Innovative Mediterranean Solutions Shine at PRIMA2BUSINESS Pitching Contest 2025
On 24 June 2025, twelve pioneering innovation teams gathered online for the PRIMA2BUSINESS Pitching Contest 2025, held under the Horizon Europe-funded FUTURE4PRIMA project. The event marked a significant milestone in promoting market-oriented solutions for sustainable agri-food and water systems across the Mediterranean region.
The contest offered a unique platform for Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA)-funded projects to present their cutting-edge innovations directly to a jury of experts. The top two projects — SmaCuMed and TECHONEY — were awarded a coveted Go-to-Market support voucher worth up to €10,000 each, intended to accelerate the commercialisation of their solutions through tailored services such as prototyping, legal support, and investment readiness coaching.
The event commenced with opening remarks by Tanja Gillmann (DLR Projektträger), who emphasised FUTURE4PRIMA’s mission to support the transition of research outcomes into tangible market solutions. Stephan Epe (DLR Projektträger) then introduced the jury panel and outlined the evaluation process, which focused on key criteria including innovation, market potential, relevance of voucher use, and team competence.
The jury panel included:
• Ali Rhouma and Mohamed Waigeh (PRIMA Foundation)
• Amira Ramadan (Women in Tech Egypt)
• Heba Labib (Nile University)
• Mohamad Diab (iPARK)
Twelve projects took the virtual stage to pitch their ideas:
1. BIOfreshCloud
2. FARMS4CLIMATE
3. ImPUlSe
4. GourMed
5. TECHONEY
6. BONEX
7. CHANGE-UP
8. DELICIOUS
9. InovFarmer.MED
10. INTEL-IRRIS
11. SmaCuMed
12. FunTomP
Following an intense three-hour pitching session and a closed jury deliberation, the winners were announced in a celebratory closing session led by Dr Amr Radwan (ASRT) and Luca Gessani (META Group). While all participants demonstrated remarkable innovation and commitment, the two top-ranked teams were recognised for their exceptional potential to deliver impactful, market-ready solutions.
The winners will now enter the Go-to-Market support phase, where they will receive tailored business and technical services from external providers, culminating in a final report due by February 2026. Their journey exemplifies FUTURE4PRIMA’s core vision: transforming research excellence into sustainable innovation that can scale.
This year’s edition underscores the value of cross-border collaboration and targeted support in unlocking the real-world impact of EU-funded research. With two more pitching rounds scheduled for 2026 and 2027, FUTURE4PRIMA continues to pave the way for PRIMA2, the future partnership for innovation in the Mediterranean.
