The EPICENTRE GALA EVENT: The Future of Green and Digital Industrial Ecosystems successfully convened on March 11 at the historic Complesso Monumentale Sant'Anna dei Lombardi. This event brought together 13 innovative SMEs and startups, offering them a stage to present cutting-edge solutions in digital, fintech, agrifood, and health sectors, all developed through the Epicentre Eurocluster program.

A Hub for Innovation and Collaboration

The event started with a welcome speech by Prof. Vincenzo Nigro, Chairman of Campania Bioscience, who highlighted the importance of cross-sectoral innovation and collaboration. This was followed by Roberta Lauro, who introduced the EPICENTRE Project and highlighted the financial support available to participants, with grants of up to €42,400 for project development, alongside €6,850 for training and mentorship from the EPICENTRE Academy.

Throughout the event, attendees engaged in three high-level panel discussions, where industry leaders and entrepreneurs explored critical sectoral challenges and the role of innovation in addressing them. 

Event Highlights: Panel Discussions and Collaboration

Key Panel Discussions:

• Panel 1 focused on The Power of Data and Blockchain for Cross-Sectorial Development moderated by Isabel Botey, from Cluster Digital, and included presentations from FinqUP Technology OOD, TipPri, Seedsghits, and GROUP SALTÓ
• Panel 2 focused on New Frontiers for Food and Health Through Research moderated by Giedrius Bagusinskas from Lithuanian Food Exporters Association, and included presentations from BCNVision, Freia, Innosensus, Biofta, and Smart EpiGenetX
• Panel 3 focused on Health: New Frontiers Through Innovation, moderated by Roberta Lauro, Campania Bioscience, and included presentations from HekaVR, HUVANT, VoiceMed, and Respibit

A special session, "Unlocking Startups’ Potential with Tailored Academy Support," was delivered by Albert Rivero from Worsley Academy, focusing on strategies to accelerate startup success and summarizing the highlights and lessons learned in the EPICENTRE Academy.

Recognizing Excellence – The Winning Projects

The event culminated with the announcement of the three standout companies selected to move on to the final phase of the program (Drive). An expert evaluation committee, composed of corporate representatives, assessed each project based on its innovation, scalability, and readiness to collaborate with large organizations. Seedsghits,  BCNVision and VoiceMed captivated the audience with their cutting-edge solutions. These three companies will now advance to the Drive phase, where they will have the opportunity to conduct pilot projects with large European corporations and test their technologies in real-world scenarios.

Honoring the Participants

The EPICENTRE Gala celebrated the achievements of all participating SMEs and startups: 

• FinqUP - Dime Galapchev
• TipPri - Martin Vogrin
• Seedsight - Paulo Santos
• Group Saltó - Jordi Cabau
• Grupo Bcnvision - Visión artificial - Arturo Piñeiro Rodríguez
• Freia Farmaceutici Srl - Alessandro Cavalieri
• INNOSENSUS - Prakseda Mineikiene
• Biofita - Aiste Balciunaitiene
• Smart EpiGenetX - NutriCare Wellbeing Program - Dragos Ivanov
• Heka VR - Helena Blažinčić
• HUVANT - Tommaso Santaniello
• VoiceMed - Arianna Arienzo
• RespiBit - Aleck Alexopoulos

Looking Ahead

The success of the gala highlighted the strength and creativity of European startups and SMEs. In addition to the panel discussions and project presentations, attendees had ample opportunity to network and build partnerships during the coffee break and lunch, fostering connections that could lead to future collaborations.

The event solidified the role of EPICENTRE as a vital accelerator of innovation in Europe. By bringing together small and medium-sized businesses with large corporations, EPICENTRE enables the development of groundbreaking solutions that address some of the most pressing challenges in health, agri-food, fintech, and digital sectors.

Acknowledging Our Partners

This event was made possible through the contributions of our esteemed partners LITMEA | Smart Food Cluster, Distretto Campania Bioscience, Clúster Digital de Catalunya and the collabortion of WORSLEY Acceleration Services.