CHALLENGES Present a proposal
Present a proposal
Tech for Impact Awards 2026 Tech for Impact Awards 2026

In collaboration with the Aina Project

Real challenges. Innovative solutions. Technology with impact.

The BSC Connects Tech for Impact Awards 2026, in collaboration with the Aina Project, connect startups, SMEs, and technological innovators with real challenges posed by leading organizations.

This second edition brings together artificial intelligence, Deep Tech, and language technologies to identify innovative solutions with the potential to generate tangible value and open new collaboration opportunities.

Explore the challenges Submit your proposal Aina Kit

About the Tech for Impact Awards 2026

The BSC Connects Tech for Impact Awards 2026 are an open innovation initiative designed to drive the development of innovative solutions that address real-world needs.

Through BSC Connects, organizations present specific challenges and invite startups, SMEs, and tech innovators to propose solutions applicable to real industrial and social contexts.

This year’s edition is held in collaboration with Projecte Aina, incorporating an additional focus on technologies and capabilities related to artificial intelligence and Catalan language technologies.

The program seeks to create valuable connections between industry, technology providers, and research-based innovation, transforming real-world challenges into opportunities for collaboration, validation, and impact generation.

Why participate in the Tech for Impact Awards 2026?

The Awards offer startups and SMEs working in artificial intelligence, Deep Tech, and related technologies the opportunity to develop solutions for real-world challenges posed by leading organizations.

Proposals will be evaluated not only on their technological and scientific soundness but also on:

• Practical applicability
• Scalability
• Innovation potential
• Relevance to the challenge
• Capacity to generate value and impact

Thanks to the collaboration with Projecte Aina, this edition also offers the opportunity to apply technologies and approaches linked to the Aina ecosystem to real-world challenges.

Participation goes beyond gaining visibility. It is a pathway toward co-creation, validation, and potential long-term collaborations with companies and other stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem.

A strategic platform for applied innovation

BSC Connects Tech for Impact Awards Aina Project

Driving innovation in AI and language technologies for Catalan.

This year, the BSC Connects Tech for Impact Awards feature the collaboration of Projecte Aina, an initiative driven by the Government of Catalonia and developed in partnership with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) to boost the use of Catalan in the digital world.

Aina works on developing and making available linguistic resources, datasets, and artificial intelligence models that facilitate the creation of digital applications and solutions in Catalan. These resources can be used in areas such as voice assistants, conversational agents, search engines, translation, text processing, and other AI-based applications.

Through this collaboration, the BSC Connects Tech for Impact Awards aim to drive new solutions based on AI and language technologies for Catalan, bringing Aina’s resources closer to the ecosystem of startups and innovative companies.

The technologies developed within the Aina project are publicly available for developers and organizations to explore, use, and integrate into their own projects. Check out the models, datasets, and tools available in the Aina Kit to discover how they can be incorporated into new solutions.

Aina Project in your proposals

This year, proposed solutions must integrate resources from Projecte Aina.

The challenges presented by participating companies may address various areas of innovation, including artificial intelligence and language technologies. For challenges linked to Aina, proposals must demonstrate how the project’s resources can be incorporated into the solution.

Startups and SMEs can combine Aina’s models, datasets, and tools with their own technologies, products, or developments to build innovative solutions tailored to the specific challenge. Using Aina resources will be a required element of the proposal—though not the only one—whenever the challenge specifies it.

What does this mean for your proposal?

  • Explore the resources available in Aina before designing your solution.
  • Identify which Aina models, datasets, or tools can add value to your proposal.
  • Combine these resources with your own technology and capabilities.
  • Clearly explain how Aina resources are integrated into the proposed solution and the value they bring to solving the challenge.
  • Discover Aina and explore its resources:

Learn about Projecte Aina
Explore Aina resources

Check out the project and discover how its resources can help you develop innovative solutions in AI and language technologies.

How to participate

  • 1
    Opening of the call

    September 22, 2026.
    Explore the available corporate challenges and identify those that best align with your technology or solution.

  • 2
    Choose your challenge

    Browse the catalog of challenges and select the opportunities that best match your experience and capabilities.

  • 3
    Submit your proposal

    Deadline: October 19, 2026.
    Complete the official form and submit your solution for the challenge you have selected.
    You may submit one proposal per challenge and participate in multiple challenges.

  • 4
    Evaluation and selection

    Second half of October 2026.
    The proposals received will be evaluated, and the most relevant solutions will be selected jointly.

  • 5
    Final presentations

    November 5, 2026
    The selected teams will present their solutions live during the Barcelona DeepTech Summit 2026, before the jury and participating organizations.

 

Info

Only one proposal per challenge is allowed.
Participation is free.
For the evaluation criteria, check the Terms and Conditions when registering.

The challenges

The 2026 edition brings together a selection of real-world challenges posed by organizations across various sectors seeking innovative, practical technological solutions.

Each challenge outlines a specific need or problem and provides the necessary context for participants to develop a relevant proposal.

 

See challenges

 

Info

Explore the challenges and find the one that best fits your technology.

