Berkeley – Pianeta Accelerator, a new acceleration program promoted by Factory Plus (formerly Cariplo Factory) in partnership with UC Berkeley SkyDeck, the University of California, Berkeley's global accelerator, has been launched with the support of the Lombardy Region, Fondazione Cariplo and Principia as institutional partners. The initiative, presented yesterday at Palazzo Lombardia, follows the experience of SkyDeck Europe, a startup support program based at the Mind Milano Innovation District that operated over the past three years, continuing the collaboration between Factory Plus and the Californian university with the support of Fondazione Cariplo and the Lombardy Region. The six-month acceleration program will be divided into two phases, split between Silicon Valley and Lombardy, with Mind Milano Innovation District serving as the program's European hub. During the first three months, the program will be run by UC Berkeley SkyDeck and will include three weeks on site in the United States. Selected startups will take part in the Innovation Partner Program, an intensive series of workshops, one-to-one mentoring sessions with industry experts and direct access to the accelerator's international investor network. The following three months will be based at Mind Milano Innovation District. Startups will have the opportunity to develop proof-of-concept projects with local corporations, refine their sales pipeline with a view to securing their first proposals and expand their networks within Europe's innovation ecosystem. Total funding for the project amounts to €2.8 million, including €1.5 million from Fondazione Cariplo, €1 million from the Lombardy Region and €300,000 from Principia, which will also provide facilities and services within the Mind district. The three-year program will select up to 20 startups each year. Pianeta Accelerator is open to both software startups, which must have a working MVP, and hardware startups, which must have a working prototype and a defined roadmap for scaled production. Selected startups must either have an operational headquarters in Lombardy or commit to establishing one there and maintaining it for five years. The program is divided into four thematic tracks. The Bio & Health Track focuses on precision genomics, industrial biotech, digital health and new drug development, with particular attention to personalized medicine. The AI Track covers artificial intelligence applications for energy, industry and scientific research, with solutions aimed at process optimization, predictive maintenance and accelerating the discovery of new materials and drugs. The Clean Tech Track focuses on technologies for decarbonization, the circular economy, green hydrogen, energy storage, smart grids and solutions for more sustainable and efficient manufacturing. The Deep Tech & Chip Track addresses frontier technologies, with a particular focus on semiconductors and next-generation chips, advanced materials, quantum computing and advanced robotics. The first call for startup applications is open until October 5. The acceleration program at UC Berkeley SkyDeck in California will run from November to January, while the phase focused on PoC development and networking with corporations will take place at Mind from February to April. The program will conclude with a Demo Day in Milan, bringing startups together with investors, corporations and other ecosystem stakeholders. (9colonne)