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Call for Nominations
Nominations due:
June 30th, 2026
Nominations get responses within a week of submission on a rolling basis.
So apply ASAP!
ELIGIBILITY
The competition is open to:
Undergraduate students
Masters students
Grad students
Developing Solutions in:
Healthcare & therapeutics
MedTech & digital health
Agri-food & industrial biotech
Environmental & marine biotechnology
Bioinformatics / AI in life sciences
Interdisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged.
PROCESS DEADLINES & KEY DATES
Nomination Open Call: April 28th - June 30th, 2026
Nomination Acceptance: Within One Week of Submission
Full Application Submission Deadline: July 31st, 2026
Complete applications, including all required materials, must be submitted by this date. Incomplete submissions will not be evaluated.
Finalist Selection Notification: September 15th.
The six (6) best proposals will be invited to present their ideas at the BioInnovation Greece (BiG) Forum.
BioSTART Competition (BiG Forum): October 2nd, 2026
Six Finalists present at a BiG Forum competition session.
Winner Announcement and BiG Forum Main Event Presentation - October 3rd, 2026.
Three winners present at the BiG Forum main stage.
MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR FULL APPLICATION
(after Nomination is approved)
Project Idea Description (2500 characters maximum)
Project idea Presentation (5 mins video summarizing the project)
All applications will be evaluated by the BioSTART evaluation committee, composed of experts in the fields of Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship and Investment, and the results will be announced during the STARTUPs and INNOVATION day on October 3rd at the BioInnovation Forum 2026.
CRITERIA FOR EVALUTATION
Commercial Viability: Projects will be assessed based on their market potential, demand, and feasibility to attract investment.
Innovation and Scalability: How novel is the solution, and can it scale to meet global challenges?
Societal Impact: The potential of the project to solve pressing issues, improve quality of life, or protect the environment.
Technical Feasibility: The robustness and readiness of the technology for development beyond the prototype stage.
Entrepreneurial Readiness: The team’s ability to engage with investors, form partnerships, and launch a successful startup.
PRIZES & OPPORTUNITITES
Acceleration: All teams entering the competition will be invited to join Eurobank’s egg – enter grow go, a leading business accelerator. Participants will gain access to the pre-acceleration platform, where they can further develop their projects into viable startups. This initiative provides essential support, resources, and guidance to help transform innovative ideas into sustainable businesses.
Selected teams will be invited to present their projects during the BiG Forum 26.
In addition, the winning teams will receive:
Mentorship: Access to a network of experienced entrepreneurs, biotech experts, and investors who will provide guidance on scaling the business.
Networking Opportunities: Exclusive invitations to pitch at biotech venture forums, innovation summits, and investor meetings.
Cash Prize. The top three winning teams will receive €1,500 (first prize), €1,000 (second prize) and €500 (third prize).
BioSTART COMPETITION STRUCTURE
● Organization & Pre-Application Review: BioInnovation Greece
● Evaluation Committee:
○ Antigoni Dimas, Group Leader, BSRC Alexander Fleming, Greece (Chair)
○ Fay Christodoulou, CSO, INTEGRA Biosciences, USA
○ Lina Nikolopoulpou, MINDVIEW Strategy & Research, Greece & Ambassador 2026, BioInnovation Greece, Greece
○ Panos Papadopoulos, Partner, Marathon Venture Capital, Greece
○ Georgios Sketas, CEO, ResQ Biotech & Director, Institute for Bio-innovation, BRCA, Fleming Greece
○ Georgios Varsos, Senior Manager (Business Development and Licensing), Mass General Hospital, MA, USA & Ambassador 2026, BioInnovation Greece, Greece
○ Eleni Zika, Head of Scientific Impact, ERC, Belgium & Ambassador 2026, BioInnovation Greece, Greece
● Information Contact Points:
○ Panagiotis Michailidis, Research Assistant, FORTH, Greece
● Contact: biostart.competition@bioinnovation.gr
TERMS & CONDITIONS OF THE COMPETITION
Applicants guarantee that the submitted proposal is not the result of work done under an employment contract, consulting agreement, or any other formal arrangement that grants full ownership or control to another entity. The applicant must not be restricted by prior commitments that would give another party (such as a university, a research center or a company) full ownership or control over the submission. The goal is to ensure that the applicant has legal rights to the submitted business, idea proposal, or presentation and guarantees unrestricted copyright over it, without any claims or restrictions from a third party. This ensures no other party, like an employer or university, can claim full ownership or impose restrictions on its use.
The BioSTART Competition Committee consists of members selected by BioInnovation Greece.
The decision of the evaluation committee is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. The decision will be published on BioInnovation Greece websites. Finalists will be contacted at the email address provided in the submitted application and winners will be announced at the BiG Forum.
Applicants must disclose any personal or professional relationship with a member of the Evaluation Committee or BioInnovation Greece in their submission. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.
BioInnovation Greece has the right to publish the awarded ideas/proposals/presentations submitted (either in full or in part), including but not limited to publication in the conference BioInnovation proceedings and/or website and/or other BioInnovation Greece relevant publications. In all such cases, the author's name(s) will be appropriately acknowledged.
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