The Principality’s incubator and accelerator MonacoTech has announced the opening of its latest call for projects, inviting innovative startups from around the globe to apply for a place within its ecosystem.
Applications are being accepted from 15th October until midnight on 25th November and can be submitted through the MonacoTech website.
The call is open to entrepreneurs worldwide who are eager to grow their businesses from Monaco.
MonacoTech is focusing on early-stage technological projects that meet a specific set of criteria. These projects must have a functional prototype, with preference given to those that have already received positive market feedback. Applicants are expected to aim for commercialisation within 18 months of joining the programme.
The sectors that MonacoTech is prioritising include GreenTech, BioTech/MedTech, BlueTech/Smart Yachting, FinTech, and Digital solutions, with a particular emphasis on projects involving artificial intelligence that serves a meaningful purpose.
The winning startups will be offered a place in MonacoTech’s 18-month programme, starting in March 2025.
Météo France has issued its highest warning for the Alpes-Maritimes, placing the region on red alert as severe storms and heavy rainfall threaten to cause significant flooding from 6pm on Thursday evening.
The French national weather service raised the alert level from yellow at around 2.30pm Thursday due to an ongoing weather event, known as an épisode cévenol, which has already brought unprecedented rainfall to other parts of southern France. With saturated ground and the prospect of up to 100mm of rain expected in some areas, there are significant concerns about widespread flooding in the Alpes-Maritimes and surrounding regions.
In anticipation of potentially significant flooding, the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes closed all childcare centres and schools on Thursday. Monaco’s schools have remained open.
Not long after the extreme weather warning, the Monaco government issued a statement saying that all regional TER train services in the region, including Monaco, will be completely suspended from 5:30pm on Thursday until the end of the day.
The highest alert possible
The red alert is the highest level of weather warning in France, signifying a severe threat to life and property. Residents in affected areas are advised to limit travel, secure their homes, and avoid rivers or flood-prone zones. The region is expected to experience a brief respite from the rain by late Thursday night, but conditions remain highly unpredictable.
Elsewhere, similar weather patterns are affecting the Haut-Allier region, which has also been placed on red alert for rising river levels. Heavy rain across the Pyrenees and parts of the southwest is contributing to further concerns, with localised storms expected to last until Friday morning.
Authorities are urging the public to stay informed by consulting updates from the national weather service and other official channels. The red alert will remain in place until further notice, depending on the evolving situation.
Decades after she first came to the Principality and thousands of years since she lived in Ptolemaic Egypt, the mummified remains of a young woman known as Merit have gone on display at the Musée d’Anthropologie Préhistorique de Monaco.
Earlier this month, Monaco Life‘s Niki Borisova attended a special press conference at the museum that revealed new insights into the life of this Ancient Egyptian woman, who has been the subject of a groundbreaking study conducted by specialists at the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace and funded by Monaco’s Direction of Cultural Affairs.
Merit, a name that means “beloved” in Egyptian, is believed to have been donated to Monaco’s Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology in the post-WWII era by the Natural History Museum of Nice (Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de Nice). Merit has been the focus of several studies over the years, and her remains have undergone extensive conservation efforts in an effort to best preserve the 2,300-year-old mummy.
The conference at Monaco’s Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology, where experts discussed the findings from the study of Merit. Photo by Monaco Life
Most recently, in 2016, the decision was taken that the mummy should be examined and scanned by the Radiology Department at the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace.
Speaking at the press event, Dr. Philippe Brunner, the head of the department, said, “That day, on 7th June 2016 at 6pm, we received an unusual patient at our hospital.”
Dr. Brunner led the hospital’s efforts to learn more about the mummy and the young woman, who would have been between 20 and 25 years of age when she died.
Merit lived more than two millennia ago at a time when Ancient Egypt was under the rule of the Ptolemies. She was mummified sometime between 360 and 200 BCE.
She measured around 1.70m, somewhat tall for an Egyptian woman at the time, and it is believed that she would have been of high social status due to the nature and method of her mummification. The studies also revealed she likely adhered to a vegetarian diet.
The CT scan and uterine biopsy conducted at the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace revealed further details about her health and life, including signs of a tumour and traces of brain tissue, along with post-mortem fractures from the mummification process. These procedures are rarely done on mummies, making this case particularly special and allowing the Monaco team to contribute valuable insights into medical research on ancient remains.
Ricardo Lorenzino, Hapax Turin Editorial Director and a museographer who was involved in the research, told Monaco Life, “We have a responsibility to connect this mummy to the cultural context of Egyptian life.”
Elena Rossoni-Notter, the director of the Musée d’Anthropologie Préhistorique de Monaco, added, “We have finally understood the results from the countless studies on the mummy,” noting that future research will include a 3D reconstruction of her face as well as possible efforts in voice regeneration.
Merit was first displayed to the public back in 2022. She is now on display at the Musée d’Anthropologie Préhistorique de Monaco.
