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04/11/2024

EIC Media Review - 04/11/2024 - Special edition - EIC Work Programme 2025

EU boosts EIC budget for supporting deep tech R&D and strategic scale-ups (29/10/2024)

TechCrunch | 29/10/2024 | Europe - The European Union will spend €1.4 billion (about $1.5 billion) next year to bolster deep tech research and support scale-ups in strategic areas like AI, low-carbon technologies, agritech and biotech, the European Commission said last Tuesday. The budget for the 2025 Work Program of the European Innovation Council (EIC), part of the bloc’s flagship Horizon Europe research program, has been increased by nearly €200 million compared to last year. The Commission highlighted several other “improvements” on the 2024 program, including better access to scale-up equity funding via the EIC Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) scheme.

How the EU is Pledging Investment in Deep Tech Innovation (30/10/2024)

Technology Magazine | 30/10/2024 | Europe - The EU's recent announcement of a €1.4bn euro (US$1.5bn) investment in 2025 to support the region's deep tech research sector marks a substantial commitment to technological innovation and competitiveness. This funding, channelled through the European Innovation Council (EIC), represents an increase of nearly €200m (US$216M) compared to 2024, underscoring the EU's determination to accelerate its technological advancement.

EU to invest $1.5 billion in region's deep tech sector (29/10/2024)

Reuters | 29/10/2024 | Europe - The European Union will invest 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion)next year to support the region's deep tech research sector, it said on Tuesday, as Europe aims to try and keep up with world leaders the United States and China in the tech arena. The funding will come from the European Innovation Council (EIC), which is part of the EU's research and innovation programme, and it represents an increase of nearly 200 million euros in terms of investment compared to 2024.

EIC to invest €1.4bn to support European deep tech in 2025 (29/10/2024)

SiliconRepublic | 29/10/2024 | Europe - The EIC Work Programme is built around three main funding schemes. This year, it has divided into a €262m Pathfinder scheme for early-stage technological research, a €98m Transition scheme for research results that turn into innovation opportunities following Pathfinder, and a €634m Accelerator scheme for start-ups and SMEs with the potential to create ripples in the market. Last year however, the Accelerator scheme had a marginally higher budget of €675m.

EIC to invest €1.4B in European deeptech and high-potential startups in 2025: Know more (30/10/2024)

Silicon Canals | 30/10/2024 | Europe - The European Innovation Council (EIC), part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, will invest €1.4B in 2025 to support deeptech research and high-potential startups across Europe. The newly adopted EIC Work Programme 2025 will increase funding by €200M over 2024. Along with the increased budget, the programme introduces enhanced access to scale-up funding through the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) scale-up scheme, developed after the STEP regulation was adopted earlier this year. Additional updates based on EIC Board recommendations are also included to further support growth in European tech innovation.

The EU is pumping new billions into technology in an attempt to keep up with China and the US (30/10/2024)

Computer World | 30/10/2024 | Denmark - More money must be invested in new technology in the EU. Europe is fighting a tough battle to keep up with actors such as the USA and China on the technological front, and therefore next year the EU is throwing DKK 10.4 billion in support of the region's deep tech research sector. This is announced by the EU Commission. The funding comes from the authority European Innovation Council (EIC), which deals with investments in new technology and science. The amount is DKK 1.5 billion higher than in 2024.

EIC Work Programme 2025 introduces STEP initiative (31/10/2024)

Neth-ER | 31/10/2024 | Europe - In 2025, the European Innovation Council (EIC) will launch the new EIC STEP Scale Up initiative. This was announced by the EIC in its 2025 work programme. The new financing instrument should ensure greater investment by companies in strategic technologies. It will also select new thematic areas for the EIC Challenges .

Europe boosts EIC innovation and scale up funding (30/10/2024)

EE News | 30/10/2024 | Europe - The European Innovation Council (EIC) is to invest €1.4 billion in deep tech and scaling up strategic technologies in 2025, up by €200m on the original plans. The EIC will support European deep tech research and high-potential start-ups with more funding and better access to scale-up equity funding and several other improvements. The funds were cut back this year. The scale up equity funding is will come from a new EIC Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) scale-up scheme. This follows the launch of the Trusted Investor Club last week.

EIC invests €1.4 billion in deeptech and scaleups in strategic technologies (30/10/2024)

Innovation Origins | 30/10/2024 | Netherlands - The European Innovation Council (EIC)announced to invest €1.4 billion in deep tech and scale-ups of strategic technologies by 2025. The initiative is part of the Horizon Europe programme and focuses on innovative research and high-potential start-ups. With the investment, EIC aims to strengthen Europe's position in the field of innovation and technological development.

EU commits $1.5bn to boost deep tech sector (30/10/2024)

Verdict | 30/10/2024 | UK - The European Union (EU) will invest €1.4bn ($1.5bn) to advance the deep tech sector within the region next year. The funding provided by the European Innovation Council (EIC) will support “high-potential startups” and research initiatives. The launch EIC Work Programme 2025 by the European Commission (EC) raised the previous year’s budget by nearly €200m to €1.4bn.

EIC set to invest €1.4 Billion in deep tech and strategic technologies (01/11/2024)

Open Access Government | 01/11/2024 | Europe - The European Innovation Council (EIC) is set to impact the continent’s deep tech landscape with an investment of €1.4 billion in 2025. This funding, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, represents an increase of nearly €200 million from the previous year, showing a continued commitment to support high-potential start-ups and research in strategic technologies.

EIC to make bigger moves under €1.4bn plan for 2025 (29/10/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 29/10/2024 | Europe - European Innovation Council scheme will help scale up digital and net zero technologies. The European Innovation Council, which supports the development of breakthrough technologies and their commercialisation, is to make bigger investments next year under a new funding scheme. On 29 October, the European Commission published a 2025 work programme for the EIC, setting out how the funder will allocate €1.4 billion—up by €200 million on 2024.

Brussels increases funding for high-tech companies to 1.4 billion (29/10/2024)

eunews | 29/10/2024 | Europe - On Tuesday (Oct. 29), the College approved a budget beefed up by about €200 million for the EIC in 2025, thus increasing it to 1.4 billion. EIC was introduced in 2021 within Horizon, the EU’s famous program for research and innovation, and has a budget of 10 billion for the 2021-2027 budget period. To date, it has supported more than 630 companies and over 450 research projects with EU funding, according to Commission data.

European Union will invest 1.4 billion euros in support of AI (29/10/2024)

Cryptopolitan | 29/10/2024 | Europe - The European Union plans to pump 1.4 billion euros into artificial intelligence (AI) and deep tech research next year. It’s Europe’s attempt to catch up with tech giants like the United States and China. The funding, an increase of nearly 200 million euros from last year, will flow from the European Innovation Council (EIC) under the EU’s Horizon Europe program. According to EU officials, this funding aims to jumpstart Europe’s economy by focusing on tech growth, especially AI.

The European Commission will invest €1.4 billion in Deep Tech and strategic technologies in 2025 (29/10/2024)

La Ecuacion Digital | 29/10/2024 | Spain - The European Innovation Council (EIC), an entity of the European Union's research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe , has announced an investment of €1.4 billion by 2025 to support research in Deep Tech and startups with high growth potential in Europe. This figure represents an increase of nearly €200 million compared to the 2024 budget, according to the new EIC work programme recently adopted by the European Commission .

EU to spend €900M on expanding critical technologies (28/10/2024)

DNYUZ | 28/10/2024 | Europe - The European Union has set aside hundreds of millions of euros to grow companies working on critical technologies, such as microchips and quantum technology. A new scale-up scheme is set to get the green light early this week, with a budget of €300 million for next year, according to a draft plan seen by POLITICO. The total budget for the next three years — until the end of the EU’s current budget — amounts to €900 million.

Draft Council declaration sets R&I spending target at 4% of GDP (31/10/2024)

Science|Business | 31/10/2024 | Europe - The draft Council declaration highlights the importance of supporting disruptive technologies in sectors such as artificial intelligence, quantum, biotech, space, advanced materials, and net-zero technologies. “We must adopt a ‘continuum approach’ to deal with this issue between key building blocks, namely academia, industry and public institutions, through a web of interconnected funding mechanisms and ambitious public procurement strategies,” it says. It also calls for the role of the European Innovation Council to be strengthened, and for research, innovation, knowledge and education to become the fifth freedom of the single market, as recommended in Letta’s report.

Can Europe really build its own defence research agency? (28/10/2024)

Oman News Observer | 28/10/2024 | Europe - Europe’s waning competitiveness is once again in the spotlight. Addressing this long-standing problem will require, among other things, increased investment in the European economy’s capacity for innovation. To achieve that, recent reports by former Italian prime ministers Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta, and an April speech by French President Emmanuel Macron, have called for a European version of the United States’ Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Most recently, an independent expert group, led by Manuel Heitor, echoed this appeal in the interim evaluation of the European Union’s “Horizon Europe” initiative.

Leru urges EU commissioner nominees to be vocal on R&I (29/10/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 29/10/2024 | Europe - Plans for Zaharieva to expand the European Research Council and the European Innovation Council, and to safeguard the autonomy of the ERC, were also welcome, Leru said. But it asked Zaharieva to provide more detail in her hearing about what exactly expansion would entail, and to respond to ideas for the ERC to support new funding schemes, which it said should be for the ERC to decide.

Seeds of Bravery grants over €1.2 million to 38 Ukrainian tech startups (30/10/2024)

Lux Innovation | 30/10/2024 | Ukraine - The new list beneficiaries under Seeds of Bravery, a €20 million project to support Ukrainian tech startups and bring them closer to the EU, was announced on 30 October 2024. Funded by the European Union (EU) under the European Innovation Council (EIC), the Seeds of Bravery project is led by 19 organisations and startup associations across 12 countries, including the Luxembourg innovation agency, Luxinnovation.

