European corporates, regions and industrial organisations are taking action to reduce their climate impacts. The European Innovation Council (EIC), within the scope of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Programme, offers co-creation opportunities to our EIC beneficiaries that allows them to develop key partnerships. The EIC and Goriška Region invite you to apply to our joint EIC GHG Co-creation initiative.

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To make sustainable living a reality, the Region of Goriška – and more specifically the Regional Development Agency of ROD Ajdovščina – is looking to develop synergies with different stakeholders to support and promote its development. Located in the western part of Slovenia, it's characterised by having fertile soil, strong influences of the Mediterranean climate, rich water resources and a favourable traffic position. Thus, creating perfect conditions for the development of agriculture, industry, and entrepreneurship (high-tech innovations and green development). They aim to address pivotal matters that influence their rapid growth to prevent burdening the environment and continue working towards a greener commonplace (read about their challenges below). So, save the date: this co-creation journey with Goriška Region kicks off with an event on 21, 22 & 23 June 2022. 

Tell us why you are the right co-creator and join this collaborative journey.

Applications are open until 20 May 2022.

Why should you join the EIC GHG Co-creation initiative? 

• Explore how your solutions and capabilities can be sustainable
• Network and collaborate with Goriška Region, and like-minded innovators 
• Build a roadmap of market entry with Goriška Region 
• Closely work with partners on solutions that can best fit the market 
• Find potential partners and customers in the industry
• Get access to experts from the EIC

Challenges

Goriška Region is exploring new innovative technologies that can assist with their green transition journey. More specifically, they are looking for solutions for the following matters: 

Challenge 1 – Alternative solutions for sludge treatment

The existing treatment plant is reaching  its maximum capacity, so they are looking for solutions to ensure that the sludge that comes to the treatment plant has already been cleaned beforehand. After secondary filtration on the treatment plant, they encountered the problem of the resulting biological sludge. They are looking for solutions that address:

• Pre-filtration at the specific site where the increased amount of sludge is produced and/or at the location of the largest "pollutants" (Industrial area; biopharmaceutical and food production) so that the sludge is already fairly purified/processed before the point of entry to the wastewater treatment plant in Ajdovščina.
• An alternative to incineration of biological sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants. This should help avoid overreaching the capacity of the plant.

Challenge 2 – Solution for circular economy of mixed construction waste

Due to the increasing economic growth, the municipality of Ajdovščina is expanding extremely rapidly, producing large amounts of construction & demolition waste. Waste  such as mixed construction waste, concrete, soil, brick, etc., ends up untreated in a landfill of non-hazardous waste. The challenge they would like to address is the circular economy of construction waste. They are looking for solutions to:

• Separate mixed construction waste
• Recycle mixed/separated construction waste
• Reuse mixed/separated construction waste

Challenge 3 – Low-impact development solutions for urban flood and rainwater management

The combined sewer system that runs in urbanised areas cannot be increased dimensionally/cost-efficiently. Due to the surface area and urbanisation, the catch-up area of meteoric waters is increasing. The challenge is to prevent and reduce the impact of flooding and the discharge of meteoric waters during extreme precipitations. They are looking for solutions:

• That are low-impact to implement, for example in Slejkoti-Bizjaki, that can involve:
  • Rainwater harvesting and reuse systems for buildings/houses
  • Bioretention solutions
  • Green roofs
  • Constructed wetlands, and/or others

Challenge 4 – Innovative wind energy harvesting solutions for strong and inconstant wind conditions

A high share of the Goriška region is subject to a strong seasonal and inconstant wind called “burja”, whose gusts can exceed 200 km/h. The  main obstacle to the exploitation of wind energy is the environmental aspect - which prohibits the setting of conventional large wind farms. The challenge is to exploit wind potential in an environmental-friendly frame. They are looking for an alternative solution for:

• Classic wind farms to exploit wind power (that is strong and inconstant)

Challenge 5 – Energy-neutral and environmentally–friendly irrigation system

The municipality of Ajdovščina is in the first phase of planning a large irrigation system (2,500 ha). The irrigation water will be stored in the accumulating lake Vogršček nearby, which lies at a lower altitude than most of the irrigation fields. They would like to find a cost-efficient solution to overcome the difference in altitude and make the irrigation system energy-neutral and environmental-friendly. They are looking for a solution that is:

• Energy-neutral and cost-efficient to address the irrigation system matter, and use the accumulating water in lake Vogršček for irrigation of the agricultural fields in Vipava Valley

Your co-creation journey

The EIC GHG Co-creation with Goriška Region is an entirely virtual service following the journey below. 

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Step 1: Applications and info webinar 

To apply to the EIC GHG Co-creation with Goriška Region, you are invited to fill out the application form available here by 20 May 2022. 

