CONCOURS d’innovation

MIRO IN CUBE#MIC19

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2 0 s t 2 2 r d f e b r u a r y

Innovation Contest

MIRO IN CUBE#MIC19

The tourism innovation contest

The 2nd edition of Miro in Cube will take place from February 20th to February 22nd, 2019. Participants will have 56 hours to create a startup focused on tourism flow management. What’s new about this year’s edition? The innovation contest led by the University of Per-pignan Via Domitia and organized by the Miro Programme will be held at 3 locations - Per-pignan, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona. This international dimension is suited to meet the demands of an increasingly pressing global issue: mass tourism.

2018 saw the birth of the first cross-border network of incubators in the Euroregion - UPVD IN CUBE, the Parc Bit and the Canòdrom. Thanks to this network and the effectiveness and diversity of the interactions which took place during the 2018 edition of Miro in Cube, the University of Perpignan decided to hold a joint event in 2019, with each incubator providing the best it has to offer in terms of skills and resources.

The event will take place at three incubators simultaneously.

- The UPVD IN CUBE in Perpignan- The PARC BIT in the Balearic Islands- The CANÒDROM in Barcelona.

The final round will take place on the February 25th at the 4YFN forum in Barcelona.

The 2019 edition is bolstered by the creation of the first-ever

network of incubators in the Euroregion.

Miro in Cube will take place in the form of a 4-day hackathon, including 3 days of teamwork. These days also include mentoring and workshops led by experts from a variety of backgrounds. The 4th day is dedicated to the final round which brings together the 9 winning projects from the 3 cities. A special prize for innovation will be handed out.

The contest will take place simultaneously at the three incubators of the Euroregion network. Live streaming sessions will allow locations to communicate with each other at specific times.

This format was chosen in order to meet the needs of the current trends in innovative training being implemented at the University of Perpignan.

This format aims to facilitate collaborative work, knowledge sharing and open-mindedness - all essential aspects of innovation.

An innovative and international format

The objectives of Miro in Cube 2019

Bring together the strengths and skills of the three incubators:

The prizes

1st prize

2nd prize

3rd prize

Special innovation prize

A university turned towards the future of tourism

Since 2012, the University of Perpignan Via Domitia is home to an innovative educational program in the field of tourism. The Miro Programme is a veritable laboratory for monitoring emerging issues in the sector. At the same time, the University of Perpignan Via Domitia has created an incubation lab (UPVD IN CUBE), a space for innovation and entrepreneurship, symbolizing the increasing ties between academia and the business world. Its mission is to encourage innovative structures through personalized support, training, and material and financial support.

The MIRO IN CUBE contest is a joint initiative from the Miro Programme and UPVD IN CUBE, which provides its expertise as a host structure of innovative startups.

Strengthen the ecosystem based on the Miro Programme at the University of Perpignan

Contribute to the discussion concerning trends in tourism and the impact of mobility.

Propose strategies to add value to tourism practices in order to enhance training programs.

Address real issues concerning the impact of tourism practices at the level of the Euroregion.

Create opportunities for economic development in a context of sustainability and environmental responsibility.

6 to 12 month incubation period with support at the home site.2 months of support at one of the network’s incubators.Access to the 2020 edition of the 4YFN.10,000 € worth of services.

Two-month incubation period with support

Two-month incubation period with support

An additional 5,000 € worth of services granted by the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion. Possibility to pitch the project at the 2020 edition of 4YFN Barcelona.

A contest to address a global issue

In the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, the increase in tourist traffic equates to a total of 82.1 million tourists per year, with the city of Barcelona welcoming 6.5 million tourists.

In addition to the purely economic dimension, some of these trends cause both sociocultural and environmental problems. For example, an excessive increase in tourism flows leads to mass tourism and overcrowding of cities. This has implications for managing tourist accommodation, as the impact of these flows leads to an increase in the price of private housing, problems ensuring public safety and the deterioration of cultural heritage and classified heritage sites.

The social impact of these issues includes the appearance of phenomena such as “tourism phobia”, of which Barcelona is a prime example. Indeed, there has been an increasing number of uncivil actions and acts of vandalism against city infrastructure and cultural heritage, leading many inhabitants to be hostile to tourists. In Palma de Mallorca,

the government has enacted legislation to completely ban all private apartments from being used as tourist accommodation. This is an exceptional measure taken to limit the expansion of an increasingly expensive market which is detrimental to local populations, who are unable to overcome the challenge of finding and remaining in decent housing.

The issues vary depending on the cities and territories in question. In Occitanie, tourism

development has been unequal due to the concentration of tourism on the coast and in urban cores and due to the low value placed on the mountain areas, which represent 55 % of the territory. This unequal development means that areas with a high potential for tourism become mere transit areas.

