Introduction

Introduction

Innovation at the heart of the construction of the new Marseille

The MED’INNOVANT competition is organised by the urban and economic development agency Euroméditerranée, the largest city-centre urban renewal and economic development operation in Southern Europe.

For 25 years, Euroméditerranée has been designing, developing and building a comprehensive model for the Mediterranean sustainable city. Spread over 480 hectares in the centre of Marseille, France’s second city, the development programme brings together public services, retail, office space, housing, transport and parking infrastructures, public parks and more to create a new way of ‘living together’. Home to over 5,300 businesses and 45,200 jobs, Euroméditerranée is now France’s third-biggest business district.

Awarded the ‘EcoCité’ label, the regeneration project is a test bed for urban planning where innovative services and technologies can be assessed, developed and deployed in order to simultaneously meet objectives such as connectivity, convenience, quality of life, cost efficiency and environmental performance. To supports its ambitious plans, Euroméditerranée decided to proactively seek out innovative companies and, over 10 years ago, created MED’INNOVANT: an innovation competition designed to help start-ups accelerate their eco-innovation projects that offer solutions in line with the new development and sustainability objectives pursued by Mediterranean regions.

The actors of the Mediterranean sustainable city

Euroméditerranée has developed a comprehensive approach to open innovation that encompasses the following areas:

• Multi-energy smart grids
• Urban digital services
• The natural city and public spaces
• Demonstrator buildings
• Optimisation of the water cycle
• Waste management
• Soil and materials management
• Soft, low-carbon transport

MED’INNOVANT is part of an operational strategy to launch, in the short- to medium-term, pilot and demonstration projects within the Euroméditerranée Eco-City, (a test bed spread over 480 ha in the heart of Marseille, France’s second-biggest city) and more broadly the Aix-Marseille Provence Metropolis. The competition also has the backing of industrial partners that support Euroméditerranée in its pursuit of an open innovation approach and are looking to team up with innovative and creative enterprises!

Innovators: invent solutions for our rapidly changing world!

Tackle one of five challenges to win a year’s sponsorship by one of the competition partners!

The list of 2023 challenges is as follows:

Challenge #1: Wastewater: turning waste into a resource! Combat heat islands in the city by reusing treated water (grey and black water) for green spaces

Topic: Water in the urban environment

Sponsor: Saint-Gobain Distribution Bâtiment France

Challenge #2: Using cross-referencing of data (Big Data + AI), determine whether a building has individual or collective heating and whether it is powered by gas or electricity

Topic:Energy & Data Processing / Big Data

Sponsor: ENGIE

Challenge #3: "Je rêve de toits" (I dream of roofs): Accommodating multiple uses comfortably and sustainably on Mediterranean roof terraces so that these under-valued spaces become places for living, well-being and relaxation, health, production, sharing, living together, and so on.

Topic: Use of roofs & shared space

Sponsor: EIFFAGE

Challenge #4: Encourage the integration of biodiversity at several levels: homes, buildings, neighbourhoods, and town

Topic: Urban nature

Sponsor: REDMAN

Challenge #5: Develop low-carbon mobility solutions for the activities of artisans and merchants

Topic: Sustainable mobility

Sponsor: ICI MARSEILLE & Euroméditerranée

For more information :

What are the benefits for the winners?

FINANCIAL BOOST: €50,000 split between the winners of the 5 Challenges 5 "JURY AWARDS’"

REGIONAL ACCESS PASS:

• A laboratory for testing and demonstrating the innovative solution: the Euroméditerranée Eco-City*
• A personal tour of the Euroméditerranée catchment area with a representative of the urban development agency to access the potential scope of application for the award-winning innovation;

ACCELERATION PACKAGE:

• A two-hour work session with the Business Development Director and the Innovation Manager of Euroméditerranée to define the ways in which the award-winning solution will be implemented in the Euroméditerranée Eco-City
• A two-hour meeting with the key sponsor of the challenge accepted (monitoring of the award-winning solution at an ad hoc steering committee, etc.)
• Free soft landing for three months at the accelerator P.Factory
• Legal support from FIDAL law firm: a two-hour training session covering intellectual property and information technology law, contract law, company law and property law
• Three months’ access to the ICI Marseille collaboration factory and its “Helping Hand” support programme for the winner of Challenge #5 (one month for the winners of the four other challenges)
• Targeted introductions with the competition partners and associated organisations (incubators, accelerators, competitiveness clusters, etc.)
• Integration with EMUL (Euroméditerranée Metropolitan Urban Lab), a network of industrial partners working to develop innovative solutions on the themes linked to the resilient and sustainable Mediterranean city
• Free one-year membership to La Cité des Entrepreneurs d’Euroméditerranée (association co-financed by Euroméditerranée and the CCIMP, which organises and networks over 250 business entrepreneurs who wish to be associated with the economic dynamic driven by Euroméditerranée.)

* 480 hectares within the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 14^th and 15^th arrondissements of Marseille.

PROMOTIONAL PUSH:

• 5-minute pitch delivered to an audience during the 2023 Challenges - Jury Awards. Ceremony taking place on November 22^nd at La Coque in Marseille
• Communication: press, social media, website
• Broadcast on Euroméditerranée's communication channels of a video interview of the winner presenting his innovative solution