The Next Energy Project jury, chaired by Catia Bastioli, President of Terna, identified the 10 best ideas in the field of innovation in the energy sector. As envisaged in the project tender, conceived by Terna and Fondazione Cariplo with the support of Polihub, the 10 teams promoting the selected ideas will have access to a 6-month entrepreneurial empowerment and acceleration program, at the end of which the 3 winning projects. The latter will obtain vouchers to be used for the development of the project, worth respectively €50.000 for first place, €30.000 for second place and €20.000 for third place.
The selection of the best 10 Ideas took place during the Innovation Days, two days of exchange and sharing within the Cariplo Factory structure, during which the competing teams were included in an "Expert Feedback Session", a path training that allowed him to share his projects with some tutors, expert technicians in the sector, in order to improve and optimize the final project. The Innovation Days were the first moment of meeting and sharing between Innovators and Talents foreseen by the Next Energy project. In fact, the 15 selected young people who will access the six-month internship at Terna and who had the opportunity to assist in the construction and presentation of the selected innovative ideas were also present at the two days in the Cariplo Factory.
“We are very satisfied to have worked together with Fondazione Cariplo and Polihub on a circular experience of training and business creation for young talents – declared the President of Terna, Catia Bastioli – The Next Energy project is a unique and repeatable, an integrated learning laboratory on a merit basis, which we hope will be an example for other companies, universities and foundations. Concretely supporting young university students and new entrepreneurs on innovative projects is the way to support the future of the new generations. A commitment that must belong to everyone”.
“When we announced the birth of Cariplofactory in May this year with the aim of creating job opportunities for young people, we made a serious and ambitious commitment – said Giuseppe Guzzetti, President of the Cariplo Foundation. The project with Terna is already giving the first results. And the initiatives launched with Microsoft, Novartis and Fastweb are also activated. The path is the right one to give concrete answers. Cariplo and the big companies have joined a just cause against youth unemployment”.
The Next Energy project, born with the aim of enhancing young talents and supporting the development of innovative projects in the electricity sector, has collected over 200 applications on the website www.nextenergyprogram.it, testifying to the strong interest of young people in innovation and new technologies. In particular, 70% of the projects received have the area of preference and reference relating to smart grids and storage.
