This new incubator includes the participation of two of our FIWARE Foundation members, Engineering and Zabala Innovation Consulting.

EDI, European Data Incubator*, is a new entrepreneurship programme, backed by the European Commission under their Big Data PPP initiative. The overall programme is looking for data-based start-ups from all over Europe which are interested in sorting out major challenges for the EU industry making use of their data.

For this aim, the project will work with 15 data providers and 5 core partners who will provide free support services to the selected start-ups through three open call for proposals in the coming years. The selected start-ups will enter into an incubation phase divided in different stages and will receive up to €100,000 equity free funding.

EDI will help European SMEs and start-ups with a high computing and storage infrastructure hosted in the cloud based on FIWARE open technologies; with training and advice in the best-known tools of Big Data Analytics, including FIWARE enablers, and in the creation of business for the development of viable business ideas.

The underlying idea is that EDI will work closely with data providers, from a range of sectors, who will define a set of challenges and lend their data for start-up to solve them. At the same time there will be a chance for entrepreneurs to propose their own challenges based on the available data provided by EDI providers.

Engineering, Platinum Member of the Foundation, will be in charge of the technical infrastructure of EDI. Zabala, Gold Member of the Foundation and former coordinator of Finodex, will act as the call manager and facilitator among EDI and the data providers. The project is coordinated by the University of Deusto in Spain and supported by the participation of etVenture, former coordinator of EU-Pioneers and F6S, the start-up platform.

The first open call for proposals will be launched in spring this year and will close by the end of June. The selected start-ups will start their incubation process next September in an event in Berlin. The coming FIWARE Summit in Porto, next May, will be a perfect occasion to meet the team behind EDI and some of their data providers.

Among the data providers there is range of organisations from very different domains, such as:

• Energy & Water: Virtual Power Solutions, Energa, Elektro-Ljubljana and Emasesa
• Retail: SONAE and Migros;
• Industry: Volkswagen Navarra;
• Finance: YapiKredi;
• Transport: RACC, TUB and Via Verde;
• Internet & Media: Jot Internet Media, Agencia EFE and VRT.

Stay tuned for further news about this new opportunity for entrepreneurs at @edincubator.

*This project has received funding from the European Union’s H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 779790.

Guest post by Miguel García (Zabala)