Due to the fact that I received quite a few questions on what can be funded in agriculture through the H2020 SME Instrument, I`m gonna give some details and try to answer some of the questions.
With about 20% of the questions on this topic, I’m talking about business models. Some people said that innovation in agriculture does not really exist outside multinationals. They said that the only innovations are, in fact, new business models and that these are hard to finance.
The H2020 SME Instrument gives funding to every kind of innovation possible. And the accent is on innovation.
If you`re an agri startup that wants funding to break through the market with the same products that everyone`s developing, you will NOT get funded. If, however, you`re building something no one has seen (it can be software, hardware, a new way of farming, a new business model etc.), you have a chance.
I`m saying “a chance” because the competition is high, really high.
So, as I said, the accent is on innovation. In order to have a winning proposal, you got to explain two main things: why it is commercially viable and what is innovative about your idea. It`s not enough to have a groundbreaking idea. You have to show that it will survive on the market, make a profit (eventually) and change the paradigm.
‘This is gonna sound crazy, but I’ve got an idea.’
Tell me: do you have an idea that you want to develop?
Starting from the comments in my Career Counseling #15 article, I am writing about the flexibility in your job application.
From previous experience, I found that, in order to get pass the CV screening, you have to write the keywords that the screening software is looking for. YES, most companies are using screening software and even the perfect candidate won`t get passed it if the CV isn`t formatted the right way.
Mea culpa: Omission can be useful sometimes.
If, for example, during the summer, you work in a fish canning factory in Alaska for some extra money, it might not be useful and, sometimes, it can damage your application. If you are applying for a junior consultant position in EU Affairs (let`s say), the skills that you acquired might not be relevant for the job.
While listening to the radio yesterday, one of the songs I heard was The Great Pretender from Queen. An awesome song… It reminded me of a few thing that I heard over the years regarding job interviews.
One of the most interesting one is how people pretend being something they aren`t during interviews.
For example, a friend of mine told me that he has the tendency to say “yes” to any question being asked of him. And, of course, he agrees with everything the recruiter says. It because he`s afraid not to get the job. He`s unemployed for almost 2 years.
Another person I know invests data, statistics to be more precise. He has the tendency to respond to question with a “for example” answer, trying to give data in each answer. They are mostly invented…
These are the most common I`ve heard of so far.
The idea is that you shouldn`t pretend to be anyone or t know anything that you don`t. Sooner or later, it will all come back and kick you in the ….
Behave as the person you are. It`s the surest way of winning over the “crowd”. If not, then it wasn`t meant to be
How do we make agriculture as exciting as it really is? How can we generate and keep the interest the public on just how important it is? How do we facilitate learning among agriyouth of all kinds while simultaneously supporting them? I may have an answer to these questions.
Introducing Tech4agri, a blog that features technology and innovation in agriculture. We aim to support agripreneurs by providing an interesting and updated information service. Based in Trinidad and Tobago, of the Caribbean region we are looking to make the transition to social enterprise with our main project – Tech4agri: the webseries. So who runs this four-year old, award-winning blog?
Yours truly! I’m Keron a freelance blogger and agri journalist. My background is in agribusiness however I have forged my own career in journalism and communications. I hold great enthusiasm for social media, with a passion for agricultural topics, due to an understanding of the importance of food. Did I mention I’m 28?
The good thing about Tech4agri, the web series is that it’s already ongoing! We launched the series on the 2nd November 2015 with five episodes among others on our YouTube channelthus far! With the webseries we aim to feature technology, climate change, innovations and success in agriculture.
This a reblog from the GFAR blog. It shows a noteworthy initiative of, proud-to-say-it, my friend Keron Bascombe from Trinidad and Tobago.
Dealing with epilepsy 
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