HTE - Research Innovation Challenge

What is it ? 

We are looking for young talents from all backgrounds HTE GeNiUS, a 7days international program promoted by the Université Côte d'Azur (UCA), by the French government, through the UCAJEDI Investments in the Future project managed by the National Research Agency (ANR), the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), and the University of Genoa (UniGe), aimed at turning breakthrough technologies into tech startups.

This goal is achieved by creating multidisciplinary and international teams of researchers and students. The program comprises a kick-off event, workshops, and a final pitch event; participants receive entrepreneurial training about design thinking, pitching, business model, IP Strategy/Patenting, business development, and inspirational talks from international entrepreneurs. 

The previous editions of HTE involved 63 business ideas, 14 startups, and  9 established companies.

The projects are related to the field of Robotics, Nanomaterials, Technologies for Life Science, and Computational Sciences and are meant to solve social challenges such as improving health and sustainability.
As a student, HTE represents an opportunity to apply your skills to a real business case, develop your entrepreneurial mindset and learn how to manage a tech startup while connected to the HTE GeNiUS Network.
The university entirely funds the program and will allow 10/12 students from UCA to participate in a 4 days hackathon in Genoa. 

The timeline is structured as follows:

  • mid-end of September: Students apply to HTE GeNiUS
  • End of September: Students selection
  • 18/10, h18: Students and researchers are organized into teams during the online kick-off.
  • 2/11-5/11: all HTE GeNiUS participants gather in Genova to attend four full-time days of workshops and keynotes.
  • 18 /11: Pitch workshop day at the Université Côte d’Azur in Nice
  • 02/12: Pitch competition at the University of Genoa.

The output of the program for each of the projects concerned:

  • Development of a value proposition consistent with the market.
  • Development of a business model.
  • Development of a business plan.
  • Development of a pitch for the pitch competition.

Get to know more on the official HTE website: https://www.htegenius.com/.

APPLY NOW THROUGH THIS FORM!
The first round of applications is open until the end of September.

IDEX UCAJEDI: This Program is supported by the French government, through the UCAJEDI Investments in the Future project managed by the National Research Agency (ANR) with the reference number ANR-15-IDEX-01.

Application

APPLICATIONS ARE OVER, NEXT EDITION 23/24 WILL OPEN IN LATE AUGUST/ SEPTEMBER 2023, STAY TUNED!

It doesn’t matter whether your background is technical or not; if you are interested in innovation, entrepreneurship, new technologies, international & multidisciplinary collaboration, and project management, HTE GeNius is a unique opportunity to receive intensive training and engage yourself on an actual project with real people. The skills you will acquire are highly transferrable to many different job sectors and roles.

Make your CV shine!
We give you the opportunity of:


The course is for Master students / PHDs/ bachelor 3rd year students from all backgrounds.

  • working on real & meaningful projects,

  • acquiring highly required skills in the current and future job markets, such as entrepreneurship, teamwork, international collaboration, creative problem solving, communication, presentation skills, and the capability to enter and understand a new domain, 

  • improving your overall academic score,

  • being on the edge of innovation and being onboarded in one of the most prominent sectors of the future,

  • receiving a 360° intense training about deep tech, entrepreneurship & innovation methodologies,

  • being confronted with top students and researchers from all around the world and from different backgrounds.

You are

  • a motivated student willing to work in multidisciplinary and international teams

  • interested in entrepreneurship or with previous experiences in this sector

  • with a minimum B2 English proficiency

  • you don’t need a technical background, the program is designed to leverage diversity and multidisciplinarity.

Fee & practicalities:

  • no fees to pay

  • Language: English (B2 level is required)

  • Economic contribution: students' travels (transport, accommodation) will be refunded by the University

  • Academic accreditation: you will receive the “Bonus entrepreneurial,” meaning +0,25 points to your overall academic score, and a certificate of attendance.

Contacts
silvia.marchini@univ-cotedazur.fr 


Why High Tech Entrepreneurship?

If you are unfamiliar with the terms "High Tech" or “Deep Tech”, you are undoubtedly familiar with some of the prominent names related to it: Space X, Moderna, Blue Origin and so on…

"High Tech" or “Deep Tech” describe a technology based on tangible engineering innovation; its fundamental focus is to pioneer new solutions that solve society’s most significant issues.  If you are not convinced about the relevance of that field yet, the data are self-explaining:

  • European deep tech companies are worth around €700B, cumulatively, with accelerated growth predicted for 2023 (Dealroom data). 
  • Worldwide, investment in deep tech start-ups and scale-ups quadrupled from $15B in 2016 to more than $60B in 2020. (Deep Tech: the great wave of change BCG report)

Given the extreme relevance of this sector and the high stake it has for the whole of humanity, HTE GeNiUS is a Deep-tech entrepreneurship program that aims to educate talents to contribute to Deep-tech development projects. 

What does it mean to turn technological breakthroughs into business opportunities?
Deep tech researchers are professionals with vertical expertise, they can create technical innovation however they might need support in answering some of the following questions:

  • where can the innovation be applied? Who needs it? Who are my clients?
  • how can I communicate & interact with them? 
  • which strategy should I use to enter the market?
  • how should I present my idea to partners? Which partners should I involve?

Turning technological breakthroughs into business opportunities happens by answering to all these questions (and many more).