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Powered by: Return & TechBricks

Build networks, solutions and a resilient today under a changing climate

The Good Change official logo

Call4Startups: we are looking for the best

15 CLIMATE-TECH STARTUPS

to work together for climate change resilience.

Blockchain

& DLTs

Big Data

Data Science

Internet of Things

Return Official Logo

Return (Multi-risk science for resilient communities under a changing climate) will invest around 5 million euros on effective solutions against climate change through cascading calls on the eight Spokes.

TechBricks Official Logo

TechBricks is a leading Venture Studio and Corporate Venture Builder focused on Hi-Tech, Deep-Tech and Sustainability.

Blockchain & DLTs

Big Data

Data Science

Internet of Things

Our manifesto

"The Good Change", through collaboration between the Return Foundation and the TechBricks Venture Studio, aspires to lead the virtuous transformation and resilience of our beautiful country in the context of climate change.

We are committed to connecting basic and applied research ecosystems with the most ambitious startups and SMEs, and to accompany the best talents in developing ideas and solutions that address the challenges of the present and adapt to the future.

By creating bridges between businesses, experts, scientific communities, and innovative ecosystems, we enhance the allocation of funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), providing necessary support at every stage of business and startup growth.

We seek a common vision that aligns scientific advancement goals with technology transfer for impact on externalities and real risks.

At "The Good Change" we identify, evaluate, and support projects with real resources and international investment networks that push the boundaries of what is possible and transform risks into growth opportunities.

Together, we lay the foundations for a sustainable and dynamic future.


This is an open invitation to all innovators and visionaries who care about sustainability and impact: let's unite to innovate, collaborate, transform, and inspire.


We embrace positive change.

Join "The Good Change".

The unique opportunities for the selected startups are:

  • Pitch at the Demo Day in front of the spokes and Corporate partners, to activate paid projects and PoCs
  • Become part of the Return porfolio solutions that can receive EU PNRR cascade funds (estimated € 150,000 each)
  • Receive up to three Venture Building and acceleration programs worth between € 30,000 - € 60,000 each, depending on the startup stage, offered by TechBricks, specifically for market/solution/IP validation and solution development
  • Venture Finance support in approaching the cascade fundings and VC investments

Industry companies and professional investors will also be invited to the openday with the aim of fostering open innovation and connections. 

Entrepreneurs, teams, startups, or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) either with prototypes, IPs or established solutions in the fight against climate change, in any domain of the 8 spokes.

What will be rewarded is the originality of the idea, the IP shown, the efficiency and the applicability of the solution.

Who can apply to the call?

Entrepreneurs, teams, startups, or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) either with prototypes, IPs or established solutions in the fight against climate change, in any domain of the 8 spokes.

What will be rewarded is the originality of the idea, the IP shown, the efficiency and the applicability of the solution.

Why participate?

The Good Change will allow to become part of the Return network, a foundation that, over the next year, plans to define and allocate approximately 30 public grants totaling 5 million, funded by the (PNRR), the Ministry of University and Research, and the European Union through the NextGenerationEU instrument.

...and more!

TechBricks, the first Italian Venture Studio in Deep-Tech and Sustainability, will enhance the most relevant solutions offering a support program aimed at meeting the specific needs of individual startups.

The final objective is to guide the most promising solutions through the development process, selected corporate use-cases and investment network opportunities.

The Spokes, the issues we want to approach

Startups, IPs and technology solutions addressing any of the following spokes' issues will be considered

Four Vertical Spokes – VS

Spoke 1 – VS1: Water (Spoke: POLIMI, Supported by UNIPD)

Spoke 2 – VS2: Ground instabilities (Spoke: UNIROMA1, Supported by UNINA)

Spoke 3 – VS3: Earthquakes and Volcanoes (Spoke: UNIBA, Supported by UNINA)

Spoke 4 – VS4: Environmental Degradation (Spoke: OGS, Supported by UNIPA)

Three Transversal Spokes – TS

Spoke 5 – TS1: Urban and metropolitan settlements (Spoke: UNINA, Supported by Eurac)

Spoke 6 – TS2: Multi-Risk Resilience of Critical Infrastructures (Spoke: POLITO, Supported by Engineering)

Spoke 7 – TS3: Communities’ resilience to risks: social, economic, legal and cultural dimensions (Spoke: UNIFI, Supported by CIMA)

One Diagonal Spoke – DS

Spoke 8 – DS: Science underpinning Climate services for risk mitigation and adaptation (Spoke: UNIBO, Supported by UNIPD)