Open Call: FONTAGRO Agrobioentrepreneurship Competition 2025

Deadline: 30 August 2025

FONTAGRO, together with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and partners of the Latin American Bioeconomy Network, announce the “Agrobioentrepreneurship with Impact LATAM 2025” competition.

Objectives

The objective of this competition is to identify, incubate, and accelerate the 100 initiatives with the greatest impact in the region, thereby contributing to the consolidation of an innovation ecosystem that responds to crucial challenges such as climate change, food security, and the transition toward more sustainable economic models.

Categories

Proposals should focus on the development of products or services based on the sustainable use of biodiversity and biomass through science, technology, and innovation in one of the following priority sectors of the bioeconomy:
- Biomaterials, bioproducts and bioenergy
  - They replace fossil products with sustainable solutions:
    - Green chemistry: biodegradable solvents, non-toxic resins.
    - Biomaterials: bioplastics, compostable packaging, biomass panels.
    - Bioenergy: biodiesel from used oils, biogas, bioethanol.
- New bioproducts for food, cosmetics, health and wellness
  - Transformation of biological resources for conscious consumers:
    - Functional foods: nutraceuticals, alternative flours, probiotics.
    - Biocosmetics: natural products without synthetic chemicals.
    - Biopharmaceuticals: therapeutic extracts, natural antimicrobials.
- Bioinputs and sustainable agri-food technologies
  - They improve efficiency and reduce impact on agricultural production systems:
    - Agricultural bioinputs: biofertilizers, biopesticides.
    - Agroecological technologies: smart irrigation, soil decontamination.
    - Nutritional value: crop enrichment, biological fermentation.
- Bioservices and nature-based solutions
  - Use of natural processes with economic, social and environmental benefits:
    - Agrobiotourism: educational experiences in sustainable production.
    - Bioremediation: cleaning of soil and water with living organisms.
    - Ecosystem services: pollinator conservation, carbon sequestration.

Award Information

Vouchers of up to USD $15,000 will be awarded to six winning agribusinesses to support their incubation and acceleration process. Additionally, 30 outstanding startups will participate in a specialized incubation and acceleration program starting in February 2026, and the 100 best proposals will be included in the first catalog of high-impact agribusinesses in Latin America.

Eligibility Criteria

Proposals may be submitted by:
- Agricultural producers, producer organizations, and/or private companies operating in any IDB borrowing country, in Latin America, and/or Spain.
- Any public or private research and/or development institution or organization, such as universities, research centers, NGOs, etc., operating in any IDB borrowing country, in Latin America, and/or Spain.
- Public sector of any IDB borrowing country in Latin America and/or Spain.

For more information, visit FONTAGRO.