The European Foundation for Innovation is organising the "Smart Agrifood AI" on- siteformat that will take place on 19-20th September 2024. Smart Agrifood AI is the largest innovation and digitalization event in Europe. An annual event to discuss the trends and challenges of the European entrepreneurial ecosystem as the main issues and trends in the agri-food sector where artificial intelligence is involved.

• Marketplace development and food delivery.
• New platforms for agriculture, livestock and forestry.
• Alternative proteins.
• Novel foods.
• Indoor crops and vertical farming.
• Food safety, traceability.
• Biotechnology.
• Robotics and artificial intelligence applied to industry 4.0.
• Circular economy and sustainability.
• Challenges of the sector in Europe. Fisheries and aquaculture.
• Intelligent irrigation and precision agriculture.
• Demographic challenge

We believe that Europe must play a leading role in the world in terms of the transformation of the sector, and especially in innovation and disruption of European startups, which are already a reference in foodtech, agrotech, etc., and especially in its application to Artificial Intelligence. Together we will work tirelessly in promoting entrepreneurship and digital innovation in the field of technologies to provide added value to the agri-food value chain, solving the world's most important challenges, driving sustainability, and using entrepreneurial tools. The aim is to involve large companies in the field of innovation and technology along the agri-food chain: agri-food production and processing industry, industry 4.0, logistics and distribution, retail and supermarkets, catering, and applied technology. As well as research groups from universities, research centres, technology parks, international and national investors related to the agri-food sector and local administrations.

Together with partners and collaborators, Together with partners and collaborators, the startups that present the best innovative and disruptive artificial intelligence solution applied to the challenges of the sector will be selected to participate in the event, which will bring together the most important players in this sector, as well as investors willing to invest in this field, companies, and corporations in the sector. There, the startups will be able to make their presentation in front of investors, heads of public institutions, industry professionals, specialised media and opinion leaders and will have the opportunity to be chosen and awarded as one of the 4 best startups of the event. In addition, if they wish, they will have the opportunity to exhibit their solutions in the Demo Zone or have a stand in the exhibition area.

The call is open to all startups that offer a disruptive and innovative solution to one or more of the challenges facing the Agrifood sector, such as:

Farm management software, Sensorisation and IoT: Data capture, IoT Decision support software, Big Data analytics.

Agrifood Markets: Commodity trading platform.

Agro Biotechnology: On-farm inputs in crops and animals including genetics, microbiome, and animal reproductive health.

Agricultural Robotics. Mechanisation and equipment: Agricultural machinery, automation, drone manufacturers and farming equipment.

Cross-cutting technologies: Food safety & traceability technology, logistics & transport, processing technology.

New agricultural system: Inside Farms (indoor farming), aquaculture, insect and algae production.

Various for the whole chain: E.g. financial technology for farmers and livestock

Farmers Innovative food: Cultured meat, new proteins, plant-based proteins

Retail and Tech Restaurants: Stacking robots, 3D food printers, Food waste monitoring with IoT.

Online Tech Marketplace Restaurant platforms: Offering a wide variety of food providers.

Grocery Store ( eGrocery ): Online produce shop and Marketplace for processed and unprocessed agricultural products.

Home and kitchen technology: Smart kitchen appliances, nutrition testing food devices.

Online restaurants and meal kits: Startups offering cooked meals and portioned ingredients to cook at home.

Cloud retail infrastructure On-demand technology: Ghost kitchens, last-mile delivery robots and services.

Bioenergy and Biomaterials: Extraction and processing of non-food products, feedstock technology, cannabis pharmaceuticals.

In addition, startups must meet the following requirements: Have up to three years from legal incorporation.: Be legally constituted. Have up to three years from its legal constitution. Having a scalable business model for different markets. Have a tested product with at least one pilot customer. Have a team of 2 to 60 people. Applicant startups must complete the available form on the Smart Agrifood Summit web page and attach all the required documentation. The submission deadline is 5th of September

The following procedure will be followed to access the Elevator Pitch and to be selected for the awards: After the closing of the call, the 10 most outstanding startups and (5 reserves) facing challenges related to the Agrifood sector applied to AI, especially those related to the challenges we have identified, will be selected and published on the website www.openaiagrifood.com The selected startups will present their initiative together with other startups on the Smart Agrifood AI stage.

The jury will be composed of at least 5 members of international character and of recognised prestige belonging to the organisations that organise and sponsor the event. All the names of the members and alternates, as well as their CVs, will be published on the event's website.The jury will select the five best startups, which will be awarded the prizes.

