Winners Of The Tech4Islands Awards 2020 Competition

Desolenator, Med.i.can, Aedes System and NUM SMO Technologies great winners of the Tech4Islands Awards 2020 competition

The winners of the international Tech4Islands Awards 2020 competition organised by La French Tech Polynésie have been chosen by the Final Panel. In the end, the international Tech4Islands Awards 2020 competition with the vision of RECOVERY towards the "islands of tomorrow" relies on 4 Winners. The Dutch company Desolenator won the WORLD Tech4Islands Award, the Polynesian startups Med.i.can and New Caledonian Aedes System tied for the OCEANIA Tech4Islands Award and the OVERSEAS Tech4Islands Award went to the Guadeloupean company NUM SMO Technologies.

The Final Panel, made up of international experts in the fields of innovation, research, ocean protection, the environment and biodiversity, has unanimously decided to award the OCEANIA Tech4Islands Award to 2 joint winners following the Final Presentation of the 12 Finalists.

The four innovative companies, rewarded for their concrete and rapidly deployable solutions BY and FOR the "islands of tomorrow", were competing in this second 2020 edition of the Tech4Islands Awards, an unprecedented worldwide success with 186 entries from 37 Countries and Territories spread over the 5 oceans, which now make up the Tech4Islands Tribe.

The Winners will receive their prize from the hands of Cédric O, Minister of State for the Digital Transition and Electronic Communication, on Friday, 20 November at 6.00 pm at the Secretary of State in Paris. Plus, they win their invitation to present their solution at the next Tech4Islands Summit Tahiti, 4th International Meeting of smart islands and lands of innovation, organized by La French Tech Polynésie at the Office of the President of French Polynesia from 22 to 24 April 2021.

Four solutions to contribute to the RECOVERY of island economies

A beautiful final in style for the international Tech4Islands Awards 2020 competition with vision of RECOVERY towards the "islands of tomorrow" organised by La French Tech Polynésie, with the Final Presentation in a video conference of the 12 Finalists before the Final Panel composed of international experts in innovation, research, ocean protection, the environment and biodiversity.

After an in-depth study of the 186 applications submitted by candidates from 37 countries and territories around the world, the Preselection Panel, made up of representatives from the world of economics, entrepreneurship, research and innovation from the Pacific, selected the 12 Finalists for the Tech4Islands Awards at the beginning of September. Their solutions to promote the RECOVERY of island economies all integrate dimensions of sustainability and solidarity, both in the fields of Health Tech & e-Health in order to protect populations and provide equal access to healthcare in remote islands, and to build a sustainable, resilient Blue Tech, promote the emergence of Clean Tech and the circular economy, the development of eco-responsible Smart Tourism or facilitate digital inclusion with the aim of reducing social and territorial divides.

The Final Panel, comprised of eminent personalities from the innovation field, research, oceans, environment and biodiversity protection, had the delicate and difficult task to select the WORLD, OCEANIA and OVERSEAS Winners among the 12 Finalists.

And surprise! In the end, there are four winners, the Final Panel having unanimously decided to award the OCEANIA Tech4Islands Award to two candidates in a tie:

