Get to Know China: Challenges and Opportunities for Bulgarian SMEs in the Chinese Market
The I3 Support Facility, on behalf of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), are pleased to invite you to save the date for the Annual I3 Instrument Forum 2026 on 1 October 2026.
In 2025, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center (WIPO AMC) administered 1,461 disputes related to intellectual property (IP), innovation, and technology, representing a 70% increase compared to 2024. Copyright and digital content disputes accounted for the majority of cases (71%).
Evropska komisija pokreće prvo do sadNagrade za Evropske prijestonice male maloprodajne trgovine 2026
Европска комисија покреће први циклус Награда за Европске престонице малопродаје
Evropska komisija pokreće prve nagrade Evropskih prijestolnica maloprodaje
The European Commission launched the final Capacity Building Call under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument – Strand 2b. Applications will close on 19 March 2026.
The topic enables authorities and innovation actors from Member States, Associated Countries, and their regions to develop joint multi annual programmes and action plans. The aim is to strengthen innovation ecosystems, improve their interconnection, and align them with EU priorities under the New European Innovation Agenda, addressing challenges at all governance levels.
The action is intended to create connected regional innovation valleys across the European Union (EU), involving regions with lower innovation performances, by building on strategic areas of regional strength and specialisation (defined in their smart specialisation strategies),
Trade Fair - SEMICON China 2026 in Shanghai
Future and Emerging Technologies (FETs) refer to early-stage innovations that have recently moved from the lab to initial commercialisation. This webinar focuses on FETs and the insights gained through analysing patent activity, which can shed light on the development and evolution of these technologies. Examples will be drawn from the EU initiatives, including Flagship projects. Furthermore, the session will demonstrate how patent analysis can be applied to selected FETs and highlight their connection to scientific publications.
The European IP Helpdesk is joining forces with DESCA to address key IP-related challenges faced by project beneficiaries in the context of consortium agreements. The session will provide practical guidance on navigating common IP hurdles and clarifying contractual complexities. Particular attention will be given to the recently released DESCA 2.0 Annotated Model Grant Agreement provisions concerning the inclusion of Associated Partners. The session will also feature case studies on high-interest topics, including Background, Access Rights, Joint Ownership, and Software.
Five exceptional innovations that can make a big difference in the lives of the most vulnerable people around the world have won the EIC Horizon Prize on Affordable High-Tech for Humanitarian Aid. Meet the winners!
The city of Leuven has risen to the top for its excellent innovation concepts and bringing together stakeholders and citizens with the common purpose of innovating around complex challenges.
This year’s winners of the Women Innovators Prize are women who are pioneering game-changing innovations across a wide range of industries and helping to combat global challenges.
DigiCirc is looking for European SMEs/Start-ups that can use digital tools and apply cutting-edge solutions in the circular economy by addressing specific challenges in the domain of Blue Economy.
The Fund was presented during the session “Europe's new ‘Super Fund': the EIC Fund”, which gathered Commissioner Gabriel and five experts from the EIC Fund Board of Directors and Investment Committee, as well as from the EIB as advisor to the Fund. The Fund represents a great opportunity for private investors to invest alongside the Fund in highly innovative companies.
The EIC Accelerator is part of the European Innovation Council (EIC) pilot that supports top-class innovators, entrepreneurs, small companies and scientists with funding opportunities and acceleration services. Do not miss this year's final cut-off on 7 October!
In the occasion of the World IP Day 2023, we recently spoke with Catherine Heng Yee Huynh, a bi-cultural and enthusiastic Intellectual Property Law and Data Privacy lawyer based in Paris, France. She is the founding partner of the law firm CATHERINE HENG YEE HUYNH and has expertise in the protection of creations, especially in France, mainland China and Hong Kong. Catherine shared with us the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the IP domain, including the fact that women are still underrepresented in the field.
In an interview with top economic French newspaper 'Les Echos', EC vice-president Margrethe Vestager mentions the EIC as a possible model for the implementation of the European Sovereignty Fund.
We discussed with Mathilde Kraft, project coordinator of West MOPoCo and French National Coordinator of the WestMED Initiative, on the main results, lessons learnt and follow-up activities planned.
Climate change is happening all around us. Polar ice shields are melting, and sea levels are rising. Extreme weather events like flooding, heatwaves and droughts are escalating. And, things look set to get worse in the coming decades. We present five LIFE projects that are working hard to alleviate the situation.
Bats are vital for biodiversity, they eat lots of insects, helping to reduce the numbers of mosquitoes, grasshoppers and other pests on farms. These seven LIFE projects are playing an important role in ensuring that this long-misunderstood species thrives well into the future.
The latest deliverable of H2020 PERICLES project is providing evidence and insisting on the importance of participatory and deliberative approaches for integration and coordination of Cultural heritage policies within ICZM and MSP. Discover this project ressources and reports on the MSP-platform "practices" section.
The first Annual I3 Instrument Observatory Report is available for download on the I3 Support Facility website.
Insight article available for download on the I3 Support Facility website
Policy brief available for download on the I3 Support Facility website
Following the publication of the Communicating MSP guide, the EU MSP platform will organise an online workshop dedicated to the communication needs and priorities of MSP stakeholders. Take part to this preliminary survey to help us design this event and select the key topics you would like to discuss with MSP experts. To take part to the short survey click "more"
Targeted consultation on International Ocean Governance is launched! The consultation aims at assessing development needs and options for the Agenda in light of today’s challenges and opportunities to deliver ocean-related targets of Agenda 2030 and in particular the Sustainable Development Goal on Conservation and sustainable use of the oceans (SDG14) in support of the European Green Deal.
Would you like to give your opinion about the re-use of plastic waste? FiberEUse, a Horizon 2020-funded project, has recently launched the "FiberEUse Idea Manager" platform. The users can provide feedback on the design of solutions elaborated within the project, also grading different alternatives. The highest rated ideas will be manufactured as prototypes and showcased at the 2020 Milan Design week.
