Under the umbrella of the FI-PPP Liaison initiative, CREATE-NET and Engineering organized the first FI-PPP Day Trentino in Trento, Italy, on 4th June 2014. The FI-PPP Liaison initiative is an activity promoted by the EIT ICT Labs to cross-fertilize the FI-PPP ecosystem with the EIT ITC Labs ecosystems.

The purpose of this event was to inform SMEs and start-ups located in the Trentino region about the various opportunities for funding and innovation related to the FI-PPP Liaison initiative and the upcoming FI-PPP Phase III accelerators. The event provided the opportunity for the FI-PPP to ensure the engagement of new players on local level in the Trentino region.

Around 50 participants took part in the event and received an introduction about the FI-PPP, FI-WARE and FI-Lab, the 5 accelerators with links with the Trentino region, and the FI-WARE Trentino Challenge.

The FI-WARE Trentino Challenge is a prize for 2 SMEs, sponsored by EIT ICT Labs, for the development of a solution based on FI-WARE technology and related to OpenData or IoT of value for the Trentino region. More details abut the Open Call, which will close on the 16th July, can be found on the FI-WARE Trentino Challenge Website.

The FI-PPP Day Trentino was very lively, with many question by the participants related to access to the funding, ability to use the software beyond the end of FI-PPP programme, and commercial support of the offering. This has shown that there is still important work ahead to be done in ensuring a long-lasting road for the FI-PPP efforts, but also that the hype, the interest and concrete need exist, and the work the FI-PPP is pursuing is going in the right direction!

Further information, including videos, is available on the FI-PPP Day Trentino Website.