• WORLD Tech4Islands Award 2020: Desolenator (Netherlands): The Dutch company has designed the world's first solar thermal desalination technology with the goal of producing sustainable drinking water for island territories. Its pioneering low-cost technology uses solar energy to distil all types of water: sea water, contaminated water (fluoride, arsenic, etc.) and brackish water, to make it drinkable. Its equipment can be easily deployed and transported and can produce 250,000 litres of drinking water per day. It captures solar energy through solar panels, not requiring any filters. The user supplies it with water, which is then boiled and cleaned using the heat and electrical energy of the solar panels. The solution has been thought out in terms of efficiency (cost, dimensions, weight), durability, transport and maintenance. Its aim is to provide access to desalination systems for as many people as possible and already has partners such as Carlsberg, Booking.com and the Dubai Energy and Water Authority.
• OCEANIA Tech4Islands Award Tie: Med.i.can (French Polynesia) and Aedes System (New Caledonia):
• Med.i.can (French Polynesia): The Polynesian startup wants to protect populations and provide equal access to healthcare in remote islands. They have designed a mobile dispensary in the form of a self-contained medical container that allows patients to consult and monitor their state of health, to apply first aid in an emergency, and to be a medical aid supplement with professional equipment available on site and immediately available (in the event of a cyclonic episode), to guarantee medical continuity (in the case of the reconstruction or renovation of a medical structure), to provide a medical aid post during sports and cultural events and to provide medical equipment and a complementary team of professionals (in the case of international interventions). This 20-foot container is based on a ready-to-use plug-and-play system, whose design facilitates the logistics and use phases. It contains its own energy, thermal insulation, a water circuit, a pharmacy, a telecommunications system and all the medical devices needed to take care of local medicine and emergencies. Its design makes it possible to fulfil a wide range of first-aid health missions while improving patient care and the working conditions of caregivers and guaranteeing the effectiveness of hygiene or decontamination protocols.
• Aedes System (New Caledonia): The New Caledonian company has developed AGLOSTIC, a filter composed of 88% rubber from recycled old tyres and a solvent-free synthetic binder. Since mosquitoes are vectors of serious diseases such as zika, dengue fever and chikungunya, AGLOSTIC allows water to flow but blocks mosquitoes' nesting, prevents green waste from accumulating, thus avoiding the need to clean gutters and allows for the recovery of filtered water free of plant or animal debris. Shaped by moulding, it can be adapted to all receptacle shapes to eliminate larval deposits: gutters, manholes, drains. An entomological analysis entrusted to the Pasteur Institute of New Caledonia showed that the solution was 99% effective against the emergence of adult mosquitoes. Other independent laboratories, such as the Technology Transfer Centre in Le Mans, have also made it possible to measure and validate the AGLOSTIC's hydrological and mechanical characteristics, as well as its durability. The company is committed to respecting the environment by helping to reduce the prevalence of mosquitoes and thus limiting the need to apply chemical insecticides. Its long-lasting and permanent solution is also derived from the circular economy, patented and manufactured in New Caledonia.
• OVERSEAS Tech4Islands Award: NUM SMO Technologies (Guadeloupe): The Guadeloupean startup has developed SMO, a patented technology in the form of a compact, autonomous processor that uses the sun as its main source of energy to transform waste and biomass into green hydrogen. Operating completely autonomously, even in isolated areas, it converts solar energy into powerful microwaves, which are used together with solar thermal energy at each stage of the process. Its process is based on 4 main steps: granulation, solar pyrolysis, gasification and hydrogen purification. In less than 10 minutes, the processor's full production capacity is reached. This production of green hydrogen is coupled with carbon capture technology, allowing CO2 to be absorbed. SMO technology is part of a zero waste trajectory (waste is the raw material of the process), zero carbon (the industrial process is a carbon well supplied entirely by renewable energies), zero agricultural pollutants (activated carbons and biochar are alternatives to fertilisers), zero exclusion (decentralised production develops territories and generates job creation), zero vulnerability (operational units unfold and fold up into containers to secure them). The SMO site can be adjusted in terms of the number of units and thus accurately meet local demand. The aim of the startup is to create decentralised, fully autonomous energy systems that support the circular economy and local resources. It thus offers the industrial sector innovative, advantageous and modular green hydrogen production.

"We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of the Tech4Islands Awards 2020. They were able to prove that their solutions were fully in line with an approach of sustainability, resilience, adaptability to the specific features and constraints of island territories, the wellbeing of populations and the creation of new activities and jobs. They are proof that these solutions exist, and that they are economically viable and relevant. I don't doubt for a moment their active and short-term role in the RECOVERY of island economies around the world," comments Olivier KRESSMANN, president of La French Tech Polynésie.

After Élysée, go towards Bercy, and then Tahiti.

A convergence of economic, academic and public innovation forces in French Polynesia, La French Tech Polynésie is driving the Tech4Islands dynamic on a regional and global scale in favour of the emergence of more ecological, sustainable and resilient technology, good for the islands and therefore good for the Planet.

A vision welcomed by President Emmanuel MACRON, together with Bruno LEMAIRE (Minister of Economy, Finance and Recovery), Elisabeth MORENO (Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister, head of Equality between Women and Men, Diversity and Equal Opportunities), Cédric O (Minister of State for the Digital Transition and Electronic Communication) and Kat BORLONGAN (Director of the French Tech Mission), during her presentation by videoconference at the Elysée Palace on 14 September, on behalf of the National Council of French Tech Capitals and Communities.

The 4 Winners will receive their prize from the hands of Cédric O, Minister of State for the Digital Transition and Electronic Communication, on Friday, 20 November at 6.00 pm at the Secretary of State in Paris, in the presence of the members of the Panels and international partners of the competition that work for the development of a Tech that serves the development of sustainable technologies in the service of the environment and the ecology, in favour of a transition of the economic models that preserve and protect the resources and the natural ecosystems.

