SHERPA JOURNEYS ATTRACTS THE TALENT OF 60 INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FROM GALICIA AND NORTH OF PORTUGAL
07.10.2020
They cover real needs of the marine-maritime field, in sectors such as fishing and aquaculture, tourism or recreational and sports boating
Among the applications received, 12 finalists will be selected who will receive personalized advice to consolidate their development and growth
All the projects presented will be part of an online catalog of business ideas, where they will gain visibility to establish contacts
40% are led by women, between 20 and 60 years old, and are in the conception or prototyping phase
A total of 60 projects from Galicia and the North of Portugal have been submitted to the first call of the Sherpa Jouneys entrepreneurship support program, whose objective is to promote the creation of innovative products and services that provide high added value solutions to real needs in the field marine-maritime.
Among the applications received, 12 projects will be selected, which will have to pass the eligibility verification, evaluation, and an interview with consultants specialized in technology and knowledge transfer in the coming weeks. After completing the selection process, they will be able to access the program to receive support and personalized scientific-technical advice to consolidate their development and growth.
All the proposals aspiring to enter Sherpa Journeys will be present in an online business ideas catalog, where they will gain visibility to establish contacts with potential collaborators and investors.
Project profile
The first call of the program thus closes with a high participation and with remarkable data regarding female entrepreneurship, with 40% of the projects presented led by women.
Regarding the profile of entrepreneurs, they are between 20 and 60 years old, with initiatives mostly in the conception phase (42%) and prototyping (35%), although there have also been initiatives in more advanced stages of maturity.
By sectors, the proposals, with a high added value, are mainly concentrated in the field of fishing and aquaculture, followed by tourism and recreational boating and nautical sports. Also, but to a lesser extent, in maritime and port services, maritime transport, auxiliary industry and ship repair.
About Sherpa Journeys
Sherpa Journeys is part of the Sherpa do Mar project, the purpose of which is to create a cross-border ecosystem of innovative entrepreneurship in the marine-maritime field and in the blue economy, which favors the generation of employment through the promotion of technological-scientific synergies and the competitiveness of companies.
Led by the REDE group of the University of Vigo, the project has the participation of Campus do Mar and the R&D office of the University of Vigo, the Vigo Free Zone Consortium, the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) and the universities from Santiago and A Coruña. On behalf of Portugal, also participate the Asprela Technology Transfer Association (UPTEC), the University of Porto, the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) and the Forum Oceano-Associacão da Economia do Mar.
Sherpa do Mar is a project integrated in the INTERREG V-A Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Program (POCTEP) 2014-2020, co-financed 75% by ERDF funds.