The awards ceremony will take place at the closing of the event. The jury is governed by a set of ethical rules related to:

• Independence of the projects presented. Not to be linked to them. Not having direct or indirect interests in the startups presented at the Elevator Pitch.
• The jury will be governed by the rules and criteria published on the "Call For Startups" website.
• The jury will meet in a room to which only members of the jury will have access.
• The The jury's deliberations will be confidential.
• The jury's decision will be final.
• The jury will be provided with a tool for the calculation of the scores, which will be indicative.
• The jury's decisions on the winners of the 5 categories will be taken preferably by consensus. Preferably by consensus, although in the event that there is no agreement, decisions may be taken by majority vote.
• Agreement may be taken by a majority of the full members of the jury (half plus one). and in the event of a tie, by the project that has received the most votes in each category.

During September 19 and 20 , an external and independent jury of at the least five people, with proven experience in the sector and in evaluating startups, will judge the startups’ pitches in accordance with the following evaluation criteria:

1.  Clarity. Clear information and in the presentation of the project before the jury.
2. Response to the set challenges. The project must address one of the challenges of the call and provide a technological solution to it. The project must respond to a particular or demand specific problem.
3. Stability. Those projects with long-lasting business models and with great commercial aspirations shall prevail.
4. Scalability. The ability of the project to scale its value proposition and offer a sufficient return on investment, as well as to constitute itself as a viable initiative that contributes to the revitalization of the business fabrics.
5. Adherence. Can this project become a habit or a trend? Often "stickiness" is used from a utilitarian point of view (that is, its usability), but rigidity can also define its emotional appeal. Does the project or prototype is capable of bringing to the market a product that will be driven by the customer feeling of need?
6. Integration in the startup’s organizational strategy. Understood as the ability to self-finance and remunerate capital in h di
7. Economic feasibility. Understood as the ability to self - finance and remunerate capital within time short or medium.
8. Business Model. A good business model shall include a marketing plan, specifying the market potential, and an international sale projection.
9. Team Qualifications. Understood as the skills and abilities of the entrepreneurial team. The industry/scope of the project knowledge will be valued. 
10. Alignment with the SDGs. The project must be aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The more goals covered, the better impact of the project to address societal problems.

The presentation will be made by those responsible for the project. Each startup shall designate one spokesperson. The presentations shall be made in an audiovisual support and shall be sent to the organization seven days prior to the event (submission deadline: September, 5,  2024.)

Each presentation will have a maximum duration of five minutes. The organizers will have a clock to track the time used by each startup. The organization will determine the order of presentation of all interventions.

Each member of the jury will receive a spreadsheet with the criteria and scoring areas to assess each startup. Interaction of the Judge with the team. The judges will be able to interact with each team for a few minutes after the presentations. The judges will guide their interventions in a constructive way for the entrepreneurs.

The 4 winning startups will receive as prizes:

1) Best startup applying AI

2) Most sustainable AI solution

3) Most innovative startup

4) Best AI solution to efficient water management Due to the exceptional circumstances of extreme heat and drought in southern Europe, an award related to efficient water management is being collected in an extraordinary way.

The prizes will be sponsored by participating entities and the amount and resources that the sponsoring entities will allocate to each prize will be published. Each member of the jury will receive a spreadsheet with the criteria and Visibility on the Smart Agrifood platform, guest participation to the upcoming events and appearance in the report Trends 2024 INTEC Foundation, a reference publication with the protagonists of the future of the sector In addition, the five finalist startups will have the opportunity to participate in all the activities carried out by the Foundation's ecosystem and will receive dissemination and visibility through the media covering the event.

By accepting these terms, participants expressly consent and authorize the use of their image. Similarly, participants grant the organizers the rights to show the projects presented on the event's website, without prior notice or any compensation for the granting of such right. In no case will this fact imply the commercial exploitation of the initiative.

The participants are informed and authorize the European Foundation for Innovation (INTEC) to use personal data with the purpose of developing its participation in this event. The participants shall communicate any modification relating to their personal data. Personal data will be treated in strict compliance of data protection legislation.

The organization reserves the right to exclude from the prizes participants registered with erroneous information or when there are sufficient indications to believe that the provided information is false. If deemed appropriate, the organization may require the verification of information. Those participants who, fraudulently, manipulate their participation in the prizes will also be excluded.

The European Foundation for Innovation (INTEC) are not responsible for the participants compliance in terms of rights of intellectual industry or image property, , or any liability arising from the breach or lack of compliance by the participants of the present terms. In addition, the organization is exempt from any compensation or obligation towards the participants if due to force majeure or legal imperative this call should be canceled or suspended.

The participation in the call means the full acceptance of the present terms and conditions. The organization shall reserve the right of modification of the conditions when it is necessary to extend or suspend the awards in cases of force majeure and even cancel them or leave them without effect, in which case it shall be granted the corresponding Notarial Act. Similarly, the organization is committed to publicize through the website of the event the modified terms to which all participants will have similar access.

In case of divergence on the interpretation of these rules that had to be settled, The tribunals of Córdoba will be competent expressly waiving the participants to any jurisdiction or jurisdiction that could be theirs.