The article was taken from the website Vědavýzkum.cz
How many startups are involved in the current EcoTech Hub Technology Incubation challenge and how much money has the CzechInvest agency allocated for this project?
At the moment, we have already announced the fourth call for technological incubation, in which 125 applicants have applied for CZK 407 million. A total of 606 applicants with a total application volume of CZK 2 billion have already applied for technological incubation. This shows how many innovative startups exist on the Czech market.
We have allocated CZK 854 million for this project and approximately CZK 658 million for the period 2022-2027 to support start-ups. Our goal is to support at least 250 startups.
How satisfied were you with the previous incubation challenges? What worked, what didn’t and why?
The first call was formative both for the applicants and for us. From the first call we have six startups incubated in EcoTech. This figure could be higher, but the situation is gradually improving. Monitoring shows that these startups are succeeding in meeting the goals they set in their incubation plan. Most of the startups confirmed in their feedback that without technology incubation, they probably would not have achieved their goals or would have found it much more difficult to achieve them.
We will know the real impact of the first call in about a year. Most of the startups from the first challenge were somewhere in the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3-4 and are now somewhere in the 7-9 range. Stage nine is the highest stage, which says that the product is proven in operation and therefore the production is competitive. We helped them bridge the “valley of death” and now they are ready to face the market with a finished or almost finished product.
Is there anything that needs to be worked on from your side? Something that begs for improvement?
We sometimes hear from startups that incubation is burdened with too much bureaucracy. The whole project was designed to burden the beneficiaries as little as possible, but unfortunately we have to comply with Czech legislation. There will always be some bureaucracy, but we are gradually fine-tuning all internal processes to reduce this burden as much as possible. We have a startup approach and the whole team is tuned like that, but we are a government organization, which sometimes startups forget, which is basically a compliment for us.
Is there a project that came up in the first challenge that you are proud of? Why?
It is difficult to identify one project from the first call that stands out above the rest. It’s certainly not that they aren’t innovative enough, but everyone is different. For example, Pinflow energy, a company that develops energy storage and release tools, has moved into new premises and has a large production and development facility, while gaining a significant reputation on the national and global energy storage scene. Their success is evidenced by winning the Neuron Foundation Award.
Myco, which researches, develops and produces 100% natural material from fungal mycelium, has won, for example, the Generali EnterPRIZE 2023 competition for startups and the German Economy 2023 award for added value in the context of economic transformation.
Niltextile, which develops and produces innovative, ethical and sustainable textile materials, won the Eco-Oscar in the E. On Energy Group. I think these are very good results for a first challenge!
Last year, you set out to establish a strong brand, establish collaborations with some thematic summits or conferences and set up a HUB Steering Board. Did it work? What are your plans for this year?
It was very important for us to meet most of the major players from the world of sustainability and to explain what CzechInvest actually does within the framework of technology incubation.
I think we also needed to understand what role is expected of us in the market. With our staffing, we cannot solve all of the Czech Republic’s problems, but we are able to find and support technological solutions that have a potentially significant impact on the economy and climate. Our goal is to connect relevant entities with potential customers to implement solutions and support the further development of startups. We can do the same at the level of science and research and at the level of state and public administration.
However, there may also be systemic issues that we need to address with other hubs and partners at all levels of the market. To the classic CzechInvest slogan “We connect, we connect” I would add “We facilitate and we innovate”. We are not at the very beginning, we are definitely on the right track, but we are still far from the finish line.
The topic of sustainability, ecology and energy saving is being discussed worldwide. What is working well in this area and what is not?
In terms of application, this is a complex issue with broad implications. The largest carbon footprints are in energy, industry and transport, and waste. These are economically and socially very sensitive topics.
For most Czechs, for example, it is essential to drive a car. We have encountered resistance to limiting car traffic in cities, but abroad we see the positive effect that promoting micro-mobility, such as cycling and public transport, can have. The discussed increase in the price of the Prague ticket is one of the symbolic steps that are not entirely understandable, especially when parking in Prague costs about 1/3 of the price of the planned annual public transport coupon.
How does the topic of sustainability resonate across the political sphere – do you perceive more support for it, or would this topic deserve more attention from those responsible for the direction of our state and those making decisions about state funding?
We see positive steps from the state apparatus and we see how our colleagues in the ministries are trying to do what they can and what they have budgets for. However, we are running up against capacity in strategic positions. If we are talking about an overstretched state apparatus, this does not apply everywhere and it would be good to differentiate this fact in the public space.
The topic of sustainability, climate change and decarbonisation still has a polarising effect in society, although it is slightly improving. It is probably the legacy of Václav Klaus and the negative connotations of the Green Deal. At a presentation at the University of Jihlava, I was even asked if I really believe that climate change is caused by humans.
The political representation is rather afraid of the topic, but it is important that we have politicians who support the topic. However, support could be greater with a broader consensus. We are still the fourth worst in terms of tonnes of emissions per person in the EU. The energy, heating and transport sectors have a negative impact on this outcome, and it is true that we have historically incurred a huge debt on the subject of sustainability, which we can no longer resolve by standing still and discussing clear facts. We need courageous politicians, even local ones, who will stand up for green transformation.
Are we Czechs good in any of the areas that EcoTech HUB supports? Is there anything they can take inspiration from us abroad?
Of the startups registered in the EcoTech sector, we see dominance in the energy and sustainable production sectors. This is probably related to the need to decarbonise the energy sector and industry, but it is also an interesting market from a customer perspective. The worst performing sectors are those working with air (e.g. carbon capture) or water.
We cannot determine causality and can only speculate. Generally speaking, we have more to learn abroad than the other way around. Which is a huge opportunity for our startups and technology companies, because the application potential is really big.
Author of the article: Martina Kurfirstová
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