In the period from July 1 to July 5, 2024, the Final Event of the project The Alliance of Boundary Crossing for Deep Tech - ABCD was held in the Hungarian cities of Budapest and Esztergom! The two phases of the project, which began in May 2023, were marked by dynamic work, cooperation with the community and numerous stakeholders, the development of various tools and mechanisms for strengthening the entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurial activities at higher education institutions, the implementation of the innovative accelerator program, and continuous dissemination and promotion of achieved results.

The Final Event was a unique opportunity for representatives of the consortium - HEI and non-HEI partners to gather, exchange experiences and achieved results, but also discuss the final steps at the very end of the project, the sustainability of the results, and potential joint initiatives in the future.

The first two days of the event were marked by discussions and workshops on the importance of fulfilling the university's third mission, both from the perspective of researchers and professors, as well as from the perspective of students, who play a significant role in strengthening entrepreneurial initiatives and activities. The students themselves were an important part of the project from the very beginning, contributing to the realization of numerous activities, but also being direct beneficiaries of the results related to the development of innovative business opportunities. Several students from several HEI partner institutions joined the Final Event and shared their experiences while working on the ABCD project.

The Final Event continued in the form of workshops that dealt with mechanisms and best practices for the development of entrepreneurial activities at higher education institutions, the exchange of experiences from study visits to university incubators across Europe, as well as familiarization with local, regional and European opportunities for the growth and development of innovative startups. During the workshops and discussions, the participants worked in teams, exchanged knowledge and experiences, shared good practices, and jointly came up with new ideas and solutions, all intending to provide adequate support to entrepreneurs and innovative startups, especially those who start their journey from faculty and institute laboratories.

The finale of the Founders ABCDeep Tech Startup Support accelerator program was held on the last day of the event. Out of 11 great startups that were part of the second generation of this program, 3 were selected and got the opportunity to pitch at the Final Event and win a prize of 10 thousand EUR! Merakzy, Flourish, and CAPTEC Medical presented their innovative solutions in front of the expert jury and the audience, but there had to be one winner - CAPTEC Medical won first place! Sincere congratulations are sent to this Hungarian company, but also to all program participants, which the consortium will continue to support on the development path even after the end of the project.
Merakzy, Flourish i CAPTEC Medical predstavili su svoja inovativna rešenja pred stručnim žirijem i publikom, a pobednik je morao biti jedan – CAPTEC Medical osvojio je prvo mesto! Iskrene čestitke upućene su ovoj mađarskoj kompaniji, ali i svim učesnicima programa, koje će konzorcijum nastaviti da podržava na razvojnom putu i nakon završetka projekta.

All interested parties of the ABCD project agree on one thing - support for such initiatives will continue and will only be stronger in the period ahead!