Overview of Acceleration Programme results and analysis on performance with key learnings for the future

The report provides an overview of BalticSatApps Acceleration Programme activities in Estonia, Finland, and Poland within the BalticSatApps project. The activities were primarily carried out and led by the three science and technology parks (STPs) involved in the project: Tartu Science Park (Estonia), Turku Science Park Ltd (Finland), and Kracow Technology Park (Poland). The Programme was performed in three stages: 1) Preparation in 2018, 2) Round I in Poland, Finland and Estonia during November 2018–June 2019, and 3) Round II started in Poland and Estonia in November 2019, and in Finland in March 2020. The activities were finalised within a cross-border event before and during the SHIFT Business Festival in October 2020.

Specific information

Key benefits:

Running the BalticSatApps Acceleration Programme in 2018–2020 provided the organisers with valuable hands-on insights into the specific challenges of the startups in the Earth Observation field. The report gives first-hand information about essential success factors such as application phase and selection criteria, participating teams, key mentors, Acceleration Programme implementations, and follow-up actions in Estonia, Finland, and Poland. It also makes notions on challenges encountered during the Programme, and introduces possible improvements for similar activities in the future.

Who is it intended for?

Science and technology parks, business support organisations, as well as incubators and accelerators, and other similar actors.

Content/structure:

The report covers descriptions of the Acceleration Programme’s two implementations in Estonia, Finland, and Poland. In addition, it gives an overview of the joint and international Online Bootcamp and the Shift experience in 2020 during the second round of the Acceleration Programme, as well as a concluding Discussion. (33 pp.)

Authors:

The report development has been coordinated by Henri Hanson and Sven Lilla, Tartu Science Park, Timo Huttunen, Turku Science Park, and Jarosław Chojnacki, Krakow Technology Park.