How to keep Artificial Intelligence from getting out of control? (29/10/2024)

CE Noticias Financieras | 29/10/2024 | Spain - Quantum, robotics and any technology for the green transition are the main technology trends to watch in Europe, the European Innovation Council has said. That's why the European Commission has asked French quantum photonic computing company Quandela's technology to be part of a call for quantum proposals. This will allow researchers across the continent to be at the forefront of innovation to solve pressing industrial and societal challenges. "It is very promising and very motivating to see that in Europe there are researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs working in this field to make us more sovereign," Jean-David Malo, a senior Commission official, told 'Euronews Next' after participating in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Unveiled technology conference.

How to keep Artificial Intelligence from getting out of control? (29/10/2024)

72 new companies selected for the EIC Scaling Club (30/10/2024)

Neth-ER | 30/10/2024 | Netherlands - 72 scale-ups from 23 countries in Europe have been selected to join the Scaling Club of the European Innovation Council (EIC). The new members of this club will now receive support from the EIC to scale their business. Four Dutch companies have been selected.

Fundraising: Cambridge technology companies harvest mega rounds (30/10/2024)

Business Weekly | 30/10/2024 | UK - St John’s Innovation Centre-based Wave Photonics, raised $5.8m (£4.5m) in a round led by The UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund and Cambridge Enterprise, with participation from the Redstone and QAI Ventures’ Quantum Fund, Kyra Ventures, and Deep Tech Labs. The investment round was complemented by non-dilutive funding via EIC and Innovate UK grants, taking the company’s total funding to date to $6.9m ($5.4m).

New Biocatalysis Data Have Been Reported by Researchers at Silesian University of Technology (30/10/2024)

Biotech News Daily | 30/10/2024 | Poland - Research findings on Biotechnology - Biocatalysis are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting out of Gliwice, Poland, by NewsRx editors, research stated, "This is a review on the feasibility of monolithic porous supports in biocatalysis carried out in a continuous flow system. It discusses factors affecting the efficiency and stability of enzyme immobilisation, kinetic parameters of enzyme processes carried out inside a monolith, biocatalysis in single and two-phase systems, and cascade reactions including cofactor regeneration." Funders for this research include European Union's European Innovation Council programme, Ministry of Education and Science (Poland) programme.

Findings from Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Cancer Reported (31/10/2024)

NewsRx Drug Daily | 31/10/2024 | Europe - Fresh data on Cancer are presented in a new report. According to news reporting from Farmington, Connecticut, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, "Splicing factors are affected by recurrent somatic mutations and copy number variations in several types of haematologic and solid malignancies, which is often seen as prima facie evidence that splicing aberrations can drive cancer initiation and progression. However, numerous spliceosome components also 'moonlight' in DNA repair and other cellular processes, making their precise role in cancer difficult to pinpoint."

New Nanocrystals Findings Reported from IMDEA Materials Institute (01/11/2024)

NewsRX | 01/11/2024 | Italy - Investigators publish new report on Nanotechnology - Nanocrystals. According to news reporting out of Madrid, Spain, by NewsRx editors, research stated, "The aim of this work is to explore the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processability window of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic Finemet alloy. With that purpose, several laser power and scan speed values and a meander scanning strategy were probed to process simple geometry specimens."

Research from University of Padova Provides New Data on Sustainability Research (01/11/2024)

NEWSRX | 01/11/2024 | Italy - Current study results on sustainability research have been published. According to news reporting originating from Padova, Italy, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "This study assesses the feasibility of repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells in Italy for geothermal energy production employing a geothermal closed-loop system."

Findings from University of Dublin Broaden Understanding of Intelligent Transport Systems (01/11/2024)

NewsRX | 01/11/2024 | Ireland - A new study on Transportation - Intelligent Transport Systems is now available. According to news reporting originating in Dublin, Ireland, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, "There is continuous research into driving cycles (DCs) as researchers across the globe seek to define driving characteristics, energy consumption, and emissions in a local context. For decades, data collection for the development of DCs has been conducted in three ways: chase car, instrumented vehicle, or a combination of both."

Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Provide Details of New Studies and Findings in the Area of Nanodiscs (02/11/2024)

NewsRX | 01/11/2024 | USA - Investigators discuss new findings in Nanotechnology - Nanodiscs. According to news reporting out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, by NewsRx editors, research stated, "Deep brain stimulation with implanted electrodes has transformed neuroscience studies and treatment of neurological and psychiatric conditions. Discovering less invasive alternatives to deep brain stimulation could expand its clinical and research applications."

At the Polytechnic University of Milan an ion-powered aircraft is being designed (31/10/2024)

Quotidiano | 31/10/2024 | Italy - Can a technology used so far only in Space become capable of powering an aircraft in the atmosphere? This is the question that the IPROP project, led by the Politecnico di Milano and funded by the EU (with an EIC pathfinder worth 3 million and lasting 4 years) aims to answer in order to create the prototype of an efficient aircraft - low pollution and minimal maintenance - capable of flying with ion propulsion. Prof. Marco Belan, coordinator of the project and member of the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology of the Politecnico di Milano.

Flying green: ion propulsion in the atmosphere, the project led by the Polytechnic of Milan (30/10/2024)

Meteoweb | 30/10/2024 | Italy - Creating an efficient aircraft prototype capable of flying with ion propulsion. This is the goal of the IPROP project , led by the Politecnico di Milano , and funded by the EU with an EIC pathfinder worth €3 million and lasting 4 years . IPROP, coordinated by the Politecnico di Milano, was born a year ago with the aim of bringing ion propulsion to the world of aeronautics, whose applications have so far been limited to the generation of small thrusts in the space field.

Bulgaria in the future- regional technology center (30/10/2024)

BNR | 30/10/2024 | Bulgaria - Drones used in rescue operations, as well as a weeding robot—one of the first Bulgarian projects funded by the European Innovation Council—are two successful high-tech developments recently showcased at the Robotics Strategy Forum (the biggest event in Bulgaria for innovation in robotics and autonomous technologies). Yonko Chuklev also highlights software platforms that assist in managing robots and smart machines abroad.

From structural diagnostics to intelligent robotics, here are the startups awarded by the European Commission (31/10/2024)

Reppublica | 31/10/2024 | Italy - In central Italy, we find Nano-Tech , a startup from the Marche region that is a leader in the field of nanotechnology, specializing in the design and distribution of super-materials for industry, from automotive to nautical to space. Having won funding from the EIC Accelerator, it has also been classified as a Seal of Excellence by the EU Commission.

European Research Funding for Alt-Protein Reached A Record High in 2023 (01/11/2024)

Green Queen | 01/11/2024 | Europe - Research efforts for alternative proteins like plant-based and cultivated meat received €290M in funding last year, just as the number of studies on the topic proliferated. Some of the headline commitments include the €38M set aside for alternative proteins in Germany’s federal budget, the European Innovation Council’s €50M investment for precision-fermented and algae-based foods, and the Dutch government’s €60M commitment for a cellular agriculture ecosystem.

New EC Communication on European Research Area calls for further efforts to build a more competitive R&I space across the Union (29/10/2024)

EERA | 29/10/2024 | Europe - Regarding access to excellence, the document finds that while scientific networks for cooperation have been reinforced, notably through widening, COST, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, additional work is needed to reduce the administrative burden and better circulate information to researchers. On innovation across Europe, it anticipates that the establishment of Regional Innovation Valleys will play a pivotal role and highlights the growing impact of the European Innovation Council (EIC) and its Transition Scheme, now Europe’s largest deep-tech investor, in driving R and I outcomes into the economy. However, it calls for increased venture capital to scale up breakthrough innovations and greater regulatory alignment across member states.

Brite Solar: Greek startup found a place in a closed European club (01/11/2024)

Euro2Day | 01/11/2024 | Greece - The Greek ecosystem continues its successful course in the global startup scene with the distinctions of Greek companies reflected in increased funding. This time the award went to the Greek Brite Solar which was selected by the EU for the Scaling Club of the European Innovation Council (EIC), an EU initiative that aims to make, at least one in five of its members, companies that will exceed in value of 1 billion dollars. The startup is the only company from Greece that, together with 64 others from all over Europe, was selected to receive funding from the European Innovation Council , as part of the Green Deal program, for a "green" Europe by 2050.

Spanish Startup Inbrain Raises $50 Million for Brain Device (31/10/2024)

Bloomberg | 31/10/2024 | Spain - European brain-computer interface company Inbrain Neuroelectronics SL has raised $50 million to develop its graphene-based neural technologies, the company said. The Barcelona-based startup is building devices that could one day treat neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease. It joins a cadre of brain-computer startups, including Elon Musk's Neuralink Corp., working on conditions ranging from paralysis to depression to blindness.

Practicing Walking in a Coma (30/10/2024)

VDI Nachrichten | 30/10/2024 | Germany - If patients are put into an artificial coma after a stroke, for example, they risk a number of complications due to the long period of lying down - including muscle loss and weakness, thrombosis and edema, bedsores and joint stiffness. To prevent these problems, the Munich-based company Reactive Robotics has developed an assistance system called Vemotion. It supports physiotherapists and nursing staff with so-called early mobilization, i.e. exercise within 72 hours of admission to the intensive care unit. The aim: to maintain the mobility of intensive care patients and alleviate health problems.

Europe ventures forward: Getting the scaleup of cleantech right (30/10/2024)

Delors Centre | 30/10/2024 | Europe - Public money today has a substantial footprint on the European VC market. Over time the financial resources available at EU level increased. Alongside its role in providing SMEs with guarantees and credit enhancement through securitisation, the EIF has become the largest investor in European VC funds and supports almost 50% of VC-backed startups in Europe in a typical year. With mandates from the European Commission, EU member states and private investors, the EIF acts as a public investment manager. In 2023, the EIF invested €2.8 billion in VC, approximately half of all EIF equity commitments. At EU level, the scaleup activities of the EIF are complemented by the EIB and the European Investment Council (EIC) Fund

These startups from Austria are driving the energy transition (29/10/2024)

brutkasten | 29/10/2024 | Austria - The Austrian scaleup Ecop has specialized in the recovery of industrial waste heat. With an innovative heat pump technology, the heat generated in the production process can be fed back into the process instead of releasing it unused into the environment. This solution received broad support: EIT InnoEnergy invested 3.9 million euros, followed by 8.5 million euros in funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator - Ecop was the only Austrian company among the funded projects.

