The two SPRIND Challenges, "Long-Duration Energy Storage" and "New Computing Concepts," are aimed at startups, established companies, universities, and non-university research institutions from Europe. Partners outside Europe can also be involved in the projects through collaborations.
The goal of the challenges is to search for new, technology-neutral solutions to major challenges. In each of the two SPRIND Challenges, the selected teams receive several million euros over two to three years to further develop their projects.
“The SPRIND Challenges have quickly established themselves as an effective, new financing tool for researchers and founders to bridge the ‘valley of death’ between basic research and market readiness,”
says Jano Costard, Challenge Officer at SPRIND.
“By funding different approaches over several years and evaluating their development progress, we can filter out the best solution.”
SPRIND Challenges rely on a “simple, unbureaucratic and fast process”
In the challenge “Long-Duration Energy Storage"Disruptive technological approaches are to be found that enable long-term, efficient, and cost-effective energy storage. Such storage systems are a key element of the energy transition, because a high share of renewable energy in electricity generation can only be achieved if storage systems also allow for days or weeks without significant electricity generation from wind or solar energy.
Goal of the challenge “New Computing Concepts" is to develop fundamentally new computing concepts in theory and gradually translate them into practice. These approaches must achieve significant leverage in applications. The future concepts should enable significantly higher performance and lower energy consumption.
Applications for the two SPRIND Challenges can be submitted online in English until October 2 and 16, respectively. No special research proposal expertise is required for participation. According to SPRIND, a "simple, unbureaucratic, and fast process for funding the teams" will be used.