According the latest figures published by the World Tourism Organization, international tourism attained a record growth of 7 % in 2017, reaching a total of 1.322 billion tourists worldwide. The Mediterranean region of Europe saw the greatest growth, with a 9 %

increase in international tourists.

Areas with a high potential for tourism become mere transit areas

The Euroregion is particularly affected

In this context, the implementation of strategies and solutions for sustainable and responsible management of the tourist flows created by these movements becomes a major issue for our territories. New technologies related to mobility make it possible to create new tools for data collection, processing and analysis in order to devise innovative solutions for all tourism stakeholders: GPS and geolocalisation, satellite data and hot data, Wi-FI and 5G connection, IA and Big Data, NFC and contactless technologies, etc.

What solutions can mobility-related technologies provide for managing tourist flows? What tools or services can be developed and improved upon to this end?

Managing tourism flows falls within the scope of issues related to mobility in tourism. Managing users’ connected mobility is one of the major criteria to be taken into consideration for these flows to be managed effectively. The solutions of the future will have to promote practices leading to a more responsible and environmentally friendly tourism, encourage interaction with local populations, find a balance between urban and rural territories and promote tourism development policies which support local economies.

Ultimately, the Miro in Cube contest seeks to devise innovative solutions, not only to imagine the tourism of tomorrow, but also to make both individuals and society at large more aware of the impact that the practice of tourism has on our societies.

Solutions for managing flows

A contest backed by an innovation ecosystem

Exchanges between the University of Perpignan, the Fundació Bit in the Balearic Islands and the Spanish mainland - the managing entity of the Canòdrom Creative Research Park in Barcelona - have led to the implementation of the first cross-border network of incubators in the Euroregion. This partnership was established through the signing of a framework agreement in July 2018 at UPVD IN CUBE.

This dynamic network quickly enabled the implementation of an approach based on the sharing of knowledge and experiences which gives true added value to the contest.

The University of Perpignan has also established a partnership with Mobile World Capital of Bar-celona in order to create new spaces for cooperation. The aim is to usher in the digital trans-formation of society and promote the development of innovation as well as the dissemination of scientific and technological culture in society. The foundation, which is the co-organizer of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is also organizing the international forum for start-ups 4YFN Barcelona. As a result of this partnership, the final round of the contest will take place at the 4YFN headquarters in order to provide global visibility to project developers.

The 4YFN (4 Years From Now) forum is a business platform created by Mobile World Capital to connect startups, investors, businesses and public institutions and to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in order to put the city of Barcelona on the map as a world-class hub. The 4YFN forum is organized as part of the Mobile World Congress and hosts 600 startups from over 145 countries, 700 investors, 20,000 visitors and 275 speakers.

The organization of the final round of the Miro in Cube contest during this event provides an unparalleled showcase for the projects, the participating startups and the members of the network of incubators.

A unique occasion to create new opportunities for entrepreneurship and to promote the startups and the university on a global scale.

UPVD INCUBE

Exceptional sponsors

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

UNWTO’s membership includes 158 countries, 6 Associate Members and over 500 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

The partners

- 4YFN- AD’OCC- AEBAN- Agència Catalana de Turisme- Ajuntament de Barcelona- Arte- Banque Populaire- BPI France- Caisse des Dépôts- CEEI Plein Sud Entreprises- CNES/InSpace- Crédit Agricole- Eurorégion- Generalitat de Catalunya- Govern de les Illes Balears- IDEM- IMERIR- INPI

- Kéoran- La French Tech- Lambert Associés- La Villa Duflot- Mobile World Capital- Nubbo- OMT/Fondation Thémis- OneDirect- Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole- Polyglot Group- Région Occitanie- Réseau Méliès- Seed & Click- SNCF- Travel Innovation Hub- VeryChic.com- Webedia

Practical information

ContestFrom February 20th to February 22nd, 2019

In Perpignan: UPVD IN CUBE, avenue d’Espagne 66100 Perpignan, France.

In Barcelona: c/ Concepció Arenal, 165 - 08027 Barcelona - Espanya.

In Palma: c/ Laura Bassy s/n - Palma de Mallorca - Illes Balers.

Press contact

PerpignanService Communication et Culture - Fanny Guyonnet

04 68 66 21 23Université de Perpignan Via Domitia

52 avenue Paul Alduy 66 100 Perpignan

BarcelonaIsabel Vàzquez - Communication & Dealflow Manager

+34 93 220 00 93isabel.vazquez@peninsula.co

c/ Concepció Arenal, 165 - 08027 Barcelona - Espanya

PalmaMaria Antònia Aloy / Marga Vera

+34 696 99 40 68comunicacio@fundaciobit.org

More Informationswww.miroincube.eu