During the application process, an info webinar (19 April 2022, from 10:00 to 12:00 CET) will be organised to provide more information about the co-creation initiative, the application requirements, and challenges. If you wish to attend this info webinar, please register here. In addition, you can check the agenda of the info webinar here.

*Please note that your registration to the info webinar does not imply that you will be selected for the co-creation initiative with Goriška Region. 

Step 2: Selection process 

As soon as we close the submission process, your application will be shared with Goriška Region. Then, we will proceed with the evaluation and selection of the final list of participants. You will be contacted once the selection process is completed. Also, please note that any feedback or recommendation to the companies that were not selected won't be foreseen.

Step 3: Co-creation training – 14th-16th June I Save the date! 

Successful and confirmed participants will be invited to join a co-creation training in which you will be briefed into more detail about the co-creation process and encouraged to undergo pitching training to prepare your pitches for the kick-off.

Step 4: Co-creation kick-off event – 21st, 22nd & 23rd June | Save the date! 

After the selection process, a two-day ideation event with Goriška Region will take place on 22 & 23 June 2022. It will help you better understand the challenges and start co-developing your solutions with the business partner. During this meeting, you will also have the chance to define a clear roadmap with your next steps.

Step 5: Iteration & development 

You will have four months to implement the roadmap defined with Goriška Region and can validate it regularly to ensure you are steering in the right direction. The business facilitators and experts will provide you with the necessary support along the way.  

Step 6: GHG Summit | Autumn 2022

The GHG Summit will be a way of showcasing success stories developed in close collaboration among business partners and EIC beneficiaries.

Additional Information

About the Municipality of Ajdovščina

Out of 212 municipalities in Slovenia, the Municipality of Ajdovščina is the 18th largest by its surface and 20th largest by its population. Extending over 245.2 km2 and with a population of approximately 19.000, it is in the southwestern part of Slovenia, in the Upper Vipava Valley along the border with Italy (80 km from the capital city Ljubljana and 150 km from Venice, Italy). Together with five other municipalities, it forms the Goriška region. The Municipality of Ajdovščina is the economic, educational, and cultural centre of the Vipava Valley. Fertile soil, strong influences of the Mediterranean climate, rich water resources and a favourable traffic position have created ideal conditions for the development of agriculture, industry, and entrepreneurship (high-tech innovations and green development). One of the characteristics of the Vipava Valley is its northeast wind called the bora that blows away clouds and cleans the air, so the valley has many sunny days per year and a two month longer vegetation period than the inland of Slovenia. Because of all these favourable natural conditions, many indigenous vines grow as well as cherries, apricots and peaches. In addition to that, 76% of the area of the Municipality of Ajdovščina is under NATURA 2000 and therefore offers numerous opportunities to develop projects dealing with nature and biodiversity conservation. 

Regional Development Agency ROD Ajdovščina

Regional Development Agency ROD Ajdovščina is in the southwestern part of Slovenia, in the Upper Vipava Valley along the border with Italy. It was founded to support and promote the integrated local development of the Upper Vipava Valley, cooperating with different stakeholders to later broaden to the whole Goriška region. 

As an equal partner, it participates in regional projects with the other three development institutions in the region (Development agency of Idrija and Cerkno, Soča Valley Development Centre and the Regional Development Agency of Northern Primorska Ltd Nova Gorica). Together with the organisations mentioned above RDA ROD forms the Regional Agency Network of Northern Primorska.

Since its establishment in 1999, RDA ROD has participated in more than twenty EU funded projects as a project partner or as a lead partner/coordinating beneficiary. RDA ROD works mainly in Municipalities of Ajdovščina and Vipava. In 2007-2015, RDA ROD was one of the partners of Local Action Group - LAG and played the role of the administrative body for LAG. Since 2015 RDA ROD is the lead partner of LAG “Vipava Valley” 2014-2020.

About the EIC Business Acceleration Services     

This opportunity is brought to you by the EIC Business Acceleration Services. To explore other opportunities to connect with the largest corporates in Europe, keep an eye on our events page.       

About the EIC GHG Programme     

With the EIC GHG programme, part of the Business Acceleration Services, the EIC offers its beneficiaries a dedicated GHG tool, the GHG Badges & CO2 Neutral Label initiative, and further resources.  

In addition, co-creation activities with corporates, industrial associations, regions in carbon transition and other EIC beneficiaries are taking place on a regular basis.      

Need help?  

For additional information, please refer to our helpdesk (please choose ‘EIC GHG: Co-creation with Goriška Region’ as the subject).   

Cancellation policy  

Cancellations will only be considered in duly documented cases of "force majeure". Unjustified cancellation can lead to exclusion in future Business Acceleration Services events.  
   
Should you have any questions regarding the event or your eligibility, please contact us through our contact page (please choose ‘EIC GHG: Co-creation with Goriška Region’ as the subject).