Aura selected by EU as decarbonisation pioneer (29/10/2024)

Business Air News | 29/10/2024 | France - France-based electric aircraft manufacturer Aura Aero has become the first aeronautical company to receive a European grant from carbon credits, positioning itself as a major player in the decarbonisation of aviation. To be one of the 85 projects selected, in 18 countries, is the sign of a major move by the European Union in its efforts to industrialise decarbonisation technologies.

Region is shortlisted (02/11/2024)

Birmingham Evening Mail | 12/11/2024 | UK - The West Midlands has been named one of the top three most innovative places in Europe for its work in the technology sector. European Innovation Council (EIC) has placed the region alongside Turin in Italy and Espoo in Finland, in its shortlist for the European Capital of Innovation Award, also known as iCapital. The award areas that connect local people with academics and the private and public sector to improve their wellbeing while boosting innovation. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Lisbon in the coming weeks. West Midlands Combined Authority is leading the region's bid.

EIC Accelerator 2025 Q&A Session (01/11/2024)

Startup Ticker | 01/11/2024 | Switzerland - Euresearch is organising an online EIC Accelerator session dedicated to Deep Tech start-ups and SMEs in Switzerland who are considering applying to the EIC Accelerator 2025. Join the event on 7 November for more details.

Evolution Europe leads the way in financing for Spanish companies (29/10/2024)

El Referente | 29/10/2024 | Spain - Evolution Europe has established itself as a benchmark in R and D. It offers grant and venture capital funding services, focusing on EU programmes such as EIC Funding and Eurostars, as well as national initiatives such as CDTI, IDAE and Enisa . The consultancy has a 33% success rate in the EIC Accelerator, in contrast to the 3% average in the EU. In the latest round in March 2024, only 8.8% of Spanish companies managed to obtain funding, highlighting the competitiveness of the process.

University groups write to EU chief over FP10 concerns (30/10/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 30/10/2024 | Europe - Funding instruments that are part of the R and I programme, in particular the European Research Council, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and the European Innovation Council’s Pathfinder Open instrument, must retain their focus on funding ideas from researchers and innovators, Deketelaere and Gómez Recio said.

Startups Growth Lab: A one-stop shop for urban mobility entrepreneurs (29/10/2024)

ZAG Daily | 29/10/2024 | Europe - A feature is startups can access EU funding through a personalised one-on-one service with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Innovation Council (EIC). This service is especially valuable given the complexity of these funding instruments, as it helps startups determine if their needs align with the eligibility criteria of these organisations.

Expert group amplifies message that R&I is existential issue for EU (28/10/2024)

Neth-ER | 28/10/2024 | Netherlands - FP10 should enshrine the criteria of excellence and impact, and reinforce the framework programme’s bottom-up, excellence-driven funding schemes: the European Research Council, European Innovation Council, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and collaborative projects. Heitor’s group also rightly places EU efforts in the context of national and private investments—the other 94 per cent of funding. The framework programme cannot solve Europe’s problems by itself.

28/10/2024

EIC Media Review - 28/10/2024

EIC to launch €300M call to scale up strategic technologies (24/10/2024)

Science|Business | 24/10/2024 | Europe - The European Innovation Council (EIC) plans to invest up to €300 million in strategic technologies next year, in a major push to fill the market gap in financing European deep tech scale-ups, according to a draft of its 2025 work programme obtained by Science|Business. SMEs and small mid-caps could get between €10 million and €30 million in equity investments - double the current EIC cap of €15 million - to accelerate the development and market launch of their product or service. The maximum investment in the rest of the EIC Accelerator programme will be reduced from €15 million to €10 million.

EU to announce €20M for Widening start-ups in 2025 (23/10/2024)

Science|Business | 23/10/2024 | Europe - The European Commission is planning to launch the first European Innovation Council (EIC) pre-accelerator calls in 2025 for start-ups in Widening countries, according to a leaked document detailing Horizon Europe calls next year in the Widening programme. The Widening programme, aimed at reducing the research and innovation gap between richer and poorer EU member states, has multiple funding instruments for individual scientists and research institutions. But there has previously been little focus on start-ups aiming to scale up, or get into the exclusive club of EIC grantees.

New European investors’ network does what it says on the TIN (21/10/2024)

Innovators Mag | 21/10/2024 | Europe - In the Mission Letter of Pres. Ursula von der Leyen to the Commissioner-designate for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, it is stated that, as part of her mandate, the incoming Commissioner will develop a network of Trusted Investors, to bring together deep tech investors across Europe to foster co-investments with the EIC Fund and greater knowledge, expertise and finance to grow deep tech startups.

The European Commission creates a network of investors that will support deeptech companies (22/10/2024)

El Referente | 22/10/2024 | Spain - The European Commission has launched a trusted investor network which brings together a group of investors willing to co-invest in innovative deeptech companies in Europe alongside the EU. The EU investment comes from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, which is part of the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.

EU partners with venture capital to scale European deep tech (22/10/2024)

Silicon Republic | 22/10/2024 | Europe - The European Commission has partnered with 71 investors to launch a Trusted Investors Network to co-invest in deep-tech companies across Europe. The network of VC funds, public investment banks, foundations and corporate venture funds includes Dublin-based Atlantic Bridge as well as other big names such as Atomico, Eleven Ventures and EQT. This network collectively represents more than €90bn in assets, positioning the network as a “key initiative to mobilise capital” for European deep tech.

How to catch up with the USA and China in technology? The EU wants to grow unicorns (24/10/2024)

HROT24 | 24/10/2024 | Czech Republic - The initiative, dubbed the " Trusted Investor Network " by the Union, comes as part of an effort to keep pace with the larger and more innovative technology industries in China and the United States, which are world leaders. The Union said that investors from all over Europe have signed up for the initiative, which will see them invest in European technology companies.

Belgium : Commission joins forces with venture capital to support deep tech innovation in Europe (23/10/2024)

TendersInfo | 23/10/024 | Europe - The Commission has launched a Trusted Investors Network bringing together a group of investors ready to co-invest in innovative deep-tech companies in Europe together with the EU. The Unions investment comes from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, which is part of the EU research and innovation program Horizon Europe.

European Commissioner for Innovation Iliana Ivanova in Athens (22/10/2024)

OT.gr | 22/10/2024 | Greece - The Deputy Minister of Development, Zoe Rapti, met with the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth, Iliana Ivanova on the latter's visit to Greece on Monday. During their meeting, they announced the establishment of the European Innovation Council's (EIC) “Trusted Investors Network” and the launch of the EIC Scaling Summit.

Research commissioner designate outlines plans for Framework Programme 10 (23/10/2024)

Science|Business | 23/10/2024 | Europe - Ekaterina Zaharieva, commissioner designate for Start-ups, Research and Innovation has diffused fears that research funding will be merged in a mega competitiveness fund, telling MEPs the development of the next Framework Programme will be a “top priority” of her mandate. In line with promises made by von der Leyen, Zaharieva plans to expand the European Research Council (ERC), which mainly funds early stage research, and the European Innovation Council (EIC), which helps to develop and scale up innovations.

European Union: the "battle" to preserve innovation companies and the emergence of new startups (22/10/2024)

CNN | 22/10/2024 | Greece - The preservation within the European borders of the innovative companies that develop at a rapid pace but are acquired from outside the Old Continent "players" as well as the emergence of new startups active in advanced technologies (deep tech) appear to be some of the main goals of the European Union. This targeting was more than visible from the presentations and announcements at the EIC Scaling Summit that started in Athens.

Research and innovation: programmes that could feature in the next EU budget (25/10/2024)

Euractiv | 25/10/2025 | Europe - Commissioner-designate for Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zakharieva has pledged to protect the autonomy of the European Research Council ( ERC ) and hinted at which programmes could survive the Commission's simplification plan for the next European Union (EU) budget period. The former Bulgarian foreign minister will be questioned by MEPs next month, but before that she had to answer questions in writing from the European Parliament. Her answers give a glimpse of what research and innovation could look like in the EU's next multiannual financial framework (2028-2034).

RTOs urge EU to support ‘better continuum’ of R&I (23/10/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 23/10/2024 | Europe - The EIC and the US Arpa agencies have different approaches to supporting innovation, the EUA pointed out, with the former built around “bottom-up flexibility” to respond to suggestions from innovators and the latter more “challenge-driven, focusing on national priorities”. “If an Arpa-like model were to be integrated into the EIC…it would need to keep a bottom-up and interdisciplinary nature [and] still focus on supporting projects at low technology readiness levels, i.e. at the pre-commercial stage,” the EUA said.

Studies from Unconventional Computing Laboratory Have Provided New Information about Nanoparticles (24/10/2024)

News RX | 24/10/2024 | - UK Investigators publish new report on Nanotechnology - Nanoparticles. According to news originating from Bristol, United Kingdom, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "Liquid computers use incompressible fluids for computational processes. Here, we present experimental laboratory prototypes of liquid computers using colloids composed of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and microspheres containing thermal proteins (proteinoids)." Financial supporters for this research include Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), European Innovation Council, SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA).

The exciting research that may cure Parkinson’s (27/10/2024)

Big Think | 27/10/2024 | Estonia - Last year, GeneCode, a pharmaceutical company where Saarma serves as the chief science officer, won a record-breaking €16 million funding option from the European Innovation Council Accelerator. The reward was to support the development of a novel drug designed to combat neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s patients.

IT strategic lever for “new manufacturing” made in Italy: here are 3 successful use cases (25/10/2024)

Corriere Comunicazioni | 25/10/2025 | Italy - Rise Technology, located in San Martino di Lupari, has been awarded a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council to develop an innovative machine for the production of photovoltaic cells. CEO Roberto Pagliucci emphasizes that “the new iSplash system reduces the use of silver by 99%, reducing production costs and environmental impact”.

