Do you plan to start an innovative R&D project and you are looking for funding opportunities? Here is something interesting for you! The National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), an implementing agency of Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education runs BRIdge Alfa, a programme which helps to commercialise the most innovative ideas at early development stages.
The Alfas, seed funds operated by private investors, who co-finance (20%) R & D projects, are designed to enable market entry for innovative projects, carry them through the proof-of-principle and proof-of-concept phases, and provide them with funding, business and legal assistance. Their aim is to either drive them to the market or to make them commercially attractive for VCs or private equity investors. The period of financing is up to 5 years.
So, if you have an innovative idea or a concept why not submit it? Currently, there are 20 Alfas with the total budget of ca. 480 million PLN and it is up to you whether you will take your chance to present your idea to them. If your project meets the criteria, the Alfa presents it to the Investment Committee who make the final decision about funding. Once accepted, you may receive up to 3 million PLN. You can safely carry out research while remaining co-owner of the IP rights.
Sounds good? There’s more exciting news. The NCBR is just about to announce results of the last call for investors, which had a budget of 1 billion PLN. (BTW, Billon is a beneficiary of BRIdge Alfa J ). At least 20 more Alfas will be chosen in 2018. Therefore, your chances of finding a good partner to develop your project are growing all the time.
If you want to see more of the NCBR, Maciej Chorowski, the President, is a keynote speaker during Impact fintech’17. Don’t miss him; the speech starts at 4:55 on the main stage. Afterwards, you can attend a moderated discussion where Chorowski and other experts will discuss how fintech solutions can succeed with big data analytics. Last but not least you are more than welcome to meet with NCBR experts in the Business Booster and the Impact Link zones.
See you there!
