Cesena: ROckER Call, 14 places for innovative startups and three grants of 5 thousand euros

At the headquarters of the Banca del Monte di Faenza Foundation, the RockER call was presented, an initiative born from the desire to create an innovation ecosystem at a regional level, capable of valorizing the talent of young entrepreneurs and stimulating the economic growth of the territory.

The ROckER call (CINIM project Culture of Innovation and Business Incubation), supported by the Emilia-Romagna Region as part of the call for support for the development of incubators and accelerators (Call for support for the development of incubators and accelerators” of the Emilia-Romagna Region, approved with Regional Council resolution no. 484 of 18 March 2024), sees the collaboration of important partners: Ser.In.Ar (Cesenalab), Municipality of Ravenna (Ravenna InnovationLab), Fondazione del Monte Faenza, Fondazione Flaminia Ravenna.

The project partners have joined together to create an ATS (temporary association) and being among the winners of the call promoted by the Emilia-Romagna Region to support new incubation and acceleration programs. In particular, the RockER path involves selecting 7 teams for the incubation path and 7 teams for the acceleration path.

This network of partners, which combines technological, financial, cultural and institutional skills, offers startups 360-degree support, from the ideation phase to the growth and commercialization of their products. Furthermore, by covering the entire Romagna area, this partnership allows the creation of a network of services and skills available to startups, promoting the development of an innovative and dynamic entrepreneurial fabric.

Both the incubation and acceleration paths include moments dedicated to connecting with local companies. Here is RockER It is therefore not only an opportunity for young people who want to launch their own startup but it is a concrete moment to bring the companies of the Romagna fabric into contact with innovative realities and create open innovation connections.

These links between companies and startups aim to create commercial connections that are useful for startups in terms of validating the idea and direct contact with structured entities in the sector in which they intend to operate but also for companies that find in startups enthusiastic teams, innovative solutions with which to start collaborations and perhaps even invest in the development of specific products or from which to draw know-how and skills and/or personnel.

ROckER offers a complete incubation and acceleration path, supporting startups in all phases of their development, from the initial idea phase to the growth and commercialization of products or services. The program includes:

● Mentoring: a team of experts will support startups to define the business strategy and overcome challenges;

● Networking: access to a vast network of contacts, investors and partners;

● Training: workshops and seminars on specific topics for business development;

● Coworking spaces: shared and equipped work environments;

● Funding: financial contributions for project development.

The ROckER call is aimed at innovative startups, both existing and in the process of being established, operating in any sector. Applications are open until Sunday, November 24, 2024. The selected teams will open an operational headquarters (if it is not already present) in the Romagna area.

In addition, among the 14 entities that will participate in the incubation and acceleration paths, a special jury will assign (at the end of the routes) three grants of 5 thousand euros each, evaluating the teams that have achieved the most interesting growth from various points of view (idea validation, financial, connection with the territory).

“It is SERINAR's objective – he comments Stefano Versari, President of SERINAR Forlì-Cesena – promote the cooperative capacity of young people and their creative enterprise. For this reason we support this project, which has an additional merit. It indicates the path to follow in the Romagna territory: "doing it together!" It is unthinkable to innovate in realities that have become too small for complex challenges.. It is necessary to create a network between territorial communities. This is why we promoted the initiative together with the other institutional entities of Romagna that are with us today".

“This is an important opportunity – comments the Councillor for European Projects and Youth Policies Georgia Macrelli – which must absolutely be understood in the spirit of sharing and in aterritorial perspective that generates growth and development in a widespread manner. At the heart of this call, and of the related path, we find innovative startups, both existing and in the process of being established, operating in any sector (for which social and environmental innovation companies are also welcome) that will be able to enjoy the support of important local partners.

With this same vision, in 2013, on the initiative of the University of Bologna, the Municipality of Cesena and the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cesena, and the managing body Ser.In.Ar., CesenaLab was born, a business incubator located in the heart of the city. We wanted to give space and legs to ideas in the Cesena area, building an acceleration path based on the experience of the most important Italian and international companies in the field of business acceleration. Supporting young entrepreneurs is essential, even more so in a network perspective to ensure professional and personal growth for those who undertake an entrepreneurial path and socio-economic growth for our territory".

“The partnership we have built for the ROckER call represents aimportant opportunity to strengthen our commitment to innovation and economic development", he claims Omar Montanari, President of the Fondazione del Monte di Faenza “The Contamination Lab of the Foundation, with its decades of experience in creating connections between young talents, researchers and local realities, continues to be a fundamental bridge for the development of ideas and projects in the area. Together, we are building an ecosystem that enhances creativity and supports the birth of new businesses capable of responding to the challenges of today and tomorrow.".

“The RockER project – he says Antonio I think, Director of the Flaminia Foundation and Manager of the Ravenna Technology Park – it is for us the concrete opportunity to work on a large territory and with high quality skills to offer valid and useful services to entrepreneurship even going beyond the boundaries of the Ravenna Technology Park. The project partners shared the idea of ​​networking in practice, beyond the affiliations and peculiarities of individual incubators and pre-incubation services. With RockER we have built a chain of opportunities and services for all levels of entrepreneurial maturity and aiming to welcome 14 new realities”.

"It is a great opportunity for our territory to collaborate with other incubators in Romagna that have been involved for several years in the provision of incubation/acceleration paths, systematizing the skills of each one“, He declares Annagiulia Randi, Councilor for Economic Development of the Municipality of Ravenna. “In particular, as regards our territory, the Ravenna Innovation LAB technological incubator will collaborate with the incubators of Cesena and Faenza for the development of technological and innovative companies in sectors relevant to Ravenna and to the Environment, Energy and Sea Research Center such as energy, decarbonization, logistics and safety at work”.