Estonian biotech company GeneCode selected among the most promising pharma companies in the European Union (23/10/2024)

The Baltic Times | 23/10/2024 | Estonia - The European Innovation Council (EIC) announced in October that the Estonian pharmaceutical development company GeneCode has joined the EIC Scaling Club network. The membership opens new opportunities for GeneCode to expand its operations and attract new partners and investors.

Startups flock to the European Union accelerator counter (23/10/2024)

Classe Export | 23/10/2024 | Europe - The European Innovation Council Accelerator (EIC Accelerator), one of the mechanisms of the European R and D framework programme Horizon 2021 – 2027, has seen a massive influx of applications for the second and final application of 2024. As of October 3, the deadline set, the EIC Accelerator has received 1,211 funding applications from innovative start-ups and SMEs, a record since its launch in 2014, then under the name “SME Instrument”.

Alfa Laval and Build to Zero in partnership to manufacture innovative steam generator for industrial decarbonization (22/10/2024)

Pivotal Sources | 22/10/2024 | Sweden - Alfa Laval and Build to Zero collaborate on a groundbreaking Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) solution for reducing industrial CO2 emissions.Alfa Laval, a global leader in heat transfer technology, and Build to Zero, a developer of Electrothermal Energy Storage (ETES) technology, have taken a significant step forward in their strategic cooperation. The partnership just kicked off the manufacturing of an innovative once-through heat exchanger designed to produce medium-pressure clean steam.

Ocean Visuals, world’s fastest and most precise way to sense and trace marine oil spills (22/10/2024)

FINE ENGINEERING | 22/10/2024 | Norway - Ocean Visuals is a Norwegian company specializing in environmental monitoring technologies, and proud recipients of the European Innovation Council Accelerator Grants, blended finance. Interview with Christian Testman, CEO of Ocean Visuals.

Winner of the European “Innovation Fund” program, Aura Aero obtains 95 million euros in funding (25/10/2024)

Le Journal des Entreprises | 25/10/2024 | France - Toulouse-based aircraft manufacturer Aura Aero (250 employees) is a winner of the European “Innovation Fund” program. As such, it has secured €95 million in funding to accelerate the deployment of its carbon-free aircraft. The announcement was made on October 24, 2024, at Aura Aero's premises, located at Toulouse-Francazal airport, in the presence of François Durovray, Minister Delegate for Transport.

Photonics and funding fuel major breakthroughs in clean fusion energy (25/10/2024)

Electro Optics | 25/10/2024 | Germany - Recently securing €63 million in Series B funding from major investment names like Deutsche Telekom, alongside receiving up to €17.5 million through the European Innovation Council’s Accelerator program, German start-up Marvel Fusion aims to develop a commercialised laser fusion process. Relying on ultrafast femtosecond-pulse lasers to target silicon nanostructure and facilitate fusion, Marvel Fusion’s approach uses an alternative process from the more common deuterium tritium fuel favoured by other methods, meaning they can be manufactured in volume using relatively conventional semiconductor lithography techniques.

Dunia.ai raises $11.5M for low-carbon fuels and chemicals (23/10/2024)

Tech.eu | 23/10/2024 | Germany - Dunia Innovations has secured $11.5 million in funding co-led by Elaia and redalpine. Other backers include the EIC, Pace Ventures, Kindred Capital, Deep Science Ventures, and Anglo American as well as industry expert angels. Founded in 2022, Dunia uniquely combines novel science-based AI algorithms with a proprietary self-driving lab to massively accelerate the discovery of new advanced materials.

Comptek completes installation of Kontrox-powered 200mm wafer pilot line (22/10/2024)

Semiconductor Today | 22/10/2024 | Finland - Comptek Solutions Oy of Turku, Finland (which specializes in III-V compound semiconductor quantum surface engineering) has completed the installation of its pilot line, after a two-year project funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC). The pilot line integrates Comptek’s proprietary Kontrox passivation technology with other widely used industry techniques such as atomic layer deposition (ALD), delivering a proven, scalable solution for industrial manufacturing specifically targeting power electronics and optoelectronic applications.

West Midlands named in top three most innovative places in Europe (25/10/2024)

Dudley News | 25/10/2024 | UK - The West Midlands has been named as one of the top three most innovative places in Europe. The European Innovation Council (EIC) has listed the West Midlands, Turin in Italy and Espoo in Finland in their shortlist to be crowned the European Capital of Innovation, otherwise known as the iCapital. Previous iCaptials include Barcelona, Amsterdam and Athens.

Video: National Competitiveness Forum (25/10/2024)

LSM+ | 25/10/2024 | Latvia - Keynote. Lars Frølund, Member of the Board of the European Innovation Council, Special Advisor to EVP Margrethe Vestager, Strategic Advisor to the NATO Innovation Fund, and Lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Celebrate Europe’s best innovators at the Innovation Radar Prize 2024 in Lisbon (23/10/2024)

EU-Startups | 23/10/2024 | Portugal - On 11 November 2024, the Innovation Radar Prize returns for its 10th edition at La Distillerie in Lisbon, marking a major milestone for the European startup ecosystem. As part of both the Innovation Radar Project and the Innovation Radar Bridge series, this event is crucial in connecting Europe’s top startups and innovators with influential investors, partners, and policymakers.

Maritime Climate Action: How the maritime sector can lead climate action (23/10/2024)

CRS News | 23/10/2024 | Greece - The initiative of lomar labs and the European Innovation Council ( EIC ) highlights the efforts made in Greece to develop an innovation ecosystem that supports climate technology.

Is the cleantech bubble about to burst? Findings from Europe’s largest cleantech event (22/10/2024)

TFN | 22/10/2024 | Spain - Rosi Solar from Grenoble, France, recycles solar panels while maintaining high-quality recovered materials. In November 2022, Rosi Solar secured €7.5 million in Series A funding from EIT InnoEnergy, ITOCHU, and the EIC Fund. Slovenia’s Elaphe secured €6.3 million in total funding from Technology Park Ljubljana, the European Innovation Council, the European Commission, and EIT InnoEnergy, pioneering in-wheel electric motor technology to streamline vehicle design.

Can Europe create its own DARPA? (26/10/2024)

Revista de Prensa | 26/10/2024 | Spain - The case for a European DARPA remains as compelling as ever. But to replicate the US agency’s success in promoting technological innovation, European policymakers must focus on strengthening collective security (including defence, which is underfunded on the continent). While SPRIN-D, ARIA and the EIC have introduced some improvements in research funding, giving more freedom and control to their partners, they have not gone far enough, either in terms of resource allocation or in project management after funding is allocated. The EU can and should develop its own version of DARPA, but it will only succeed after understanding the pillars on which the US agency rests.

EURASHE: 'Participation of universities in FP10 is crucial for European competitiveness' (25/10/2024)

Neth-ER | 25/10/2024 | Netherlands - The Commission should explore ways to improve the participation of higher education institutions in the next framework programme (FP10). This is stated by EURASHE in its position paper on FP10. They are crucial in strengthening the EU's competitiveness. It also advocates maintaining the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and widening instruments. The Commission and Member States should also make better use of the Seal of Excellence .

The growth of incentives for R&D is good news, but tax credits are still twice as low as EU standards (25/10/2024)

Lider Media | 25/10/2024 | Croatia - The most interesting measure for innovative companies is the EIC Accelerator , which enables support of 2.5 million euros per project with additional millions of euros for capital. Companies apply for investment independently (they do not have to be part of a consortium), but due to competition from the entire EU, the pass rate is only five percent. The best projects, for which unfortunately there are not enough funds, get the so-called Seal of excellence, they conclude in HUP.

Dual use research in FP10 could cause problems for associated countries, says EU’s chief negotiator (24/10/2024)

Science|Business | 24/10/2024 | Europe - Brussels is preparing to radically overhaul its research and innovation programmes and there’s some concern that non-EU associated countries could be shut out by the proposed changes. Apart from this concern around dual use, there’s the fact that the Heitor report is proposing a radical rejig of the programme just as Kiwi, Canadian and South Korean researchers are trying to navigate a whole new world of EU grant bureaucracy. For these far-flung newcomers, the problem could be particularly acute. Unlike neighbours such as the UK, Switzerland, Norway and Israel, they are only associated to Pillar II of the programme, which supports academic and industrial consortia, rather than the European Research Council (ERC) or European Innovation Council (EIC).

Council's draft Competitiveness Deal sets research and innovation target at 4% of GDP (24/10/2024)

Euractiv | 24/10/2024 | Europe - EU countries should set a 4% of EU GDP target for research and innovation by 2030, the Council of the EU's draft Competitiveness Deal, seen by Euractiv, reads. In the first draft of the Council's Budapest Declaration on the New European Competitiveness Deal (ECD), which has been seen by Euractiv, member states "urgently" call for increased investments and better integration of capital, telecoms, and energy markets.

‘Don’t kill the EU’s R&I programme,’ Zaharieva urged (24/10/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 24/10/2024 | Europe - MEP Christophe Grudler, coordinator on the committee for the Renew Europe group, told RPN that he wants to see “real commitment in creating favourable conditions for researchers and innovators” from Zaharieva. This should include supporting mobility and reducing red tape. The “success” of the European Innovation Council, the European Research Council and EU funding for research fellowships needs to be built on, maintaining the balance between fundamental research and innovation, he said.

Belgium : Commission analyses potential to boost European Research Area (24/10/2024)

TendersInfo | 24/12/2024 | Europe - The EU has made strides towards building a more integrated, efficient, and attractive single market for research and innovation, but further work is needed to fully realize its potential. These are the conclusions of the Communication on the implementation of the European Research Area (ERA) that the Commission adopted, reaffirming its commitment to placing research and innovation at the core of Europes future growth. As highlighted by the Draghi report and the Political Guidelines for the next Commission, research and innovation are critical drivers of economic resilience, competitiveness, and well-being.

