Today, the fourth edition of the VLC/STARTUP is launched. The initiative promoted by the University of Valencia Science Park Foundation (UVSPF) pursues the development of innovative and/or technology-based companies in the vicinity of the University. To this end, different spaces in the Science Park will be made available to the beneficiaries as well as their access to the different entrepreneur support programs of the collaborating entities and organizations (University of Valencia, OPAL, ADEIT and OPEX).
The UVSPF has different spaces to accommodate business initiatives embedded in different scientific-technological fields and with various needs for infrastructure and services. Based on this, this edition offers three award modalities for a maximum of seven beneficiaries: five lodgings in the nursery (incubator), an office and a laboratory.
Those who access the workspaces of the nursery will have six months of free accommodation and a discount of 50% will be applied to them for the following six months. This modality includes furniture, internet connection and access to meeting rooms and other services of the Science Park.
Likewise, the UVSPF offers the program an office of up to 30 m2, free for the first six months and with a discount of 50% during the following twelve months. The prize includes furniture, internet connection and access to the meeting rooms and other services of the park, but not the costs of supply and maintenance, such as electricity, water and cleaning.Finally, a beneficiary can have a laboratory space of up to 30m2, free during the first six months and with a discount of 50% during the following twelve months. In this case, the recognition of the program includes the furniture (bench, water inlets, drainage and pre-installation of compressed air and deionized water) and access to meeting rooms and other services of the PCUV; but it does not cover the costs of supply and maintenance.
Spaces and training
The awarded initiatives can be installed in the Science Park from July 1, 2018. Parallel to its establishment, startups will be trained in entrepreneurship and business management through a series of training workshops. To be selected, the companies must send the contest rules to startup@uv.es in the period between May 2, 2018, at 00:00 a.m., at May 31, 2018, at 23:59 p.m.
Any business initiative, legally constituted and less than 3 years old, may participate in the program. Among all the applications, priority will be given to those in which at least one member of the promoter team has a link with the University of Valencia (student, ex-student, PDI or PAS).
With the organization of this initiative, the objective of the University of Valencia Science Park Fpundation is to highlight and promote entrepreneurship in society as a new opportunity for professional insertion for highly qualified profiles; facilitate the launch, consolidation and promotion of innovative business initiatives with a scientific-technological base that are generated in the university environment; and favor the interaction and generation of positive synergies between researchers, entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs from different areas of activity distributed heterogeneously in the facilities of the Science Park.
Since the launch of this program, about twienty companies have been beneficiaries of the VLC/STARTUP. These include Seqplexing, Bemygene, Darwin and EpiDisease, signatures continue been installed in the Science Park.