They also win their invitation to present their solution at the next Tech4Islands Summit Tahiti, 4th International Meeting of smart islands and lands of innovation, organized by La French Tech Polynésie at the Office of the President of French Polynesia from 22 to 24 April 2021.

The winners also win the numerous prizes offered by the partners of the Tech4Islands Awards competition to support them in their international deployment, demonstrate to their customers and investors the credibility of their solution, its replicability on an island scale, and its environmental and social impact "GOOD FOR THE PLANET".

Supported by La French Tech, French Polynesia, the Pacific Fund, the Ministry of Overseas Territories, Business France and Bpifrance, as well as by prestigious partners in innovation and environmental and ocean protection, La French Tech Polynésie is boosting its Tech4Islands dynamic on both a regional and global scale, in favour of a more ecological, sustainable and resilient Tech, in the service of ecological transition, energy transition and digital integration in the islands.

Composition of the Final Panel

• Tearii ALPHA, Vice-President and Minister for Agriculture, Blue Economy and in charge of the research in the French Polynesian Government
• Olivier KRESSMANN - President of La French Tech Polynésie
• Eddy PARIS - Vice-President of the Executive Committee of the OCTA (Association of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union)
• Kosi LATU - Director general of SPREP (Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Program)
• Fleur PELLERIN - Former minister and co-founder of Korelya Capital
• Salwa TOKO - President of the Conseil National du Numérique
• Marie VILON - Head of Community, Mission French Tech
• Dominique CAIGNART - Director of the Île-de-France and Overseas Networks at Bpifrance
• Johann REMAUD - Coordinator “Network Actions Overseas” at Business France
• Stéphane DISTINGUIN - President of La Grande École du Numérique and CEO of Fabernovel
• Frédéric MONCANY DE SAINT-AIGNAN - President of the French Maritime Cluster
• Stéphane MURIGNIEUX - President of the IDETOM (Institut de la Transition Écologique des Outre-mer)
• Thomas FOUQUET - Advisor of the director - Innovation Applications & Science at the CNES (National Space Studies Centre)
• Inès LEONARDUZZI - CEO of Digital For The Planet
• Raphaël CUVELIER, Vice-President of the Ocean & Climate Platform and former program director of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
• Raphaëla LE GOUVELLO - President-founder of RespectOcean
• Daniel HIERSO - President of Outre-mer Network
• Tristan PIRON - Innovation co-pilot at the Conseil Numérique de la Santé for the economic growth of the e-health field and coordinator of the Health sector at the Village Francophone executive committee

Origin of the Tech4Islands Awards 2020 candidates

Africa, Europe, America, Asia: South Africa, Germany, Belgium, Benin, Canada, Cyprus, South Korea, Scotland, United Arab Emirates, United States, France, Georgia, Mauritius, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Holland, Poland, United Kingdom, Rwanda, Singapore, Slovenia, Switzerland.

Oceania and Overseas Territories: Australia, Guadeloupe, Guiana, La Réunion, Martinique, New Caledonia, Papoua New Guinea, French Polynesia.

The Three Tech4Islands Awards

World Tech4Islands Award

• Invitation and participation to the next TECH4ISLANDS SUMMIT TAHITI, transport and accomodation for one representative of the Recipient, exhibit space and keynote.
• A #MyGlobalVillage 2021 Pass, providing free access for two representatives of the

Recipient to fairs, sector visits, pitch sessions and highlights of French-speaking and

international villages of the CES in Las Vegas, VivaTech Paris and affiliated events in

Europe, America and Africa in 2021.

• Mentoring by Fleur PELLERIN, a former minister and president-founder of the investment fund Korelya Capital.
• A national space studies centre (CNES) masterclass on space applications and business opportunities at Station F, in Paris.
• A meeting with the team of innovation experts of the programme “Connect by CNES” at Station F, in Paris.
• An exclusive support to build its file to get the Efficient Solutions label offered by the SOLAR IMPULSE FOUNDATION and its community of experts.
• 3 hours of coaching in media influence, communication and marketing offered by Inès LEONARDUZZI, CEO of Digital For The Planet.
• A 3-hour workshop to enhance its U.S. VC-ready pitch deck and refine its presentation skills offered by SMART OCEANIA.
• Exclusive access for 1 year to the Online Waves and privileged access to the international network of the WAVES OF CHANGE Coalition and its events.
• Contact with social and environmental impact investment funds.
• Media visibility.
• Other awards offered by the partners of LA FRENCH TECH POLYNÉSIE.