Participate, win and take your project further

Get ready to take your innovation to the next level. From high-level mentoring and access to cutting-edge infrastructures to international visibility, networking with industry leaders, and collaboration opportunities, the BSC Connects Tech for Impact Awards 2026 Aina Project offer practical opportunities to accelerate your project.

The Awards not only recognize innovative solutions. They also help create pathways for teams to validate, develop, and scale their technologies within a real innovation ecosystem.

Impulso estratégico

Strategic support

Connect with experts from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the innovation ecosystem who can help you define your strategy, strengthen your solution, and explore new opportunities.

Mentoring de alto nivel

High-level mentoring

Learn from experts at the BSC and industry leaders through sessions designed to help you strengthen your business model, growth strategy, and international positioning.

Acceso privilegiado a la innovación del BSC

Access to BSC innovation

Access cutting-edge technological resources, including the AI Factory and one of Europe's leading supercomputing infrastructures.

Presencia destacada en el MWC – 4YFN 2026

Visibility at MWC – 4YFN 2027

Gain visibility opportunities within the BSC Connects ecosystem and potential participation in future technology and innovation events.

Acceso VIP a eventos tecnológicos

VIP Access to Technology Events

Connect with technology organizations, corporations, and innovation leaders through selected events and networking opportunities.

Visibilidad y reconocimiento internacional

International Visibility and Recognition

Give visibility to your project through BSC channels and media opportunities, in addition to receiving recognition as the winner of the BSC Connects Tech for Impact Awards 2026 Aina Project.

Colabora en proyectos de vanguardia

Collaborate on Cutting-Edge Projects

Explore opportunities to participate in European initiatives and BSC projects, bringing your technology to new areas of application.

Colabora en proyectos de vanguardia

Technical Session with Aina

A session with the technical team to delve into Aina's resources and their potential applications.

Colabora en proyectos de vanguardia

Introductory session on AI Factories

Tailored introductory session on AI Factories for winners and semifinalists. A curated introduction to AI Factory services for startups with the AI Factory Managers.

Advantages of participating

1. Direct access to the industry

Connect with organizations seeking concrete solutions to strategic challenges across various sectors.

2. Public-private collaboration

Build relationships with companies and institutions through BSC Connects’ structured approach to co-creation and its extensive research and innovation ecosystem.

3. Acceleration opportunities

The selected teams will present their solutions during the Barcelona DeepTech Summit 2026, with opportunities for technical validation, mentoring, networking, and access to environments that can support their subsequent development and scalability.

Who can participate?

The call is aimed at technological innovators developing solutions with strong potential for real-world application.

Participación
Deep Tech Innovators
Research teams
Legal requirements
Solution providers
Deep Tech Innovators

Deep Tech Innovators

Startups and SMEs working in artificial intelligence, deep tech, language technologies, and applied research.

Research teams

Research teams

Founders, researchers, and teams actively developing innovative technologies within the R&D&i ecosystem.

Legal requirements

Solution providers

Technology teams offering innovative, viable, and scalable solutions relevant to the published challenges.

Solution providers

Legal entities

Legally established entities, represented by persons over the age of 18.

Tech for Impact Awards 2026 Tech for Impact Awards 2026

Key objectives

Objetivos

1. Promote innovation

Accelerate the ideation and development of innovative solutions tailored to real needs.

Objetivos

2. Foster collaboration

Generate valuable connections between research-intensive initiatives, technology innovators, and established organizations.

Objetivos

3. Support implementation

Create a structured pathway to transform innovative ideas into applicable, measurable, and impactful technologies.

Objetivos

4. Connect technology with real needs

Identify opportunities where emerging technologies—including those linked to the Projecte Aina ecosystem—can address specific industry and societal challenges.

The call closes on October 19, 2026

Submit your proposal

 

Share with your network

Do you know a startup, SME, researcher, or technological innovator working in AI, Deep Tech, or language technologies?

Share the BSC Connects Tech for Impact Awards 2026 with your network and help us bring innovative solutions to real-world challenges.

Awards and jury profile

1. Recognition

The three best proposals will be recognized during the final awards ceremony at the Barcelona DeepTech Summit 2026.

The winners will be recognized for their innovation and their contribution to solving real-world challenges through technology.

2. Implementation

The winning teams will have the opportunity to explore direct collaboration with the organizations that posed the challenges, opening the door to potential co-creation projects and subsequent implementation.

3. Transparent evaluation

The proposals will be evaluated by an experienced committee composed of representatives from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - National Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), the participating organizations, and external experts from relevant scientific, technological, and innovation fields.

Leaders in Innovation

Collaborating companies

BSC Leadership

Research experts

Investment and ecosystem experts

Jury profile

Oriol Alcoba

Director of Innovation and Knowledge Transfer

ESADE

Oriol Alcoba

Event details

Contacto

Contact

For any questions regarding the event, registration, or challenges, please write to:

connects@bsc.es

Please allow 2–3 business days for a response.

Global recognition BSC

Explore the scientific and technological impact history of the BSC to see how it drives innovation in Europe and beyond.

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These achievements reinforce the leadership of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center in the European technological future.

Learn more about the BSC