Torna SMARTcup Liguria, la buSMARTcup Liguria, the Liguria Region’s business plan competition managed by Filse S.p.A., is back. Each year, it selects and supports the region’s best innovative business ideas. In the 2026 edition,START4.0 is a partner of the competition, hosting a SMARTcup Academy event on September 15th and establishing a dedicated award: the Start 4.0 Award – Safe Industrial Innovation. Applications close on September 27, 2026, at 11:59 PM.
What is SMARTcup Liguria 2026?
SMARTcup Liguria is the business plan competition promoted by the Liguria Region and managed by Filse S.p.A., a point of reference for those who want to transform an innovative idea into a business. The competition is aimed at those with a highly innovative business project and those who have recently established their own startup or innovative SME.
It is the natural entry point for:
- Innovative SMEs looking to validate and publicize a new line of business;
- recently established startups seeking visibility, mentorship, and connections with the Ligurian ecosystem;
- researchers, university spin-offs, and research teams looking to bring their work to market;
- aspiring entrepreneurs with a solid idea yet to be fully developed.
In addition to the competition itself, participants will have access to the SMARTcup Academy: a support program consisting of webinars, training workshops, mentorship sessions, and opportunities to share best practices for innovative entrepreneurship.
START4.0’s contribution to the 2026 edition
For START4.0—the national Competence Center dedicated to the security of strategic infrastructures—SMARTcup Liguria is the natural place to meet the companies and researchers who are building industrial innovation in the region. In 2026, our contribution will be twofold.
On the afternoon of September 15, 2026, at the START4.0 headquarters at Ansaldo Energia, START4.0 will host a stage of the SMARTcup Academy training and mentoring program, leveraging the expertise of our CTO, Georgia Cesarone. This will be an opportunity to work on your project alongside those who support companies and research centers on innovation every day, and to address the issues that permeate every industrial project today: data and process security, production digitalization, and infrastructure resilience.
The START4.0 Award – Safe Industrial Innovation
New to this edition is the START4.0 Award – Safe Industrial Innovation, established by START4.0and awarded to the best project submitted to SMARTcup Liguria 2026 that combines industrial innovation and security.
The award is given to the startup that best combines technological innovation, applicability to the industrial context, and a focus on the security and resilience of the proposed solution. Projects with the greatest potential for technology transfer to the manufacturing system and critical infrastructure will be recognized, in line with the START4.0 mission. The award consists of a certificate and a one-hour orientation meeting with START4.0experts, aimed at identifying opportunities for technology transfer and industrial development of the proposed solution.
This recognition directly addresses projects working on technologies for the safety of production processes, the protection of critical infrastructure, robotics and reliable automation, artificial intelligence applied to monitoring and predictive maintenance, industrial cybersecurity, and secure data management throughout the supply chain.
Dates to mark on your calendar
September 15, 2026 | SMARTcup Academy stage hosted by START4.0 |
September 27, 2026, 11:59 PM | Deadline for applications |
October 19, 2026 | Final event at BIC – Filse Business Incubator, Genoa |
How to Apply for SMARTcup Liguria 2026
Consult the regulations and check the requirements on SMARTcup Liguria 2026
Prepare the required documentation; support is available at infoincubatori@filse.it.
Submit your business idea by 11:59 PM on September 27, 2026.
Why Participate?
Participating in SMARTcup Liguria means putting your idea to the test in front of a qualified jury, but above all, it means connecting with the Ligurian innovation ecosystem: incubators, competence centers, universities, businesses, and investors. For many local startups, it was the first structured step towards the market. We invite our entire network—member companies, SMEs, startups, researchers, and spin-offs—to spread the word about the initiative and apply.