synergy between three leading players in the Italian innovation ecosystem, coordinated by the Politecnico di Bari:

• Giffoni Innovation Hub, certified incubator and project leader, responsible for coordination, communication and strategic design of the acceleration path;

• Fabbrica Italiana dell’Innovazione, incubator specialized in Green Economy and 5G, in charge of the executive design and operational management of the programme;

• SPICI s.r.l., international incubator and accelerator, as well as European Digital Innovation Hub, tasked with analysing sector needs and organizing activities of open innovation, benchmarking and matchmaking.

A Call for Ideas

The Call for Ideas is aimed at selecting 5 new business ideas from entrepreneurial teams, established and non-established spin-offs and startups based in Southern Italy proposing innovative ideas or solutions for the ubiquitous and sustainable digitalisation of places, people or devices, for the effective management of smart ecosystems and for the use of new technologies in the field of Telecommunications.

The Acceleration Programme which the selected ideas will access includes:

• Specialist entrepreneurial training;

• One-to-one mentorship with industry experts;

• Inspirational and matchmaking events, including Benchmark Day, Demo Day and Open Innovation sessions.

How to apply

Interested parties wishing to apply to the programme must submit the necessary documentation (Attachments A and B, downloadable here), no later than 25/03/2025, via PEC, to the following address: fabbricaitalianainnovazione@pec.it

For further information, please refer to the official notice, here.