Participation in INDUSTRYLAB Industrial Innovations Accelerator will give you: 

• PLN 180,000 on average in a non-refundable subsidy for developing your project;
• Possibility of presenting teams before management and business partners of HCP;
• Participation in Final Demo Day – presentation before investors, media and potential business partners;
• Access to a machine park, knowledge and experience of the HCP S.A. employees;
• Place for performing work on the premises of the HCP plant and two business centres;
• Participation in workshops and training courses regarding the following aspects: 
  • Techniques of working in a team and the scrum method of work,
  • Development of a business model and verifying business assumptions with the customer,
  • Creating business presentations and preparing an idea to be presented to investors,
  • Finance and analysis of profitability of executed projects;
• Regular consultations with start-up supervisors; 
• Possibility of using expert services and mentoring provided by external consultants and HCP experts;
• Possibility of selling your products directly to customers and business partners of HCP S.A. and DGA S.A.

In order to take part in the acceleration programme, you have to meet the following conditions:

• Your business has the status of a micro enterprise or a small enterprise,
• At least one member of your team will take part in events organised during the programme;
• You have sole rights to the submitted business idea;
• You are in the process of developing a project meeting the needs of the National Intelligent Specialisations.

The following four areas are priorities for HCP:

1. Agricultural and food bio-economy, forest and tree bio-economy, environmental economy: biotechnological processes and specialised chemicals, environmental engineering processes; 
2. Sustainable energy: high-capacity, low-emission and integrated units of producing, storing, transfer and distribution of energy;
3. Natural resources and waste management: innovative technologies of acquisition, processing and generating natural resources and their substitutes; minimisation of waste generation including waste that is not possible to be processed or use of waste for recycling purposes (material and energy purposes);
4. Innovative technologies and industrial processes: automation and robotics of technological processes. 

Acceleration place: Poznań

Full list of participation conditions can be found in the Terms and Conditions and the Contract.

Within this project, there will be two rounds of the acceleration programme. The duration of one round is approximately 6 months:

1^st round: 

• January – February 2017: announcing recruitment, accepting submissions;
• February – March 2017: workshops and product presentation, final selection and signing contracts regarding project participation.

2^nd round: 

• June 2017: announcing recruitment, accepting submissions;
• July – August 2017: workshops and product presentation, final selection and signing contracts regarding project participation.

SCHEDULE AND COURSE OF RECRUITMENT

• Recruitment start – recruitment to particular editions of the accelerator takes place through an online submission form.
• Recruitment end – recruitment lasts approximately one month. 
• Formal assessment – checking the formal criteria of the submitted projects, such as legal status, compliance with the National Intelligent Specialisations. 
• Professional assessment – verifying compliance of the project with the needs of HCP including analysis of the market, competition, development stage and founding team.
• Kick-off workshop – three-day workshop that will help you: 
  • Work on the details of the business model;
  • Define the assumptions in project and company development;
  • Prepare your team for a presentation before a committee. 
• Presentation before a committee – summing up the kick-off workshop and presenting the proposed solution to the HCP representatives. On this basis, a decision on qualifying the company to the programme will be made.
• Concluding a contract – formal acceptance of a team to the acceleration programme, granting the first financing instalment.
• Acceleration start – starting works within the Programme.

When you are accepted to join INDUSTRYLAB, you will need to perform intense work with the accelerator team, e.g. the start-up coach and an assigned mentor (an employee of HCP S.A.). 

The start-up coach will support you and your team in effective work during the entire programme. The coach will help you verify business hypotheses and build a strategy for your product. The internal mentor will enable you to learn the structures of HCP S.A. And reach the appropriate people who will be interested in your solution.

Besides the agreed schedule and tasks, within the accelerator you will take part in the following events: 

• Minor Demo Day – presentation of the outcome of works and achieved results to the HCP management and representatives of the accelerator.
• Final Demo Day – an event that summarises the acceleration programme. During the Final Demo day you will present your project to the invited guests, investors and potential customers. 
• Post-acceleration activities – after the programme ends, each start-up will still be supported by the INDUSTRYLAB and HCP teams. Within the scope of this aid you will obtain advice, access to a network of contacts and help of mentors in resolving on-going problems.