The new president of the National Council for Science, Technology and Innovation is from Braga (24/10/2024)

O MINHO | 24/10/2024 | Portugal - Carlos Oliveira, manager of Braga, is the new president of the National Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CNCTI), he announced on his Linkedin account. He was appointed by the European Commission to the European Commission's High Level Group, which discusses the vision of policies for Innovation and which will lead to the creation of the European Innovation Council.

Call for new R&I councils fuels wider concern (24/10/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 24/10/2024 | Europe - One of Heitor’s co-authors, Mark Ferguson, told RPN that the report deliberately held back from the question of whether these councils would directly award grants. But either way, they would be expected to ensure funding is “flexible” and “imaginative”. Sitting behind the proposal is the view that independence from political intervention enables the ERC’s governing board and that of the European Innovation Council to “bring excellence”, in Heitor’s words.

New EU R&I councils won’t be a burden, expert behind review says (24/10/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 24/10/2024 | Europe - Mark Ferguson, author of report for Commission, still expects “lots of argy bargy” over proposals. They made 12 main recommendations, including the creation of an Industrial Competitiveness and Technology Council and a Societal Challenges Council. The councils would shape funding for these areas through the guidance of expert boards inspired by those of the European Research Council (ERC) and European Innovation Council (EIC).

Widening should become ‘Advancing Europe’, Heitor report says (23/10/2024)

Science|Business | 23/10/2024 | Europe - The Widening programme should be restructured in Framework Programme 10 so it has fewer instruments, is easier to use and more effective, according to 15 experts in their report to European Commission on the future of EU research funding. Alongside this restructuring, the report recommends Widening is renamed ‘Advancing Europe’. The Heitor report recommends the introduction of a new a pre-accelerator programme under the European Innovation Council (EIC), to address the low success rate of start-ups in Widening countries in winning EIC funding.

European funds for business with the seal of excellence - competition (23/10/2024)

Termedi | 23/10/2024 | Poland - The National Centre for Research and Development has announced the Seal of Excellence competition for research and development projects that have received the European Commission's Seal of Excellence but have not received funding from the instrument due to budget constraints. The competition budget is PLN 14 million.

New funds are coming to finance the Greek startup scene (22/10/2024)

Insider | 22/10/2024 | Greece - According to the estimates of the president of EATE, Dr. Haris Lambropoulos, who spoke yesterday at the EIC Summit, which is taking place in Athens this two days, starting in 2025 the mobility in the start-up ecosystem will intensify, both through the new investment funds and through the adoption of the Golden Visa for the startup ecosystem, which will offer a visa to those who invest capital of more than 250,000 euros in startups of the Elevate Greece national register.

Three Norwegian companies selected for European growth club (22/10/2024)

Shifter | 22/10/2024 | Norway - The Norwegian participants were announced at the Scale 100 Forum, an event that took place on 21-22 October in Athens, Greece. The selected Norwegian companies represent various market sectors within technology and sustainability: N2 Applied (Agri & Food Tech), Energynest (Batteries & Energy Storage), Nordic Electrofuel (Clean fuel and hydrogen).

FP10 must not focus too much on industry, academies warn (21/10/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 21/10/2024 | Portugal - The Portuguese government has published a draft position paper on FP10, developed with input from the country’s research agencies, and is seeking feedback on it. Like Allea, this paper calls for FP10 to fund sufficient collaborative projects on fundamental research. It also wants a new type of research funding call to be introduced “to establish a consistent continuum and seamless integration between fundamental research and disruptive innovation”. In a similar vein, it says the programme should boost synergies between the European Research Council and the European Innovation Council.

21/10/2024

EIC Media Review - 21/10/2024

Why balancing Europe’s AI regulations is a difficult juggling act for start-ups (19/10/2024)

Euronews | 19/10/2024 | Europe - Quantum, robotics and any technology for the green transition are the top tech trends to watch in Europe. But access to funding and regulation have made it more difficult for start-ups to excel. “It's very promising and very motivating to see that we have researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs in Europe that are working in this area in order to make us more sovereign,” Jean-David Malo, senior Commission official, told Euronews Next at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Unveiled tech conference in Amsterdam this week. Malo said that having a unified market across the 27-member bloc and increasing tech talent will be key to the new Commission succeeding, but said there were challenges.

Time for a major shakeup of how the EU funds research, expert group says (16/10/2024)

Science|Business | 16/10/2024 | Europe - The Heitor report recommends doubling the budget of the European Research Council (ERC), and significantly increasing the budget of the EIC. It also emphasises the importance of safeguarding the independence of the ERC’s Scientific Council, and ensuring the EIC is similarly protected from pressure from member states or Commission services. Regarding the EIC, the Commission should attract private investors to its venture investment arm, the €3.5 billion EIC Fund, to turn it into a 10-year, €30 billion fund.

Expert group evaluation Horizon Europe: 'Future of Europe at stake without investments in R&I' (17/10/2024)

Neth-ER | 17/10/2024 | Europe - The need to invest sufficiently in research and innovation (R&I) is greater than ever. This is the conclusion of an expert group chaired by Manuel Heitor. The report also comes up with creative recommendations for the new framework programme (FP10), for example to fund all applications with a Seal of Excellence and to implement radical simplification. The report also calls for 220 billion euros to be made available for the new framework programme.

News analysis: EU needs to experiment with new R&I funding mechanisms, Heitor report says (16/10/2024)

Science|Business | 16/10/2024 | Europe - The Heitor report recommends aping the US-based XPrize Foundation, which offers up sometimes huge prize pots for solving challenges ranging from carbon dioxide removal to better facemasks. “Currently the EIC [European Innovation Council] has no programmes to stimulate disruptive innovation,” it says, and prizes could be an answer. The Commission has indeed experimented with prizes in the past, and is mulling over a new tranche for renewable energy technology. But the sums are tiny compared to what’s offered by the XPrize Foundation; one ongoing prize offers a $119 million pot for anyone who can find new ways to desalinate water (it’s funded by a foundation linked to the Saudi royal family).

Expert group calls for (EURO)220 billion R&I budget, independent councils and 'radical simplification' (16/10/2024)

Euractiv | 16/10/2024 | Europe - The interim evaluation of Horizon Europe calls for increased funding from (EURO)93.5 billion to (EURO)220 billion and "radical simplification" of the EU's next research, development and innovation (RD&I) framework programme. The leaked expert group report evaluating Horizon Europe, the 2021-2027 EU flagship RD&I programme at will be presented by Commissioner Iliana Ivanova at 2:30pm today (16 October). The report, seen by Euractiv, proposes "transformative actions" for the remaining two years of Horizon Europe and to prepare the 2028-2034 framework programme, FP10.

Madrid participates in a European precision medicine project for lung cancer (20/10/2024)

Larazon | 20/10/2024 | Spain - The Madrid Health Service, the Oncology Research Centre (DKFZ) and the Max Planck organisation from Germany, the Institute for Research, Innovation and Health from Portugal and the University of Parma from Italy are also collaborating on this initiative. With an expected duration of four years, it has an investment of 4 million euros financed by the European Union's Horizon Europe programme, as part of its Pathfinder initiative of the European Innovation Council.

Thoughts control paralyzed limbs (19/10/2024)

Innovation Origins | 19/10/2024 | Netherlands - The ARC-BCI system is more than a medical device; it is a symbol of hope. With support from organizations such as the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and the European Innovation Council, the future of neurostimulation is bright. ONWARD continues to innovate and expands his researching an effort to make this technology accessible to even more people who need it.

ONWARD Medical licenses WIMAGINE BCI for spinal cord injury treatment (17/10/2024)

Medical Device | 17/10/2024 | Switzerland - In September 2023, a second individual was implanted with both ARC-IM Therapy and a WIMAGINE BCI for restoring upper limb function. A year later, in September 2024, a third individual received an ARC-BCI system implant to restore leg movement after a spinal cord injury. More implants are scheduled shortly. The ongoing studies are supported by grants from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and the European Innovation Council.

Maynooth University DNA project awarded €4m in EU funding (21/10/2024)

RTE | 21/10/2024 | Ireland - Maynooth University has been awarded €4m in EU funding for the development of a DNA-based computing and information storage system. The team is led by computer scientist Professor Damien Woods and the funding was awarded under the European Innovation Council Pathfinder Challenge programme. Researchers will investigate how computers of the future could run on DNA.

ARCHIBIOFOAM: The 3.5 Million Euro Project for 4D Printing Buildings That Adapt to the Environment (16/10/2024)

3D Natives | 16/10/2024 | Italy - The European project ARCHIBIOFOAM, which also has the participation of the University of Milan, has been awarded a 3.5 million euro grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) to develop an expanded, 3D-printed biomaterial capable of changing shape and reacting according to its surroundings. Let’s see what it’s all about.

Science for All S07E03: The ZEUS project develops new solar panels for space (15/10/2024)

The Science of the Francis Mule | 15/10/2024 | Spain - We interview Professor Enrique Barrigón Montañés, from the Department of Applied Physics I of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Malaga (UMA), in line with the news «The European project 'ZEUS' seeks to capture solar energy in space in an efficient and lasting way». «The Materials and Surfaces Laboratory of the UMA participates in an international consortium that has obtained one of the eight 'Horizon EIC Pathfinder Challenges —In-space solar energy harvesting for innovative space applications' grants that have been awarded this year at the European level.

How ecop is scaling up with a new rotary heat pump and millions in funding (18/10/2024)

Brutkasten | 18/10/2024 | Austria - ecop received funding of 8.5 million euros from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. From a pool of 969 applicants, 347 companies made it to the jury's interview phase and 68 were selected for the final round of financing - ecop was the only one from Austria.

Gate2brain or the innovative solution for pediatric brain tumors (17/10/2024)

viaempresa | 17/10/2024 | Spain - “The first investor we had was the Botín Foundation , which marked the start of the company. Then we had the support of Banc Sabadell, which allowed us to mature the project. A year and a half ago, we obtained the EIC Accelerator, a major European grant of two and a half million euros,” explains Teixidó.

