Rules

AIIA intends to distinguish, promote and support technological talent while reinforcing Altice as an innovative group.

The aim of the initiative is to award projects from PhD finalist students and startups in the incubation phase, who present innovative projects in technological areas relevant to Altice International’s core business (such as AI/ML, Extended Reality, 5G, IoT, Smart Cities, Smart Living, Big Data, eHealth, Digital Content, Future Networks, Over the Top services, Security, Blockchain, Quantum Technologies, etc.). These descriptions are suggestions and guidelines, not restrictions.

AIIA also awards projects that promote digital inclusion and accessibility to communication, particularly in school, professional and social contexts, providing a set of services, solutions or technological initiatives for people with disabilities. This category is named “INCLUI” and is powered by Fundação Altice, a partner of AIIA.

As part of the partnership between Altice Labs and the National Innovation Agency (ANI), AIIA is also promoting the “Born from Knowledge” (BfK) Awards. BfK is an initiative of the exclusive responsibility of ANI, which aims to distinguish Portuguese “knowledge-born” projects, as well as Portuguese startups that stand out the most in R&D activities. More details are available here.

Finally, as part of the partnership between Altice Portugal and Startup Lisboa, AIIA is also awarding Startup Lisboa Incubation Services benefits.  Startup Lisboa Incubation initiative is of the exclusive responsibility of Startup Lisboa and it aims to bring together a selective group of startups that are disrupting their industries and build the foundations of an ecosystem with a founder-driven mindset. More details are available here.

The AIIA initiative intends to recognize innovative projects, from three categories:

• A) Startup category:
  • incorporated startups in early stages (created after 1 January 2020) with offices in the geographies where Altice operates – Portugal, France, Israel, USA and Dominican Republic – or offices in one of the countries of the European Union;
  • projects from startups not yet incorporated. Note: in case these projects are selected as finalists, the startup must be incorporated within three business days after being notified it was selected as finalist, otherwise the application will be excluded.
• B) Academia category: PhD students only from Portuguese universities who have recently presented their thesis (2022 or 2023) or intend to present it in the current calendar year (2023);
• C) “INCLUI” by Fundação Altice category: All the eligible projects for the previous categories (academia and startups) and Portuguese Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS), developing and promoting digital solutions, mobile applications, or online platforms for digital inclusion and communication of people with disabilities.

Each entity may only apply to one of the above AIIA categories (Startups, Academia or “INCLUI”).

The following individuals or groups are not allowed to participate in the AIIA:

• Any employee from the Altice Group companies;
• Any individual who is chosen to be part of the applications analysis and evaluation teams;
• Any Altice funded companies.

Regarding the BfK Awards, only the Portuguese Startups and the Portuguese students shortlisted in the above-mentioned A) and B) categories are eligible to receive this award. Information about the BfK Awards may be found here.

The following dates should be considered by all candidates:

• June 1, 2023: announcement date;
• October 1, 2023 (23h59 GMT): submission deadline;
• October 2 until October 29, 2023: validation of all the received applications and evaluation of all the valid applications;
• November 6, 2023: shortlist closing and announcement;
• November 21, 2023: pitch to the Grand Jury and winner’s ceremony.

The awards for the three winning projects from the three categories are:

Startup award – only 1st place:

• Prize money of € 50.000 (estimated value, since income withholding taxes, local taxes or taxes related to international bank transfers may apply, according with Portuguese tax law).

• Together with the prize money, the winning startup may be offered the possibility to:
  • sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Altice to perform a proof-of-concept (PoC) to evolve its project technically and pre-commercially, in case this is in the best interest of both parties;
    
  • have direct access to Startup Lisboa incubation services (no need to be assessed by a Startup Lisboa jury) and benefit from a three months incubation fees deduction;
    

Startup award – other finalists:

• Direct access to Startup Lisboa incubation services (no need to be assessed by a Startup Lisboa jury). Note: incubation fees apply in full.

Academy award – only 1st place:

• Prize money of € 25.000 (estimated value, since income withholding taxes, local taxes or taxes related to international bank transfers may apply, according with Portuguese tax law).

“INCLUI” by Fundação Altice – only 1st place:

• Prize money of €20.000 (estimated value, since income withholding taxes, local taxes or taxes related to international bank transfers may apply, according with Portuguese tax law).
• Together with the prize money, in case the winner is a startup, it may be offered to the winning startup the possibility to:
  
  • have direct access to Startup Lisboa incubation services (no need to be assessed by a Startup Lisboa jury) and benefit from a three-month incubation fees deduction;

“INCLUI” by Fundação Altice – other finalists:

• In case any of the finalists is a startup, it may be offered to the startup, the possibility to have direct access to Startup Lisboa incubation services (no need to be assessed by a Startup Lisboa jury). Note: incubation fees apply in full.

