EMR START-UP

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SHORT OVERVIEW: EMR STARTUP is a Euregional network of incubators that develops a joint high performance program for starters in the Euregion to make them futureproofed and investment ready in an international context. EMR STARTUP makes the incubators co-create a qualitative scaling up of their shared and individual services with the ambition to speed up the launching of high potential Euregional oriented new companies in the Meuse-Rhine Region within a timeframe of three years. Challenges: Startups are innovative companies that are in early stages. In order to offer effective guidance to a wide range of start-ups, the establishment of a Euroregional cooperating incubator network with complementarity of expertise is necessary.There’s the observed fact that valuable knowledge today is widely distributed, and no startup could innovate effectively on its own. For this, open innovation is a profitable way to innovate, because it can reduce costs, accelerate time to market, increase differentiation in the market and create new revenue streams for startups. A good business model is a key element for a successful, investment ready startup. Startups need guidance in developing their business plan, once more in an international context. The highly concentrated international context in the EMR is both a challenge and an opportunity for starters and - certainly in the EMR - a necessary condition for success. Incubators are there to accompany starters with these challenges. To do this in a professional manner an incubator network with exchanging and collaborating is essential. The strength of the joint incubators lies in its diversity. Startups usually have products and services on intersections of technologies. Therefore, it is important to establish a joint program for the Euregional network of incubators with each their own substantive focus and technological expertise. At the same time the incubators themselves should be able to evolve their range of services and align to the joint EMR program. Global objectives: The goal is a joint Euregional incubator network-program to stimulate entrepreneurship of startups in the EMR through: Having a Euregional network of incubators working together. Developing, blueprinting a Euregional shared STARTUP program for incubators. Alignment and professionalization of the STARTUP program of each individual incubator. Accelerate startup companies, by supporting them in the fields of businessmodelling, (international) customer traction, supply chain and funding. Main activities: Project Management. Drafting an EMR STARTUP charter with agreements between the incubators. Consultation between the incubators (= steering committee). Monitoring the project objectives. Reporting to INTERREG. Communication: Digital tools: project website &use of social media. Alignment of the individual incubator websites. Public events. Press events. Co-creation of a joint EMR STARTUP program. Format inventory of measures for startups in the participating regions. Co-create a shared vision and an executive joint EMR STARTUP program. Set up of: jointly workshops, training programs, conferences, … Euregional pool of experts. free movement of starters between the incubators. cross border & cross sectoral collaboration between starters. co-creation processes with potential customers in different regions. Align & professionalize the individual STARTUP program of each incubator. Optimizing the business models for the existing incubators & creating a business model for the new incubators. Translating the business model to customized infrastructure and everyday assisting of starters in the incubator. Blueprint a sustainable EMR STARTUP program (with dissemination and expansion to other incubators in EMR). Monitor and optimize the joint EMR STARTUP program. Make a blueprint of a (self)sustainable ERM STARTUP program for incubator networks (with foreseen expansion to other incubators in EMR and abroad). Expected results: An operational Euregional joint and individual STARTUP program for collaborating incubators. 200 Starters will follow the EMR STARTUP program. The project aims at: 150 startups with an investment ready international businessplan. 100 startups who have tested their product to a potential customer in another region of the EMR (for international customers traction). 50 startups engaging in a partnership with a startup in another EMR region. 30 startups engaging in a partnership with an investor.

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