Play Your Idea 2026

Date
Time All day
Location
Online
Language English
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    This initiative constitutes the main mechanism for attracting talent and renewing the project pipeline of the incubator PLAY, ULusófona Association for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, promoting a culture of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit within the academic community and the surrounding business ecosystem.

    Programme

    Phase 1 | Generate Ideas

    Application submission until 16 April 2026.

    Phase 2 | Stucture Ideas

    Structuring and detailing of the 30 best ideas in each category: 18 May 2026.

    Phase 3 | Pitch Ideas

    Final presentation of the 10 finalists in each category: 25 June 2026.

    Competition Objectives

    The PLAY YOUR IDEA 2026 has the following main objectives:

    • To stimulate the generation of innovative ideas in different areas of activity;
    • To promote the entrepreneurial spirit among students, alumni and the external community;
    • To identify projects with potential for integration into PLAY’s incubation programmes;
    • To foster connections between emerging talent and partner companies;
    • To contribute to the creation of new sustainable business initiatives.

    Target Audience

    The competition is aimed at:

    • Students from Lusófona University and other partner institutions;
    • Alumni;
    • Lecturers and researchers;
    • External entrepreneurs with early-stage projects;
    • Multidisciplinary teams with innovative ideas.

    Thematic Scope

    PLAY YOUR IDEA 2026 accepts applications in areas such as:

    • Technology and digital transformation;
    • Creative industries and media;
    • Sustainability and green economy;
    • Education and social impact;
    • Innovative business models;
    • Artificial Intelligence and technological innovation;
    • Other areas may be considered, provided they demonstrate innovation and market potential.

    Competition Structure

    The competition will be developed in phases:

    1. Application Phase | Online submission of ideas, including a description of the value proposition, identified problem, target audience and differentiation.
    2. Pre-Selection Phase | Technical evaluation of applications based on criteria of innovation, feasibility and impact.
    3. Pitch & Final Evaluation Phase | Presentation of the selected ideas before a jury composed of representatives from PLAY, business partners and experts.
    4. Incubation Integration | The selected projects may join PLAY’s incubation and acceleration programmes.

    Evaluation Criteria

    • Degree of innovation;
    • Clarity of the value proposition;
    • Market potential;
    • Technical and operational feasibility;
    • Team capability.

    Benefits for Participants

    • Integration into the PLAY incubation programme;
    • Specialised mentoring;
    • Access to business partners;
    • Institutional visibility;
    • Certificate of participation;
    • Potential access to European programmes (Erasmus+, FilmEU C-Accelerate, EIT).

    Expected Outcomes

    • Attraction of new qualified ideas;
    • Integration of projects into incubation;
    • Strengthening of the entrepreneurial culture;
    • Engagement of the academic and business community;
    • Increased institutional visibility of PLAY

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