Contest Play Your Idea 2026

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 12 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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