The winner of the BfK award will receive a specific prize promoted by ANI as explained here.

All the applications must be submitted online by using the form provided on the AIIA website. Submission by any other means will not be considered unless there are proven situations of unavailability/error in the form and/ or the AIIA website whose causes are attributable to Altice Labs.

All information submitted, must:

• Be in English;
• Use the PowerPoint template available here, filled with the required information;
• Include a video pitch, up to 5 minute duration, introducing the candidate, which will be used both in our Communication initiatives and the Award Ceremony if the candidate is one of the finalists.

Considerations about links to other documents:

• For Startups projects: it must be inserted in the above-mentioned template the “Código de Acesso à Certidão Permanente” or the link to “Certificate of Incorporation”, or the link to other similar legal document proving the company was already incorporated in one of the countries mentioned in section 3;
  • in case of projects from startups not yet incorporated, the startup must provide via e-mail the “Certificate of Incorporation” within 3 business days after being notified it was selected as finalist. The e-mail should be sent to innovationaward@alticelabs.com.
• For Academy projects: it must be inserted in the above-mentioned template a link to a valid document proving the applicant is a PhD student in a Portuguese university or has presented his/her thesis in the last or current civil year in a Portuguese University.
• For “INCLUI” projects:
  • The same rules apply as for the Academy and Startup projects;
  • For projects from Portuguese Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS), the institution must prove it is certified as a Portuguese IPSS through the adequate legal means.
• For all projects: links to any other relevant documents to prove the value of the project may be included in the PowerPoint template mentioned above.

By applying to AIIA, candidates fully agree to be bound by the terms and conditions set forth by these award rules. If candidates don’t agree with these terms and conditions, they should not submit their application. Candidates must also be aware that:

• The applications and documents submitted will not be returned to the candidates;
• Altice Labs reserves the right to update AIIA’s regulation without previous notice;
• All shortlisted candidates will be informed by e-mail in case such changes directly affect them;
• Altice Labs reserves the right to cancel the AIIA by notifying all candidates by e-mail in the event of force majeure or in cases where the applications submitted do not meet the minimum quality standards or creativity requirements;
• The cancellation mentioned above does not confer the right to the candidates for any compensation;
• Travel and accommodation expenses to attend the Award Ceremony, as well as all other costs regarding the participation in this initiative, must be supported by the candidates and will not be supported by Altice;

• Requests for clarifications about the AIIA should be addressed exclusively to innovationaward@alticelabs.com.

The projects submitted will be evaluated according to the following criteria and weights.

The evaluation scale to be used will be 0 to 5.

Startup Category

1. Innovation and differentiation: 55%
2. Business model and growth potential: 35%
3. Impact on society: 10%

Academy Category

1. Innovation and differentiation: 75%
2. Business model and growth potential: 15%
3. Impact on society: 10%

“INCLUI” by Fundação Altice Category

1. Innovation and differentiation: 30%
2. Business model and growth potential: 20%
3. Impact on society: 50%

NOTE: Evaluation criteria for the BfK are available here.

All applications will be first validated to make sure they are eligible (Section 3) and have the mandatory documentation listed above (Section 6).
All valid applications will then be evaluated by an Evaluation Committee that will be responsible for identifying the nine finalists (up to three per category).

The shortlisted candidates, by category, will defend their idea in a 5-minute in person pitch to the AIIA Grand Jury. The AIIA Grand Jury will then be responsible for selecting the three AIIA winners (one per category). The pitching to the Grand Jury and the winner’s announcement date, is indicated in Section 4).

The deliberations of the Evaluation and Monitoring Committee and of the Grand Jury are final and binding in all its aspects and unappealable.

The Grand Jury will be responsible for the evaluation. Besides including some key persons from the Altice Group, it will also be constituted by relevant personalities from the corporate, entrepreneur, research and social media ecosystems from the geographies considered in each edition of the award.

The Evaluation and Monitoring Committee main function is to ensure the proper functioning of the AIIA as well as to validate and evaluate all applications submitted. The Evaluation and Monitoring Committee will be constituted by members from the Altice Group.

The deliberations of the Evaluation and Monitoring Committee and of the Grand Jury are final and binding in all its aspects, and unappealable.

The shortlisted projects will be firstly announced by e-mail innovationaward@alticelabs.com sent to all the candidates, on the date mentioned in Section 4. They will then be publicly announced, at least in AIIA website and Altice social networks.

