World Materials Forum 2021 Scale-up/Start-up Challenges rules

Article 1 - Eligibility criteria

Is eligible to participate any company that fulfills the three following criteria:

  • number of permanent staff below 50
  • confirmed economic viability
  • sizable impact on Using Materials Smarter, Less and Longer
  • demonstrated breakthrough - whether technical or organizational - in one of the following topics:

- New materials offering higher functionality (better surface aspects, no toxicity, product usage rate), lower costs, and/or fully recyclablity

- New processes whether digital (AI, IoT, sensors...) or non-digital process (3D, CO2-free electrolysis, spintronics...)

- all types of application such as

1. Fuel cell/Hydrogen, 
2. EV batteries,
3.body light weighting (aeronautics, automotive), 
4.thermal insulation, 
5.data storage, 
6.data protection,
7.energy management,
8.water treatment, 
9.waste reduction
10.recycling or reuse

 

Each applicant will be entitled to apply for one single project.

 

Article 2 – Requested documents for application Start Up Challenge

Participants will provide a presentation of their company in the form of a PDF document of max 5 pages including a description of their breakthrough innovation, a simplified 3 years business plan and the basic informations relative to their company structure (capital and shareholding).

Article 3 – Eligibility criteria Scale Up Challenge

Is eligible to participate any company that has been nominated at one of our previous WMF Start Up Challenges (from 2017 to 2020)

Article 4 – Requested documents for application Scale Up Challenge

Participants will provide a presentation of their company in the form of a PDF document of max 3 pages including a description of their scale Up project (capacity, capital expenditure, project team), a simplified 3 years business plan and the updated basic informations relative to their company structure (capital and shareholding).

Article 5 – Submission rules

Applicants to both Start Up and Scale Up Challenges will send their files to Victoire de Margerie - victoire36@icloud.com - and Stéphane Mangin - stephane.mangin@univ-lorraine.fr

Article 6 - Composition of jury for both Challenges

  • Jos Burger, CEO Ultimaker (NL)
  • Christophe Cabarry, CEO Special Chem (France)
  • Tadeu Carneiro, CEO Boston Metal (USA)
  • Edith Coune, COO Innovation Fund (Belgium)
  • Prof. Reinhold Dauskardt, Stanford University (USA)
  • Prof. Bronwyn Fox, Swinburne University (Australia)
  • Prof. Alexander King, Critical Materials Institute (USA)
  • Prof. Stéphane Mangin, Université de Lorraine (France) - Vice Chair
  • Prof. Victoire de Margerie, Vice Chairman World Materials Forum (France) - Chair
  • Bernard Pinatel, President Refining and Chemicals Total (France)
  • Nick Stanage, CEO Hexcel (USA)
  • Dr An Steegen, CTO Umicore (Belgium)

Article 7 - Nominees Start Up Challenge

12 nominees will be designated by the jury beginning of April and each nominated company will receive a package including a free booth at Hôtel de Ville de Nancy during the three days of World Materials Forum 2021 and free transportation, accommodation and WMF registration for the company CEO. 

The package also include the shooting of a professional one minute pitch video presenting the nominee's company and its breakthrough innovation - This video will appear of the official WMF web site for a full year

Article 8 - Nominees Scale Up Challenge

3 nominees will be designated by the jury beginning of April and each nominated company will receive a package including a free booth at Hôtel de Ville de Nancy during the three days of World Materials Forum 2021 and free transportation, accommodation and WMF registration for the company CEO. 

The package also include the organization of 3 one to one meeting with Partner CEOs of WMF as per the nominee’s choice.

Article 9 - Awards Start Up Challenge

Among the nominees, a winner will be designated by the jury during WMF in June and the 50.000 euros Grand Prix award will be handed out to the winning company CEO by the Jury Chairman, Victoire de Margerie.

A second company will be designated by the jury and the Coup de Coeur award of 20.000 euros will be handed out to this other company by Stéphane Mangin

Additional awards in kind or in cash might be awarded by other jury members.

Article 10 - Award Scale Up Challenge

Among the nominees, a winner will be designated by the jury during WMF in June and a 50.000 euros Grand Prix award will be handed out to the winning company CEO by the Jury Chairman, Victoire de Margerie.

Additional awards in kind or in cash might be awarded by other jury members.

Article 11 - Nominees commitments

Nominated companies of both Challenges commit to have their CEO attending World Materials Forum in Nancy on June 17th to 19th thanks to the packages granted and described in article 7 & 8.

Article 12 - Competition schedule 

  • Opening: 16 November 2020
  • Deadline to apply: 17 February 2021
  • Selection of nominees: Jury meeting to be held in Paris during March 2021
  • Announcement of nominees: to be made during the 1st week of April 2021
  • Presentation of nominees and announcement of Awards: 18 June 2021 during WMF Gala Dinner

Article 13 - Information and communication

Participants and nominees allow World Materials Forum and their partners to use their names, e-mail addresses, full company contact details and a non confidential presentation of their company as included in the company application, and this for the purpose of information and communication actions related to the competition, included all website publications, without any possibility to claim any right whatsoever.

Article 14 - Confidentiality

Jury members as well as WMF or partners experts and staff who will have access to files submitted within the course of the competition will commit in written to keep confidential all such informations related to projects submitted.

Article 15 - Acceptance of rules

Every participant acknowledges the reading and acceptance of all competition rules by way of participating.

Article 16 - Applicable Law

French Law will apply to all matters arising from this competition - and this includes "Loi informatique et liberté" dated 06/01/78 modified by "Loi relative à la protection des personnes physiques à l'égard des traitements de données à caractère personnel" dated 06/08/2004."