The Future is Fungi Award for Researchers and Startups

The winners are each awarded with:

• EUR 10000
• Mentorship
• Access to network and visibility

With The Future is Fungi Award, they want to honor and uncover the frontier and cutting-edge science that explores the utilisation of fungi for environmental solutions. They aim to put the spotlight on NEW and EMERGING areas of fungal research and start-up innovations, lifting them from the depth of the forest into the daylight.

The goal is also to inspire further research and innovation in the bottomless field of fungal research and applications.

Eligibility Criteria

• For Researchers
  • Environmental Relevance: The research should address one or more of the pressing environmental world issues such as climate change, ensuring food security and more sustainable agriculture, the need for a more circular economy, reducing pollution, the need for nature restoration and supporting biodiversity, or the opportunities of replacing or reducing non-sustainable products with sustainable biobased alternatives from fungi and hence unlocking the potential of biology for more sustainable solutions. As the focus of the award is environmental impact, pharma is not included.
  • Impact: The research should have the potential to bring about a significant and positive environmental and sustainability impact in the relevant field. It may involve small-scale solutions that can have a significant impact.
  • Novelty: The research should present new and innovative ideas, technologies, approaches or solutions to the relevant world issue, including cutting-edge or frontier research.
  • Scientific Rigor: The research should be based on sound scientific and ethical principles and methodology.
  • Collaboration: The research should demonstrate potential for collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, industrial partners, and other researchers.
  • Commercialization: The research should have a potential and viable route to reach commercialization and application in the real world.
• For Start-ups
  • Environmental Relevance: The start-up innovation should address one or more of the pressing environmental world issues such as climate change, ensuring food security and more sustainable agriculture, the need for a more circular economy, pollution, the need for nature restoration and supporting biodiversity, or the opportunities of replacing or reducing non-sustainable products with sustainable biobased alternatives from fungi  and hence unlocking the potential of biology for more sustainable solutions. As the focus of the award is environmental impact, pharma is not included.
  • Impact: The start-up innovation should have the potential to bring about a significant and positive environmental impact in the relevant field.
  • Novelty: The start-up innovation should present new, cutting-edge and innovative ideas, technologies, approaches or solutions to the relevant world issue.
  • Customer discovery: The start-up should demonstrate a clear understanding of their target customers and the value their solution provides for them.
  • Scaling: The start-up innovation has significant scaling potential, , and the start-up can outline a viable route for scale.

What they will ask of you in the application?

• For researchers
  • You can apply with research in all stages – from
    • an idea
    • a tested/proven research, technology or demonstration
    • published research
    • a prototype
  • When applying, they will ask you to describe the following:
    • Why: What is the environmental problem that you are solving?
    • Impact: Explain how significant the impact of your research idea is in the “grand scheme” of things.
    • What:  Describe the context of your research.
    • Frontier reseach: Provide background for the novelty of your research.
    • How: How can your solution be implemented to benefit society and the planet? Further, describe what type of partners you would collaborate with in order to take this solution out?
    • Bringing the research alive: Explain the potential of commercializing your research, and are you interested in seeking commercialization? What resources or support would you need in order to  bring your research to market?
    • How will the award help you? Further, what specific expertise, network, capital or other assistance would be helpful for you?
• For Start-ups
  • Start-ups in the following stages can apply for the award:
    • Pre-seed
    • Seed
    • Seed +
    • Series A
  • Start-ups with research based (or data based) innovations. When applying, they will ask you to describe the following:
    • Why: What is the environmental problem that you are solving with your innovation?
    • Impact: Explain how significant the impact of your innovation is in the “grand scheme” of things. Can you quantify the environmental impact of your innovation?
    • What: Describe your innovation, product or service in detail
    • Frontier innovation: Explain and provide rationale for the novelty of your innovation. How unique is it, are others start-ups delivering similar innovations?
    • Who is your ideal customer? Additionally, what validation have you done to ensure potential customers are willing to pay for your product or service?
    • Scaling: What is the scaling potential of your innovation, and how do you plan to achieve that scale? What would you need in order to scale? What are the top 3-5 milestones planned for the next 1-2 years?
    • How will the award help you? Further, what specific expertise, network, capital or other assistance would be helpful for you?

For more information, visit The Future Is Fungi Award.