Candidates from the shortlisted projects need to confirm their interest. In case of impossibility to attend the pitch moment, the vacancy will be filled by the next candidate in the ranking. Failure to attend the pitch will be considered a project elimination factor and, therefore, candidates for finalist projects must undertake to be duly represented at the said ceremony.

The winners of AIIA, as well as BfK Awards will be known by:

• Public announcement;
• Publication on the award website and Altice social networks;
• Other online channels.

Title to copyright and industrial property rights over the candidates’ projects remains with the candidates, as well as all associated technical documentation, and are not transferred to Altice Labs or to any of the companies of the Altice Group.

Each candidate will be responsible for the protection of any potential copyright and industrial property rights related to their application and the documents that comprise it. Altice Labs and/or the companies of the Altice Group will not be liable for any failure of the candidates to protect any copyright and/or industrial property related to the applications.

Within the scope of the AIIA initiative, collecting and processing of personal data of the candidates in the application process is necessary to carry out all procedures inherent to the participation in the contest. Altice Labs undertakes to comply with the Personal Data legislation in force, namely Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) and the Portuguese execution Law 58/2019.

By completing the application form, the candidates expressly acknowledge that the processing of the data entered is necessary for the above purposes. All data provided will be treated as confidential, stored and processed only for the purpose for which it was collected, and made available only to the person(s) responsible for dealing with it. Personal data will not be passed on to third parties or published or made available for general access without the candidate’s express written consent. Candidates are granted the rights applicable by law, namely, rights of access, rectification, restriction of processing and erasure. Personal data referred to above will be stored for the period of time strictly necessary for the purposes for which the personal data was processed and will be erased when no longer necessary.

Candidates can exercise their rights by e-mail (innovationaward@alticelabs.com) or by a written communication to Altice Labs to the following address: Rua Engº José Ferreira Pinto Basto, 3810-106 Aveiro, Portugal. They can also contact the Data Protection Officer for matters relating to the processing of personal data to the following e-mail: DPOAlticePortugal@altice.pt.

For further information please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Each candidate declares and warrants that:

• The application submitted complies with the requirements of originality and has not been plagiarized and that the information and data it provides are true, accurate and are not encumbered in any way;
• The application and all accompanying documents and information do not infringe any third-party rights, including copyrights and/or industrial property rights, and comply with applicable laws and regulations;
• The application does not contain any viruses or other potentially harmful programs or other material or information;
• It will act at all times lawfully, ethically and in good faith, and comply with all applicable laws and regulations;
• It authorizes, free of charge, Altice Labs or any of the companies of the Altice Group to use, totally or partially, its name, its image, animated or not, and the reference to the project in the events carried out under the AIIA, for the purpose of promoting and disseminating the projects developed, in any part of the world and by any means, as well as its insertion in promotions and promotional materials of Altice Labs or any other company or brand of the Altice Group.
• Candidate undertakes to indemnify Altice Labs against all liabilities, costs, expenses, damages and losses suffered or incurred by Altice Labs or Altice Group companies arising out of or in connection with any third-party claim made against Altice Labs or Altice Group companies arising from breach of the warranties above.

1. INNOVATION AND DIFFERENTIATION

The project is original, offers a truly unique value proposition and demonstrates high progress when compared with the state of the art.

It solves the problem/need of its (potential) target user in a very different, disruptive and optimized way, thus justifying the reason why the market would choose this product or service instead of another. Whenever applicable, this criterion must also receive a good evaluation when the project shows the ability to:

1. Offer a truly unique value proposition, data-driven, measurable and multiscreen experience to brands, agencies and the media industry.
2. Engage users by delivering innovative experiences based on data and content, as well as by allowing the convergence of functionalities among different devices.
3. Connect customers to brands through cutting-edge digital advertising platforms / applications.

2. BUSINESS MODEL AND GROWTH POTENTIAL

The project has a clear strategic vision with a well-defined strategy to potentially enter the market. It envisages a credible and interesting business model, allowing satisfactory and sustainable financial growth. The project also foresees the entry into new markets, ideally international ones. This criterion must also receive a good evaluation when the project shows the ability to:

1. Contribute significantly to a specific (business) area, potentiating its evolution;
2. Transform business models, building innovative products/User Experiences based on actual customer behaviors and diversified approaches;
3. Optimize future business operations, digitalize key customer processes and channels, enriching, whenever applicable, services through premium content offerings.

3. IMPACT ON SOCIETY

The project, due to its innovative nature, contributes in some way to the development of society and to the improvement of services provided to citizens. This criterion must also receive a good evaluation when the project shows the ability to:

1. Generate value for all stakeholders, addressing Environmental, Social, and Corporate/Governance dimensions;
2. Create opportunities to generate positive social change;
3. Contribute to developing sustainable solutions oriented on creating social impact.