Theodorikakos: We strengthen research and innovation - They are a central pillar for the competitiveness of the Greek economy (15/10/2024)

Newpost | 15/10/2024 | Greece - The minister toured the model facilities of the biotechnology company Solmeyea, which recently managed to be accepted into the EIC (European Innovation Council) Accelerator program. In his speech, the minister reiterated that, on October 21, he will present to the country's productive bodies, in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the government's plan, as well as the measures and policies for the new productive model.

Venture capital investment in Ireland sinks but outlook is rosier, says report (18/10/2024)

Irish Independant | 18/10/2024 | Ireland - The value of venture capital investments in Ireland during the third quarter plunged 59pc year-on-year to $101m ((EURO)93m), new figures published this morning show. The money raised was spread across 28 firms, according to the latest KPMG Venture Pulse report. In the third quarter of 2023, Irish startups secured $244m in venture capital across 18 deals. The latest report says the softer investment trend seen in Ireland during the third quarter of this year mirrors that globally. It noted that global venture capital investment in the period fell from a five-quarter high of $95bn in the second quarter of this year, to a near seven-year low of $70.1bn in the third quarter.

Aura Aero plans US expansion with Florida-based manufacturing plant (17/10/2024)

Aerospace Global News | 17/10/2024 | France - The French company plans to produce 100 of its 19-seater hybrid-electric regional aircraft (ERA) per year at the new US facility. Construction on the plant will begin in 2026 with Aura planning to begin assembling aircraft there in Q4 2028. Earlier this month, Electricité de France (EDF) Group confirmed its acquisition of a stake in Aura, while the French manufacturer confirmed in July that it had received €17.5 million of funding from the European Innovation Council.

Solar: end-of-life panels revalued in the glass industry (16/10/2024)

Acteurs de l'Innovation | 16/10/2024 | France - The Isère industrial start-up Rosi Solar will supply AGC Glass Europe with significant volumes of glass from photovoltaic panels, from which it also extracts and recovers the critical materials. This is the first time that a manufacturer will introduce glass from solar panels into its flat glass production, a material with very demanding applications, since it is mainly intended for the automotive and construction industries.

Tidal Dragon Farm in the Faroe Islands Moves Forward (14/10/2024)

Renewable Energy Magazine | 14/10/2024 | UK - Minesto's award winning and patented product is the only verified marine power plant that operates cost efficiently in areas with low-flow tidal streams and ocean currents. With more than €45 million of awarded funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh European Funding Office, European Innovation Council and InnoEnergy, Minesto is the European Union's largest investment in marine energy to date.

Aenitis Raises Strategic Funding (14/10/2024)

FinSMEs | 14/10/2024 | France - Aenitis, a Paris, France-based acoustic-based cell manipulation company, raised a strategic founding of undisclosed amount. Backers included European Innovation Council Fund advised by the European Investment Bank, Quadrivium I fund managed by Seventure Partners, Mifani Invest, Stamos, Weaving Invest, a few business angels and the company founders.

The Hottest Startups in Madrid in 2024 (14/10/2024)

Wired | 14/10/2024 | Spain - Tucuvi is a health tech company offering a voice-based conversational AI and “virtual nurse” called Lola. The service monitors patients after they leave the hospital to reduce readmissions. Lola leads patients through a structured conversation and sends the results to the patient’s medical team for review. Cofounded by María González Manso and Marcos Rubio in 2019, the company obtained €5.5 million ($6.1 million) in funding from the European Innovation Council.

Digital transformation in companies as a lever for development (16/10/2024)

Data Manager | 16/10/2024 | Italy - Courage, discovery and transformation . These are the key words of the 14th edition of NuovamacutLive , an Italian event dedicated to the most innovative technologies for product development, organized by TS Nuovamacut, a company of the TeamSystem Group. RISE TECHNOLOGY, a company with a production site in San Martino di Lupari (Pd), deals with the production of machines dedicated to the photovoltaic sector, in particular, photovoltaic cells. In 2022, it was the only Italian company to win a project from the European Innovation Council, with funding of 2.5 million euros, resources used for their "courageous choice", namely the development of the patent for a machine completely designed by Rise Technology for the production of photovoltaic cells.

Innovate or perish: why SMEs must also do their part (19/10/2024)

Nouvelles du Monde | 19/10/2024 | Europe - Since we're talking about funding, did you also know that the new European Horizon research programmes for the period 2025-2027 have been released? To be eligible for this innovation support, consortia must always involve an SME. The areas eligible for support include projects in the fields of health, nutrition, space, digital, climate and the environment. An SME that wants to develop a new idea can receive up to three million euros in support from the European Innovation Council. VLAIO also finances feasibility studies and innovative projects by SMEs at the Flemish level. And Belgium would not be Belgium if nothing existed at the federal level. SMEs benefit from a partial exemption from withholding tax for researchers.

Theodorikakos: The Importance of Investments in Research and Innovation (18/10/2024)

Energia | 18/10/2024 | Greece - Mr. Theodorikakos toured the model facilities of the biotechnology company Solmeyea, which was recently accepted into the EIC (European Innovation Council) Accelerator Program.

Draghi Exhibition: Odinen Oros and Eteken Min (18/10/2024)

Energia | 18/10/2024 | Greece - Mario Draghi's Report, heralded for many months as an in-depth analysis of the European economy that would point the way to the expected renaissance, was recently presented in Brussels. Much of its content came as no surprise, the finding that Europe lags far behind the US and China in terms of growth rates is surprising.

EU research community reacts to the Heitor report (17/10/2024)

Science|Business | 17/10/2024 | Europe - After months of waiting and speculation, the European Commission’s expert group led by Portugal’s former science minister Manuel Heitor has published a bombshell of a report calling for a momentous overhaul of the EU’s research and innovation programmes. Mark Ferguson, former chair of the European Innovation Council board and member of the Heitor group, said the new industrial technology council would ensure stakeholders have a say on pre-competitive research, partnerships, and other mechanisms. “Who better to drive that than the industry themselves?” he said.

European Research Council needs to remain independent in FP10, Maria Leptin says (17/10/2024)

Science|Business | 17/10/2024 | Europe - European research and innovation policy will be undergoing a major restructuring in the coming years, and for Maria Leptin, president of the European Research Council (ERC), it’s not good news if the reforms result in less independence for the research funder. Leptin made the comments after Science|Business published details of a leaked memo from the European Commission outlining a proposal to bundle all research and innovation funds, including the ERC and the European Innovation Council, into a new mega competitiveness fund starting in 2028.

Artificial intelligence and technical talent from Eastern Europe are driving innovation (17/10/2024)

Start-up.ro | 17/10/2024 | Romania - Dedicated to generating investment opportunities and facilitating discussions on the current state of venture capital investments in Eastern Europe, the event brought together representatives of the largest European funds, such as the European Innovation Council, EBRD, European Investment Fund, NATO Innovation Fund, alongside of emerging CVC (Corporate Venture Capital) funds, such as BCR Seed Starter, the first corporate venture capital company of a bank in Romania, and opinion leaders in the field, from venture capital funds such as Creandum, BrightCap Ventures, Underline Ventures or Earlybird Digital East.

The technology companies welcome recommendations for a strong R&D program in Europe (17/10/2024)

Sven Skverkstad | 17/10/2024 | Sweden - In order to promote industrial FoI, it is proposed that an "Industrial Competitiveness and Technology Council" be added in order to ensure that industrial needs are reflected in the program and that collaborative research can be strengthened. - We analyze this more closely, but regardless of what it is important that such a council can adequately capture the needs of the industry. That the proposal involves reducing the politics of the program is positive. We see that the place of industrial research in the framework program needs a collective surface in the form of a council, as well as the European Innovation Council and the European Research Council, says Pia Sandvik , CEO, Teknikföretagen.

Expert group amplifies message that R&I is existential issue for EU (16/10/2024)

Research Professional News | 16/10/2024 | Europe - With that principle in place, the group rightly focuses on strengthening the framework programme’s unique selling point: competitive excellence. Open, non-prescriptive calls for proposals are the best way for Europe to fully benefit from its researchers’ ingenuity. That is why FP10 should enshrine the criteria of excellence and impact, and reinforce the framework programme’s bottom-up, excellence-driven funding schemes: the European Research Council, European Innovation Council, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and collaborative projects.

EU Innovation Commissioner Ivanova Addresses Bulgaria's Key Role in Brain Research (15/10/2024)

BTA | 15/10/2024 | Bulgaria - The EU's largest public program, Horizon Europe, allocates around EUR 7 billion for scientific projects related to brain research, Ivanova emphasized. The European Innovation Council helps bridge the gap between research and the market, she added. "We want innovative health startup projects to have equal opportunities, to expand, and to remain in the EU", Ivanova said.

The technological and financial trends that Navarrese companies should embrace to grow in the future (20/10/2024)

Navarra Capital | 14/10/2024 | Spain - Santiago Lozano , director of Funds at Clave Capital, stressed that companies need to be “more ambitious” when it comes to seeking external funding, as well as more public administration programmes with European agents: “There are few initiatives that receive support from programmes such as Eurostars or the EIC Accelerator , despite the fact that they offer very interesting opportunities. At the same time, we need to open new windows of opportunity to attract capital to our region.”

14/10/2024

EIC Media Review - 14/10/2024

Record interest in EIC Transition call (10/10/2024)

Research Professional | 10/10/2024 | Europe - The latest call from the European Innovation Council’s Transition instrument received a record number of applications. Transition funding helps to mature technologies and business applications arising from EU research grants, in particular those from the European Research Council. Applicants to the EIC call submitted 413 proposals, which the EIC said was the “highest ever”, although the scheme has only been running since 2021. The agency said that applicants will be informed about the evaluation of their proposals within nine weeks and that interviews will be scheduled for December.

