Category: Europe

New business angel fund to invest €30mn in Finnish start-ups

A new fund for business angels, EAF Finland, aims to improve growth by financing start-up enterprises. The fund’s 30 million euro budget comes from the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation (Tekes) and the European Investment Fund (EIF). It was announced on Wednesday at the Arctic15 startup event at the former Nokia Cable Factory in Helsinki. […]

Batteries and robotics first in line for Innovate UK BEIS £1bn innovation fund

The Autumn Statement initially outlined the development of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) – a new cross-disciplinary fund to support collaborations between business and the UK’s science base. The four-year fund will be managed by Innovate UK and research councils, and will cover a broad range of technologies, from healthcare and medicine to satellites and […]

New French Biotech Seed Fund Raises €65M-to support university innovation

Advent France Biotechnology, founded in 2015, has exceeded its initial fundraising target at the first closing. Its Seed-Fund I now counts with €64.75M that will be invested predominantly in France. The funds will back entrepreneurs and early-stage companies with the potential to develop first- or best-in-class innovations that address unmet medical needs. Advent France has declared […]

University of Malta puts up €100,000 in seed funding to help start-ups take off

Entrepreneurs, start-ups and researchers can tap €100,000 in seed funding offered by a University of Malta award. The Take Off seed fund award (TOSFA), now in its fourth year, seeks to aid entrepreneurs, start-ups and researchers mould their ideas and technologies into investor-ready and market-ready businesses. Entrepreneurs and start-ups devoted to furthering their ideas for […]

Offaly researchers eligible for €2.5 million Irish frontier research fund 

A new programme outlined by the Irish Research Council will make €2.5 million available for frontier research and researchers in Offaly are being encouraged to apply. The Laureate Awards programme was officially launched by the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton TD, and the Minister for Training, Skills and Innovation, John Halligan TD on […]

Oxford University’s Spybiotech raises £4m in seed funding to tackle pandemics

An Oxford University company developing a biological superglue to tackle diseases and pandemics has won £4m of early-stage backing from Google’s venture capital arm GV and Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI), allowing it to spin out into an independent business. Spybiotech has developed a molecular superglue which it believes can be used to create vaccines more quickly […]

Dublin City University IoT sensor firm AmbiSense gets €1m from Atlantic Bridge Fund in Ireland

Founded as a research project within Dublin City University (DCU) in 2008, AmbiSense went on to become an Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-Up in 2014, led by co-founders Stephen McNulty, Dr Fiachra Collins and Prof Dermot Diamond. Working within the booming field of the internet of things (IoT), the company designs and manufactures low-cost, smart, solar-powered, gas […]

Imperial College innovative projects receive funding thanks to new Excellence Fund

In her March 2016 President’s Address, Professor Alice Gast highlighted the importance of excellence in teaching and research.  She dedicated £1 million per year to reward excellence while promoting courageous and innovative ideas in research and teaching. This is part of Imperial’s strategic commitment to invest new funds to pursue new and risky ideas. The Excellence […]