The 2024 edition of EVER Monaco is set to showcase the latest innovations in sustainable mobility and renewable energy at an interactive event that will bring together industry leaders, start-ups and the public.
On 13th and 14th November, the Grimaldi Forum will host the 19th edition of EVER Monaco, an industry event focusing on technological and ecological innovation. This year’s event will primarily spotlight sustainable mobility and renewable energy, featuring a variety of exhibitors, business leaders, start-ups, and policymakers.
A key element of the 2024 edition is the event’s partnership with the AVERE E-Mobility Conference, a gathering of nearly 300 industry figures focused on the future of electric mobility.
Bernard Fautrier, the president of EVER Monaco, says of the collaboration, “The Principality of Monaco has long pursued a strong environmental protection policy, and with the growing need to promote and explain the decarbonisation of our economies, the synergy between the AVERE E-Mobility Conference and EVER Monaco for 2024 will allow us to combine high-level European conferences with the core of our exhibition.”
The event will feature a series of roundtables on topics including the future of electric vehicle technology, optimising charging networks, and integrating renewable energy with mobility solutions. Key speakers include Jean-Marc Bolinger, CEO of MB92 Group; Robert Van Tol, Executive Director of the Water Revolution Foundation; and Giedo Loeff, Head of Research and Development at Feadship.
For the public, a major highlight of EVER Monaco 2024 will be the ‘Ride & Drive’ area, where attendees can test drive the latest electric and hybrid vehicles from brands such as Porsche, Audi, and Fiat.
Outside the venue, the 10th edition of the Riviera Electric Challenge, a cross-border competition aimed at promoting clean mobility, will depart from the Esplanade at 9.30am on the first day of the event.
Also on 13th November, but in the evening, EVER Monaco will host the European Startup Prize for Mobility. Under the patronage of Prince Albert II, this EU-backed initiative supports the most innovative start-ups in the sphere of sustainable mobility. The pitch competition will give young companies the chance to present their projects and potentially secure valuable support.
Admission for EVER Monaco is free. For more information and to explore the full programme, click here.
As part of the Principality’s efforts to improve its international standing in the world of financial compliance and regulation, the government has launched a free training programme for local professionals in the financial sector. Here are all the details.
The Monaco Government has announced that it will be hosting a series of free and educational financial compliance sessions for professionals working in the financial sector over the coming months, beginning on 7th November.
The goal of the sessions, which are being managed by the Budget and Treasury Department in partnership with the Economic Development Department and the Monegasque Financial Security Authority, is to ensure that finance professionals working in Monaco are kept up to speed on the latest Monegasque and international sanctions laws pertaining to the fight against money laundering, terrorist funding and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The sessions are specifically designed for those in the financial sector, as well as businesses with anti-money laundering (AML) obligations. This covers a wide variety of industries, from insurance and real estate to yachting, jewellery, legal services, accounting and banking.
The courses will cover key topics such as Monaco’s financial sanctions regulations, procedures for implementing fund-freezing measures, the responsibilities of relevant authorities and how to effectively utilise the dedicated Monaco platform for fund-freezing directives.
The sessions will all take place at the Budget and Treasury Department on 12 Quai Antoine 1er. Following the opening session on 7th November, further dates have been set for 5th December, 9th January and 6th February.
Spaces are limited to 10 participants, so prior registration is required. To sign up, contact dbt.geldefonds@gouv.mc.
After a promising start at the Palau Blaugrana, AS Monaco Basket stumbled against a fierce FC Barcelona team, resulting in a demoralising 86-71 defeat—their first loss of the 2024/25 EuroLeague season.
The opening stages of the away game on 16th October saw the Roca Team and FC Barcelona trade leads. AS Monaco Basket looked to be in good shape, but Barca’s Kevin Punter eight points in quick succession had put the Monegasque side on the back foot by the end of the first half.
Their performance dropped off dramatically in the third quarter and the team struggled against their clearly more united rivals. The Rocas were unable to maintain their momentum and allowed the Barca side to extend their lead significantly, reaching a 17-point deficit by the end of the third quarter.
With the end in sight, AS Monaco Basket made an attempt at a comeback, narrowing the gap to 11 points as the minutes ticked down, but it wasn’t enough. FC Barca continued to press and ultimately won the game by a 15-point margin.
Coach Sasa Obradovic acknowledged the team’s struggles, saying post-game, “Barcelona deserved this victory, well done to them. They put a lot of energy into it, as they always do at home. We didn’t know how to control the rebound. We needed to play a little more together to hope for something. It wasn’t our day, we missed too many things. We needed to be more consistent, which we didn’t know how to do. We also missed a lot of shots. We’ll have to bounce back. “
The Roca Team will now try to regroup and return to form ahead of their game against Virtus Bologna at the Salle Gaston Médecin in Monaco on 18th October.
