- The Governing Board approves a grant of 15,000 euros to fund activities in 2025
- More than 2,500 girls have already participated in this program since its launch in the Valencian Community in 2018
The Local Governing Board (JGL) has approved authorizing the Valencian Community Foundation for Strategic Promotion, Development, and Urban Innovation to award a grant of 15,000 euros to the company Talent Growth Management, Business & People, OE (TGMbp OE). This grant, which is awarded through the signing of a collaboration agreement, is intended to support the implementation in Valencia of the eighth edition of the open innovation (STEM) program “Technovation Girls Comunidad Valenciana.”
Technovation Girls is an international technology entrepreneurship competition for girls, whose main goal is to foster innovation and STEM careers, especially among girls, to address the shortage of women professionals in these sectors. It is part of the American nonprofit organization “Technovation” and is supported by organizations such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Google. The program was launched in 2008, and its main areas of focus are technology, entrepreneurship, and communication.
In 2025, the program will celebrate its 18th edition and the 8th organized by Talent Growth Management, Business & People, OE (TGMbp OE) in the Valencian Community, where more than 2,500 girls have already participated in the program.
This grant is intended to fund the activities necessary for the successful implementation of the 2025 edition of “Technovation Girls.” Specifically, it covers the organization and management of outreach events at the Valencia Innovation Capital facilities; the identification of social or city-related challenges to be addressed this year; the recruitment, management, and training of mentors to support the regional embassy’s training sessions; and specific support for mentors and teams in the technology sector provided by professionals.
The program also provides access to professionals to assist teams with market research and project improvement; a monthly newsletter with information on activities and added value for the teams; ongoing promotion on social media and in the media; organization and management of the final event, which includes a project fair, jury selection, and evaluation sessions; an official awards ceremony, featuring the Valencia Innovation Capital – Dana Challenges for 2025 Awards.
The grant awarded will be compatible with any other grants, subsidies, income, or resources intended for the same purpose, provided that the total amount of the contributions received does not exceed the total cost of the subsidized activity.
Dana Solutions Challenge
Since 2010, more than 34,000 girls from over 100 countries have participated in Technovation Girls by creating apps to solve community problems. On this occasion, the City of Valencia and Valencia Innovation Capital are collaborating by providing the program with the challenge of finding solutions to the damage that occurred on October 29, 2024.
Thus, the projects that offer the best solutions will be recognized, and to make it easier, the challenge has been divided into four areas: Mobility (How can we get around the city after the storm?); Health and Well-being (How can we help people feel better, access doctors, or find emotional support?); Children and Seniors (How can we ensure they are safe, well cared for, and able to continue learning and having fun?); and Learning (Ideas for teaching people how to protect themselves, be better prepared for the future, and help others).
The contest challenges young people between the ages of 8 and 18 to create a mobile app or an artificial intelligence device that addresses a social problem and provides solutions for residents of municipalities affected by the flood; to conduct the necessary market research; to develop a marketing plan and a business plan; and to present their project to a panel of judges.
Students learn to code, build an app, and figure out how to market it with the support of a mentor, and they submit what they’ve built to the global competition.
Calendar
The program runs from October to September of each year. From October through December 2024, the program was promoted to recruit participants; in January 2025, the program was launched; and from February through April, working groups were formed, challenges were selected, and applications were developed with the support of mentors.
This month, the proposals will be finalized and submitted, and next Saturday, May 31, the regional finals gala will be held at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, featuring the awards ceremony.
In addition, nominations for national and international awards will be submitted from June through July, and the fiscal year will close in September, especially if there is an international winning team. For more information, please visit the program’s website at www.technovation.tgmbp.com.