Commission prepares to bundle all research and innovation money into competitiveness fund (10/10/2024)

Science|Business | 10/10/2024 | Europe - The European Commission is making moves to bundle all research and innovation funds, including the European Research Council (ERC) and the European Innovation Council (EIC), into a new mega competitiveness fund that would be launched under the new multiannual budget due to start in 2028. A presentation by the Commission’s budget directorate reveals a scenario where about a dozen research and innovation programmes would be amalgamated into the European Competitiveness Fund, in an attempt to concentrate and streamline EU efforts to resuscitate innovation, productivity and economic growth.

Whole of FP10 could join new fund, Commission text suggests (10/10/2024)

Research Professional | 10/10/2024 | Europe - As rumours swirled, the European Research Council’s president, Maria Leptin, told RPN she was worried that radical change would affect the autonomy of the ERC. Meanwhile, MEP Christian Ehler stressed that funding might “become more politicised”. “Of course we want to have a very strong and even strengthened ERC, we want to have a more independent Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, a more independent European Innovation Council.”

MEPs question future commissioners on their vision (08/10/2024)

Research Professional | 08/10/2024 | Europe - Zaharieva is asked what she envisages for particular funders within the programme, including the European Research Council and European Innovation Council, and how they would be affected by a planned European Innovation Act. MEPs also push for concrete measures to boost research infrastructures and ask how she intends to tackle the R&I divide between EU countries, as well as how she plans to promote academic freedom and the participation of women in R&I.

Maria Leptin: ‘The ERC should be able to pay for all the good ideas that come in’ (10/10/2024)

Research Professional | 10/10/2024 | Europe - Despite a €2.1bn cut to Horizon Europe’s budget already having been agreed earlier this year, the Council of the EU member state governments is now looking to cut €400 million from the €12.7bn 2025 budget proposed by the European Commission. However, in her mission letters to the proposed new commissioners last month, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen tasked startups, research and innovation commissioner-designate Ekaterina Zaharieva with expanding the ERC and the European Innovation Council.

Findings from Ruhr-University Bochum in the Area of Chemicals and Chemistry Described (11/10/2024)

NewsRX | 11/10/2024 | Germany - Investigators publish new report on Chemicals and Chemistry. According to news originating from Bochum, Germany, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) has been used to explore structure-electrocatalytic activity relationships through high-resolution mapping of local activities of electrocatalysts. However, utilizing SECCM in strongly alkaline conditions presents a significant challenge due to the high wettability of the alkaline electrolyte leading to a substantial instability of the droplet in contact with the sample surface, and hence to unpredictable wetting and spreading of the electrolyte."

The European Innovation Council finances a project with the participation of the IGTP with 3 million euros (09/10/2024)

TOT | 09/10/2024 | Spain - The European Commission has granted funding of €2,999,101 to the NanoBiCar project, coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Valencia and with the participation of the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). The grant is part of the EIC Pathfinder Program of the European Innovation Council (EIC), a highly competitive program with the aim of identifying, developing and expanding revolutionary technologies and disruptive innovations.

The CiTIUS participates in an international project to supply energy using high-power lasers (08/10/2024)

Codigocero | 08/10/2024 | Spain - RePowerSiC, a project coordinated from the CiTIUS of the University of Santiago de Compostela in which 7 partners from 6 countries of the European Union participate, was selected by the EIC Pathfinder Challenge call , one of the most competitive in Europe for the financing of innovative research. With a total budget of 4.7 million euros, the new project seeks not only to revolutionize space exploration, but also to expand its applications to different sectors on Earth.

The Netherlands' first circular phosphate factory will be located in Moerdijk: 'We are still on track' (10/10/2024)

MT Sprout | 10/10/2024 | Netherlands - EIC signs partial contract for 50-100 million factory "It helps that an important first party has already signed for part of the 50 to 100 million euros that the factory will cost: the Brussels deeptech investor European Innovation Council. It is providing a mix of subsidy and capital."

The Community of Madrid invests more than 30 million in aid for innovative start-ups and SMEs (09/10/2024)

Comunidad Madrid | 09/10/2024 | Spain - Thus, Madrid's innovative start-ups and SMEs can apply for the Seal of Excellence, through which the Community of Madrid finances projects that participate in the European EIC Accelerator Programme and have obtained a positive evaluation but have not received funds from the European Commission. The call for this programme, to which 10 million euros are allocated every two years and which can award up to 2 million euros per project, is open throughout the year and can be processed on the institutional website of the Community of Madrid.

Estonian startup Raiku collaborates with Louis Vuitton (09/10/2024)

Estonian World | 09/10/2024 | Estonia - The company was accepted into the LVMH Accelerator, which brings together 75 international brands with Raiku’s packaging material. Raiku is one of 30 companies chosen from over 1,500 applicants to participate in the programme. The startup recently secured an €8.8 million deal from the European Innovation Council as a strategic technology and is now collaborating with leading global brands to bring its material to market.

Bio-Sourcing Secures EIC Accelerator Funding (09/10/2024)

Entertainment Close-Up | 09/10/2024 | Belgium - Bio-Sourcing, a Belgian biotherapeutic company, has reported the award of EUR2.5M in grants and EUR10M in equity from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. The company said the funding will enable Bio-Sourcing to bring the first biosimilar adalimumab (Humira), a widely used treatment for autoimmune diseases to clinical trials by 2027. Adalimumab is expected to generate significant upfront payments and long-term royalties, which will be reinvested into further research and development. This will enable Bio-Sourcing to scale its operations and bring additional biosimilars to market.

Universal Smart Cooling: revolution in electronic cooling from the University of Lleida (09/10/2024)

Segre | 09/10/2024 | Spain - UniScool's initial funding came from several sources, including an investment of 50,000 euros from Collider , 100,000 from Empresa Emergent Capital, among other public and European aid, such as the Neotech public aid, endowed with €250,000 or the Women TechEU , of €75,000 and from the European Union. The company has also been recognized with awards, such as those from the Caja Ingenieros Foundation, the Iberus Campus and the Efficient Energy Cluster of Catalonia, among others. European aid is EIC Accelerator.

Entrepreneur's Day: who received an award at the event of the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (09/10/2024)

Start-Up | 09/10/2024 | Romania - Last week, Entrepreneur's Day took place, on which the Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEAT), Ștefan-Radu Oprea, awarded a series of awards to Romanian entrepreneurs with success stories in the area of innovation. Who are the Romanian entrepreneurs awarded at the event organized by MEAT. DotLumen's innovation has been recognized globally, winning numerous awards, including the Red Dot Luminary Award, and they were selected under the European Commission's EIC Accelerator program, which funded the solution with 9.7 million euros

European Commission and Bill Gates among investors supporting Vaxdyn with 38 million for its vaccine (08/10/2024)

El Correro del Andalucia | 08/10/2024 | Spain - The Seville-based biotechnology company Vaxdyn will carry out the first clinical trial of its vaccine against one of the bacteria that causes the most deaths in the world due to infections in 2025. The European Commission has granted it 15 million, it has another 11 from the CARB-X accelerator supported by Bill Gates, and it is raising another 12 in a round of investors. For any European company, it is a great success to be selected for the European Union's EIC Accelerator programme , managed by the European Innovation Council.

EDF invests and enters (07/10/2024)

La Dépêche du Midi | 07/10/2024 | France - Aura Aero's Toulouse adventure is gaining even more altitude. The young aircraft manufacturer created in 2018 and based at Toulouse Francazal airport announced on Monday, October 7, the entry of EDF into its capital. The energy group is using its subsidiary SAFIDI, a financing vehicle for territorial development and decarbonization projects, to carry out the operation.

Onomotion: Sales slump followed by financial bottleneck followed by insolvency proceedings (14/10/2024)

RadMarkt | 14/10/2024 | Germany - The insolvency comes as a surprise, at least to outsiders. With their innovative LEV vehicles - a hybrid between an electric two-wheeler and a car - the Berlin-based company was considered a "last mile" vehicle that had a golden future, especially in the urban logistics sector. In addition to existing investors, newcomers to the growth capital round at the time included the Mexican venture capital company Proeza Ventures, which focuses on mobility, the "impact"-oriented Göttingen investment company Zu na mi GmbH and the European Innovation Council (EIC).

Aenitis Technologies (Aenitis) Raises Funds in Venture Financing (11/10/2024)

MarketLine | 11/10/2024 | France - Aenitis Technologies, a pioneer in acoustic-based cell manipulation, has successfully closed its equity financing with the European Innovation Council Fund advised by the European Investment Bank, Quadrivium I fund managed by Seventure Partners, Mifani Invest, Stamos, Weaving Invest, a few business angels and the company founders, marking a significant milestone in the deeptech sector. The funding, secured in a two-stage round, will drive the company's innovative acoustofluidic technology towards commercial launch and global expansion.

Diagnostics company Altratech approved for €10.5m EIC investment (07/10/2024)

Irish Times | 07/10/2024 | Ireland - Diagnostics company Altratech has been approved for €10.5 million investment from the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) Accelerator Programme. The investment will allow the Cork-based company, which has developed a molecular testing platform, to run clinical trials on HIV patients as well as scaling up manufacturing and product development over the next three years, Enterprise Ireland (EI), said in a statement.

Marvel secures funds for laser fusion (07/10/2024)

Nuclear Energy International Magazine | 07/10/2024 | Germany - Marvel’s latest financial support comes from HV Capital and b2venture, alongside existing investors Earlybird Venture Capital, Athos Venture, Primepulse, and Plural Platform. German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom also took part. Marvel says that it has also been selected by the European Innovation Council (EIC) to receive a blended finance option of up to €17.5m through the EIC Accelerator programme.

Lazio Region, EU opportunities for businesses and territories (07/10/2024)

Rieti Life | 07/10/2024 | Italy - From the next appointment, scheduled for October 28, a cycle of thematic “Infoday Europe” will begin , followed by the laboratory activities “Project LAB 4 Europe” on various topics such as Space Economy, Biotechnology and Human Health, Blue Growth, Agritech, Energy, Environment, Sustainable Construction, Cultural Heritage, Tourism, Creative Industry, European Innovation Council, Cascading Calls.

