Offering

Grants

Funding for commercialisation activities.

Mentoring Programme

International mentors with proven experience in research commercialisation.

Entrepreneurial Training

Practical and focused training on IP protection, market discovery, and pitching to investors.

Networking Opportunities

With potential investors, collaborators and advisors within the US and EU markets.

Collaboration with the egg – enter•grow•go accelerator Programme

Opportunity to join Greece's top-tier startup acceleration Programme.

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Grants

Cyprus Seeds offers pre-seed funding in the form of grants, in the range of €10.000 – €50.000. The grant is awarded to scientific teams, who participate in the Cyprus Seeds 18-month Programme. Eligible expenses include the following:

  1. The salary of a graduate student, post-doc, or researcher but not that of faculty.
  2. Filing for a provisional patent if required;
  3. Purchase of consumables and special equipment; 
  4. Travelling to meet with potential clients or investors. 

In some cases, funding and non-financial support will be awarded to the same project for a second cycle. However, the award will be subject to the submission of a new application.

Mentoring Program

During their journey to commercialisation, research teams have the ongoing support of their mentor/s who guide, advise, and connect them with potential clients, investors, and collaborators. The communication with mentors is mostly via virtual calls or on the ground on a monthly basis.

The mentors participating in the Cyprus Seeds mentoring Programme have proven track record as entrepreneurs and/or in the commercialisation of academic research in the US and European markets. Ηaving long and valuable academic and professional experience, the mentors act as catalysts for the successful implementation of the commercialisation strategy of the academic teams.

Entrepreneurial Training

As part of the Programme, Cyprus Seeds teams attend a series of mandatory workshops that offer, among others things, practical training on the commercialisation of academic research, market discovery, and pitching to investors. 

As of July 2022, the egg – enter•grow•go accelerator Programme is an integrated part of the Cyprus Seeds entrepreneurial training Programme.

Networking Opportunities

Cyprus Seeds organises a number of events aiming to connect participating teams with business angels and investors. Cyprus Seeds teams are also exposed to incubators/accelerators in Greece, Boston and the neighbouring region. 

At the end of each funding period, Cyprus Seeds organises a ‘DEMO DAY’ during which Cyprus Seeds teams have the opportunity to pitch in front of private investors, including business angels and venture capital funds.

Cyprus Seeds teams that progress and are ready to pitch in front of investors are given the opportunity to participate in networking events organised in Greece, London, Boston and the neighbouring region organised by Cyprus Seeds or its strategic partners including MIT Enterprise Forum Greece, the Hellenic Innovation Network and the  egg – enter•grow•go accelerator Programme.

 

Collaboration with the egg

Cyprus Seeds grantees are given the opportunity to join one of the most reputable startups accelerators in Greece.

On the 15th of September 2022, Cyprus Seeds signed a collaboration agreement with the egg – enter•grow•go (egg), in Greece. egg has been running since 2013 with the support of Eurobank Greece and Corallia of the Athena Research and Innovation Center in Information, Communication, and Knowledge Technologies. egg offers startups and scientific teams opportunities for financing, mentoring, networking, and exporting activities through the following 2 platforms:

  • Start Up: For young businesses needing support in their early steps. It helps them grow faster and launch their product or service to the market (incubation).
  • Scale Up: For more mature startups that wish to increase their sales in the next round of funding by accelerating their product development. The Scale Up platform is the advanced business accelerator of the egg and is only eligible to companies.

Our teams IoTShield, ARTES and SOLEX joined the10th Cycle of the egg acceleration Programme and BioSense has just been accepted to the 11th Cycle.