European Commission to finance Ukrainian startup SolarGaps

The European Commission has allocated €50,000 to finance Ukrainian startup SolarGaps.

This is reported by Hlavkom news site with reference to the National Industrial Portal.

The European Commission has funded the SolarGaps project within the framework of the first stage of the Horizon 2020 SME program. According to the company's founder, the received funds will be spent on certification of products in Europe, laboratory research and marketing campaign. In addition, the SolarGaps team intends to apply for the second stage of the program, which provides funding of €1.5 million.

SolarGaps smart blinds automatically track the sun throughout the day, adjusting position to the optimal angles to generate solar electricity to power devices at home, apartment or office. The SolarGaps blinds were engineered with features designed for renters, homeowners and small businesses to affordably reduce energy usage, create renewable energy and transition to energy independence.  As of May 2017, the startup raised USD 50,632 on the KickStarter platform.

Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020).

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