NBG Business Seeds - Innovation and Technology Competition

Participate in the innovation & technology competition

Claim the financing and the exposure that will boost your idea.
Take part in the longest-running innovation & technology competition in Greece.

15th Innovation & Technology Competition

Apply by 9 October 2024 and give your idea the opportunity to get the support it deserves

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I want to participate

Monetary prizes

If your idea, business plan, or company is short-listed, you can claim one of the monetary prizes that amount to €54.000 in total.

Press coverage

If you are one of the 10 winners, you will gain exposure to the press and online media.

Mentoring for all

For you to properly grow your business, you need someone to support you. We stand by all the contestants by providing advice, mentoring, and everything in-between.

Info-days

You have the opportunity to participate in thematic coaching, information and networking workshops in Fintech, health, technology, agri-food, energy-environment, technology, culture, tourism and women's entrepreneurship that we organize together with our partners.

4-Day bootcamps

Visit 1 of the 4 bootcamps we organize along with a number of other activities in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Heraklion. The mentors of the program in collaboration with NBG executives, Funds and local entrepreneurs give you useful tips and guidance for the next steps of your idea or company.

Online bootcamp

Aside from the bootcamps in 4 large Greek cities, we also organize an online bootcamp with a 4-month duration, in which selected teams from all over Greece can participate.

We support innovation in the sectors of the future

We are waiting for you if you have a good idea that can be applied in one of the following sectors.

FINTECH

TECHNOLOGY & AI

ENVIRONMENT / CLIMATE CHANGE

SOCIETY

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

HEALTH

TOURISM

CULTURE

ENERGY

AGRI-FOOD

WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP

FINANCIAL LITERACY

The Business Seeds team is by your side!

Fill in the contact form so we can answer your questions or for you to find out more information about the NBG Business Seeds program and its actions.

The innovative ideas that earned awards in the 13th Competition

Learn more

“

NBG's digital transformation always takes mature and stable steps. This way it becomes a catalyst for us, aiding our operations.

Gianna Ioannidou

Managing Director at All Web Solution SA

Innovation & technology competition in 3 phases

Step 1: Online submission

You can submit your proposal online starting early July until early October.

Step 2: 20 proposals will be short-listed

If your idea gets short-listed, you will be called to the specially designed laboratories to receive mentoring about your business idea. This way, you will be able to submit a complete and detailed business plan for the 3rd phase of the competition.

Step 3: 10 proposals will be short-listed

If you make it to this phase, you have succeeded! Your proposal will be evaluated by the collaborating universities' professors and by NBG executives, irrespective of the topic. After you present it, you will win one of the five monetary prizes.

Do you want more information?

What is the innovation & technology competition?

The annual innovation and technology competition is run by the NBG Business Seeds program to support innovative entrepreneurship. It guides, showcases and rewards original ideas offering innovative solutions in Fintech, digital entrepreneurship, advanced technologies & AI, the environment/climate change, and society & governance (ESG), extending also to the areas of financial literacy & financial empowerment and more generally the drive to promote innovation in Greece.

The competition is conducted for the most part via the internet.
The exact timeline for the competition’s phases is announced every year in the news and announcements of the competition.

Who does it concern, and what are the prizes?

Adult residents of Greece, Cyprus, Greeks abroad or other EU citizens. By taking part you may be one of the successful winners of one of the cash prizes offered. Specifically:

The top three winners will receive:

1st prize: €20,000

2nd prize: €12,000

3rd prize: €8,000

In addition, the following Special Prizes will be awarded:

A Special €4,000 Award for Women’s Entrepreneurship

Up to five Special Financial Literacy Awards for Empowering Households in their Financial Decision-Making totaling up to €10,000.

Seven (7) commendations without cash prize will be awarded to those who qualify for Phase C of the competition, excluding those who received any of the prizes listed above.

What are the Terms & Conditions of the Competition?

Terms & Conditions .

Which universities are cooperating?

The innovation and technology competition is held with the cooperation of the following Universities:

University of Athens
National Technical University of Athens
Athens University of Economics & Business
Agricultural University of Athens
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
University of Panteion
University of Piraeus
University of Patras
University of Crete
University of Macedonia
University of Peloponnese
University of Thessaly
Technical University of Crete

Who owns the copyright of my proposal after its submission?

You, of course, as its creator. As a participant in the competition, you have the full and exclusive responsibility to patent or otherwise protect your proposal, as well as the rights that derive thereof.

Below you will find an indicative list of Laws, Organizations, and procedures that you can explore before you submit your proposal to the competition:

Creations that are new, involve an inventive step, and are susceptible of industrial application, can be protected by a patent, under Law 1733/1987 as amended and in force, and by the international and European conventions (Patent Cooperation Treaty and European Patent Convention). For more information, before submitting their proposal to the competition, interested parties should explore the provisions of L. 1733/1987 and, specifically, the provisions of article 7.
Every novel three-dimensional object capable of giving a solution to a technical problem can be protected by a Utility Model Certificate under Law 1733/1987, as amended and in force.
Technical innovations (new solutions) for a specific technical problem proposed by one or more persons working for an enterprise and related to the latter's activities can also be protected under Law 1733/1987, as amended and in force.
Designs and models that are new and have an individual character can also be protected as industrial design ("design"), either domestically or at a European Community level (P.D. 259/1997).

Finally, all intellectual creations (oral texts, fine artworks, or scientific creations expressed in any form) are protected under Law 2121/1993, as amended and in force. Indicatively, you can find more information in the following organizations:

It must be stressed that NBG is not the competent authority to answer any questions regarding patenting intellectual and/or industrial property. For relevant information, you can address the qualified organizations or to an advisor of your choice.