Oceania Tech4Islands Award

• Three months’ free incubation in the Outre-Mer Network accelerator at Station F, in Paris.
• 6 months' free incubation at PRISM, the CCISM incubator, in Tahiti.
• Invitation and participation to the next TECH4ISLANDS SUMMIT TAHITI, transport and accomodation for one representative of the Recipient, exhibit space and keynote.
• A #MyGlobalVillage 2021 Pass, providing free access for two representatives of the

Recipient to fairs, sector visits, pitch sessions and highlights of French-speaking and international villages of the CES in Las Vegas, VivaTech Paris and affiliated events in Europe, America and Africa in 2021.

• Mentoring by Fleur PELLERIN, a former minister and president-founder of the investment fund Korelya Capital.
• A national space studies centre (CNES) masterclass on space applications and business opportunities at Station F, in Paris.
• A meeting with the team of innovation experts of the programme “Connect by CNES” at Station F, in Paris.
• An exclusive support to build its file to get the Efficient Solutions label offered by the SOLAR IMPULSE FOUNDATION and its community of experts.
• 3 hours of coaching in media influence, communication and marketing offered by Inès LEONARDUZZI, CEO of Digital For The Planet.
• A 3-hour workshop to enhance its U.S. VC-ready pitch deck and refine its presentation skills offered by SMART OCEANIA.
• Exclusive access for 1 year to the Online Waves and privileged access to the international network of the WAVES OF CHANGE Coalition and its events.
• Contact with social and environmental impact investment funds.
• Media visibility.
• Other awards offered by the partners of LA FRENCH TECH POLYNÉSIE.

Overseas Tech4Islands Award

• A stand in the Pavillon France in Eureka Park at the CES 2021, the world’s largest innovation fair, offered within the framework of the partnership between BUSINESS France and the Overseas Territories Department.
• Three months’ free incubation in the Outre-Mer Network accelerator at Station F, in Paris.
• 6 months' high level incubation in the ZEBOX Caraïbes hub of incubation, located in Guadeloupe.
• Invitation and participation to the next TECH4ISLANDS SUMMIT TAHITI, transport and accomodation for one representative of the Recipient, exhibit space and keynote.
• A #MyGlobalVillage 2021 Pass, providing free access for two representatives of the

Recipient to fairs, sector visits, pitch sessions and highlights of French-speaking and international villages of the CES in Las Vegas, VivaTech Paris and affiliated events in Europe, America and Africa in 2021.

• Mentoring by Fleur PELLERIN, a former minister and president-founder of the investment fund Korelya Capital.
• A national space studies centre (CNES) masterclass on space applications and business opportunities at Station F, in Paris.
• A meeting with the team of innovation experts of the programme “Connect by CNES” at Station F, in Paris.
• An exclusive support to build its file to get the Efficient Solutions label offered by the SOLAR IMPULSE FOUNDATION and its community of experts.
• 3 hours of coaching in media influence, communication and marketing offered by Inès LEONARDUZZI, CEO of Digital For The Planet.
• A 3-hour workshop to enhance its U.S. VC-ready pitch deck and refine its presentation skills offered by SMART OCEANIA.
• Exclusive access for 1 year to the Online Waves and privileged access to the international network of the WAVES OF CHANGE Coalition and its events.
• Contact with social and environmental impact investment funds.
• Media visibility.
• Other awards offered by the partners of LA FRENCH TECH POLYNÉSIE.

About La French Tech Polynésie

Converging the forces of innovation of French Polynesia, the association La French Tech Polynésie, which is chaired by Olivier KRESSMANN, brings together Polynesian start-ups and innovative entrepreneurs in interactions with big business, academics, researchers, players in the private, academic and public sectors in the innovation ecosystem of French Polynesia (the Université de la Polynésie Française, the RESIPOL consortium (Recherche Enseignement Supérieur Innovation pour la POLynésie), the maritime cluster of French Polynesia, CCISM and its incubator PRISM, Startup Club Tahiti, OPEN (Organisation des Professionnels de l’Économie Numérique de Polynésie Française), SOFIDEP, etc., as well as institutions, investors, partners and ambassadors.

LA FRENCH TECH POLYNÉSIE is the hub of Tech4Islands that it has set up to highlight, assist with and promote on an international level innovative solutions that are more environmentally-friendly for the planet, thus allowing the development of interconnected smart islands that are inclusive and cooperative and create employment in order to:

• Preserve their environment, biodiversity, and oceans
• Reinforce their autonomy of production through a rational use of their resources
• Promote the development of clean and renewable energies
• Prioritise the successful digital inclusion of island societies in a manner that is respectful of their culture and traditional knowledge
• Boost their resilience to climate change

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