Educational and mentoring program AgriFood Innovation Camp

AgriFood Innovation Camp (part of the EIT Food Challenge Labs initiative) is a free educational and mentoring program for startups and businesses with solutions in the AgriFood sector. The program is organized by the European network EIT Food with support from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union that is part of the Horizon Europe research and innovation framework program. EIT Food Country Representatives in Ukraine are the Radar Tech and Civitta consortium. Radar Tech is a technology company with 10 years of experience in implementing acceleration and corporate programs, and Civitta is an international consulting firm specializing in fundraising and digital solutions development.

The learning process lasts 2 months and includes 6 weeks of comprehensive online training. The program is designed to help teams identify key challenges and focus on solving them. Participants will attend online workshops and receive individual mentoring sessions from experienced business practitioners. During the sessions, teams will work on strengthening their business models, improving marketing and investment strategies, building new partnerships, and learning how to enter international markets.

This cohort represents the third group of participants preparing to present their developments. At the end of the training, startups will pitch their solutions at the final pitch event to investors and leading players in Ukraine's agrifood market, including MHP, Enzym Group, HD-group, Volia Innovation Kitchen, and Smart Farming. Participants will receive professional feedback, expert advice, and expand their network within the agrifood ecosystem

• Type of Entities: Ukrainian startups and businesses.
• Legal Registration: Official business registration in Ukraine.
• Team Composition: The team must consist of at least 2 people.
• Development Stage: Having first pilots or clients.
• Training Requirement: Ability to ensure attendance of at least 1 team member at all online sessions.
• Priority Solution Areas:
  • Development of technologies helping agricultural producers work under climate change conditions.
  • Soil fertility restoration.
  • Solutions for avoiding food supply chain disruptions.
  • Production of alternative protein sources (plant-based products, algae proteins, fermentation, cultured meat, insect alternatives, etc.).
  • Agrifood solutions for overcoming war consequences.
  • Efficient resource use in agriculture and reducing negative environmental impact.
  • Food processing.
  • Next-generation food and beverage creation.
  • Solutions for restaurants, conscious consumption, and waste management.
  • Other solutions in the agrifood sector.

• Participation Cost: Participation in the educational and mentoring program is entirely free of charge for all selected teams.
• Prize Fund: Based on the results of the final solution pitch, the program winner receives a monetary award (prize) of EUR 1,000.
• Expense Specification: Since this is an educational program, no separate expense budgeting for participants during training is provided, and detailed rules regarding the prize bonus usage are not specified in the sources.

• Comprehensive Training: 6 weeks of online training to refine solutions.
• Interactive Workshops: 16 hours of online workshops focusing on business model enhancement, marketing and investment strategy, and building new partnerships.
• Mentorship: Individual consultations from experienced business practitioners.
• Networking: Participation in events involving participants, alumni, and leaders of the agrifood ecosystem.
• Final Pitching: Presentation of solutions to potential investors and industry experts.

• Until October 5 (09:00): Deadline for submitting online applications from candidates.
• October – November: Conducting online learning workshops (held 1–2 times a week).
• November – December: Preparation stage for participants before the final pitch.
• December: Final pitching of solutions to an expert jury, key agrifood market players, and potential investors.

1. Review Requirements: Check the startup/business eligibility against program criteria.
2. Access Web Portal: Open the official program page at https://www.agrifoodcamp.com/ 
3. Fill Application: Click the "Apply" button and complete the online application form (information about the team, business stage, and solution description).
4. Submit: Send the completed application before the deadline — October 5 at 09:00.

• Sector Alignment: Presence of an innovative solution in the AgriFood sector.
• Business Maturity Stage: Availability of a ready product with first pilots or clients.
• Team Capacity: Team composition (at least 2 people) and readiness to implement the solution.
• Motivation and Engagement: Readiness to actively participate in workshops, mentoring sessions, and complete program assignments. (Exact scoring scales or numerical criteria are not specified by the organizers in open sources).

• Completed online application form.

• Mandatory Attendance: At least one representative per team is required to attend all online learning sessions.
• Active Participation: Completing individual mentoring consultations and preparing the final presentation for the pitch event. (No additional financial or written grant reporting is required by the organizers).

• Entity Registration: Only startups and businesses officially registered in Ukraine are eligible to apply.
• Team & Product Requirements: Mandatory requirements include having at least two team members and a product at the stage of having first pilots or clients.
• Training Rules: Attending all online sessions by at least one team member is mandatory to maintain participant status.
• Winner Selection: Awarding of the monetary prize is decided by an expert jury based on evaluating participant presentations during the final pitch.