The Hottest Startups in Madrid in 2024 (14/10/2024)

Wired | 14/10/2024 | Spain - Tucuvi is a healthtech company offering a voice-based conversational AI and “virtual nurse” called Lola. The service monitors patients after they leave hospital to reduce readmissions. Lola leads patients through a structured conversation and sends the results to the patient’s medical team for review. Co-founded by María González Manso and Marcos Rubio in 2019, the company obtained €5.5 million ($6.1 million) in funding from the European Innovation Council.

Pillar 3 contributes well to the coherence of the innovation landscape (10/10/2024)

Neth ER | 10/10/2024 | Europe - Pillar 3 in Horizon Europe (Innovative Europe ) focuses on improving innovation performance, fostering innovation transfer and scaling up innovations in Europe. The aim is to stimulate and support the creation and diffusion of breakthrough innovations, and to position Europe as a global leader in transferring scientific knowledge to innovative companies. The independent study will support the programme’s mid-term evaluation, expected in 2025. The report covers the promotion of the European Innovation Council (EIC), EIE and EIT. An earlier independent study also evaluated the EIT .

Research stakeholders fight for future of EU research (10/10/2024)

University World News | 10/10/2024 | Europe - The latest salvo came on 7 October 2024 when members of the European Parliament’s budget committee rejected proposals to slash €1.52 billion (US$1.6 billion) from flagship projects, including the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and the Erasmus+ student mobility initiative. The proposed cuts were tabled by the European Council, which represents the national governments of the 27 EU member states, in response to a draft budget for 2025 tabled by the EU’s executive arm – the European Commission.

MEPs to seek €242m more for Horizon Europe in 2025 (07/10/2024)

Research Professional | 07/10/2024 | Europe - The European Parliament is set to push for an extra €242 million for the 2025 budget of the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, and an extra €70m for its Erasmus+ programme, which funds student exchanges. An additional €180m of unspent funding from previous years should also be used to assign €60m each to the ERC, MSCA and the European Innovation Council, the text says.

Beyond Horizon (07/10/2024)

Research Professional | 07/10/2024 | UK - What next for the UK’s research relationship with the EU? Horizon Europe has been unable to fund two-thirds of the high-quality proposals it has received due to funding shortages. The proposal for 2025 would strip €73m from the European Research Council and €38.7m from the European Innovation Council.

LIFTT invests one million euros in Composite Research (07/10/2024)

Startup Business | 07/10/2024 | Italy - The Turin-based company develops industrial solutions based on composite materials and already owns seven patents in various countries. Its first application on the market, Patch MedFlex, has been awarded the “Seal of Excellence” by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and represents the most durable and rapid universal solution for the repair of low, medium and high pressure gas distribution pipelines, capable of saving between 60% and 80% of repair costs.

07/10/2024

EIC Media Review - 07/10/2024

2024 European Capital of Innovation Awards Finalists Unveiled (05/10/2024)

Argophila | 05/10/2024 | Europe - The European Commission revealed on October 3rd, 2024, the six cities vying for the prestigious 2024 European Capital of Innovation Awards. These cities now compete for the 2024 European Capital of Innovation or the 2024 European Rising Innovative City.

The European Innovation Council: Europe's €10 billion bet on seizing the global tech initiative (04/10/2024)

World Economic Forum | 04/10/2024 | World - Europe used to be synonymous with innovation and smart investment. Now it struggles to stay relevant, having spent the past decade watching digital giants like Google, Alibaba and Amazon dominate from afar. How did the region that brought the world the printing press, the radio, electric batteries and even the forerunner of the internet fall so far behind? And more importantly, what is it doing to regain its position?

Push to cut 2025 Horizon budget ‘absurd’, says university leader (01/10/2024)

Research Profesionnal | 01/10/2024 | Europe - “Whoever has read the Draghi report will understand how absurd these proposed cuts are,” Deketelaere said in a statement on 30 September. “To make sure that R&I investment increases as [European Commission president Ursula] von der Leyen and Draghi propose, a clear R&I investment plan for the immediate future is needed.”

Industrial policies: Europe at a strategic crossroads (04/10/2024)

Euradio | 04/10/2024 | Europe - Vice-Presidents Virkkunen and Ribera Rodriguez will have great power to influence the European industrial agenda, whether in terms of defense and innovation policies – with the reform of the European Innovation Council – for Virkkunen, or ecological transition – with the establishment of a Clean Industrial Deal – for Ribera Rodriguez.

Agreement between the European Commision and EPO to valorise intellectual assets (04/10/2024)

NCF | 04/10/2024 | Europe - Enhancement of knowledge and promotion of efficient management of intellectual property assets are the two themes at the heart of the Letter of Intent signed on 20 September by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission.

Researchers from Malaga try to capture solar energy in space (04/10/2024)

ABC | 04/10/2024 | Spain - Researchers from Malaga are trying to capture solar energy in space within an international project. The University of Malaga, through the Materials and Surfaces Laboratory, is participating in an international consortium that has been awarded one of the eight grants 'Horizon EIC Pathfinder Challenges - In-space solar energy harvesting for innovative space applications'. The objective is to achieve significant advances in the fields of capturing and transmitting solar energy in space.

Versarien continues to make significant strides (04/10/2024)

Directors Talk Interviews | 04/10/2024 | UK - The Company’s strategy continues to be the development of advanced materials, particularly graphene and related materials, using Versarien’s manufacturing-light operations, and the licensing of the Company’s technology. In addition to grants that Gnanomat can now apply for, Versarien has submitted a proposal as part of a large consortia for a Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) grant and a further two European Innovation Council Pathfinder applications are underway.

Fuel Cells – ionysis and ReCatalyst achieve performance milestone in project ENABLER funded by the European Innovation Council (02/10/2024)

Hydrogen Central | 02/10/2024 | Slovenia - Fuel Cells – ionysis and ReCatalyst achieve performance milestone in project ENABLER funded by the European Innovation Council. The Slovenian start-up ReCatalyst and the German spin-off company ionysis GmbH have achieved significant progress with new catalysts and catalyst coated membranes reaching the fuel cell performance target of the EIC funded project.

Archibiofoam, the biomaterial for the future of construction (30/09/2024)

La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno | 30/09/2024 | Italy - The Archibiofoam project was born precisely from international collaboration in research, which also includes a team from the University of Milan, and is linked to the development of a biomaterial capable of replacing concrete and steel for building facades. The Archibiofoam project is funded by the European Innovation Council with 3.5 million euros and also involves the universities of Helsinki and Stuttgart.

The journey of a curious Mind: How Nicolò Maccaferri is shaping the future through physics and interdisciplinary innovation (04/10/2024)

FNR | 04/10/2024 | Luxembourg - In a simple but busy lab full of advanced tools and focused scientists, Nicolò Maccaferri, a physicist at Umeå University, spends his days investigating the secrets behind physical phenomena. For him, embarking into physics was not driven by scholarly excellence but by personal inquisition that speaks volumes of curiosity and persistence. Another groundbreaking endeavour, in the context of a project funded by the European Innovation Council, involves using optical spectroscopy to unveil the structure of proteins interacting with DNA, with implications for treating degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Peptomyc initiates clinical trial of its cancer drug in children (02/10/2024)

CE Noticias Financieras | 02/10/2024 | Portugal - Peptomyc announced the start of a trial with children of its cancer therapy based on the Omomyc molecule. During a luncheon organized by Aijec, the founders of the spin-off from the Vall d'Hebron Hospital Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Marie-Eve Beaulieu and Laura Soucek, explained that they are continuing to approach the pharmaceutical sector to accelerate clinical trials and find an industrial partner.

Polish Proteine Resources Secures €1.4M for Its AI-Powered Insect Farming (04/10/2024)

The Recursive | 04/10/2024 | Poland - Polish company Proteine Resources aims to address these challenges with 25 years of experience in insect farming and their, as they claim – groundbreaking technology. Their prowess and ambition are in a good degree proved by their latest investment. After the first round of €467k, the latest round for Proteine Resources, led by Polish SMOK Ventures, amounts to €1,4 million. In this round, Bitspiration Booster, a deep-tech VC fund and the first institutional investor in Proteine Resources, also reinvested. With a clear vision and a robust business model, Proteine Resources is well-positioned to contribute to the future of sustainable protein production. It definitely helps that they are also in advanced talks to secure additional financing from the European Innovation Council (EIC).

Deeptech and tech transfer: European innovation passes through here (04/10/2024)

Agenda Digitale | 04/10/2024 | Europe - "If we look at the latest EIC cut-off of March 2024, which allocates significant resources for European deep tech, we discover that only 4 Italian startups (including one financed by Eureka! Fund) out of 68 were winners, compared to 13 from France, 13 from Germany and 6 from Spain, for a total of just over €18M against €156.4M, €124.5M and €53.8M respectively."

Estonian startup’s eco-friendly packaging set for luxury market integration with LVMH – Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton collaboration (04/10/2024)

Artic Startup | 04/10/2024 | Estonia - Tallinn-based RAIKU has partnered with LVMH – Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerate, to integrate its 100% natural packaging material into the luxury sector. The company just received a €8.8 million deal from the European Innovation Council as a strategic technology and is now entering into collaboration with top global brands to bring its novel material to the market.

Electric-field nanobubbles: A step change in nanobubble engineering, and its “coming of age” (03/10/2024)

Open Access Government | 03/10/2024 | Ireland - Niall J. English, from Chemical Engineering at University College Dublin, discusses how electric-field nanobubbles have displaced their mechanically-generated counterparts in performance and sustainability. Since 2020-21, AquaB has been developing TRL 4-8 NB generators, aided by its European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Grant – and has been performing many field trials in a variety of nanobubble-engineering settings.

Goat's milk as the source of biosimilars (02/10/2024)

Stratégie Santé | 02/10/2024 | Belgium - Bio-Sourcing, a Belgian company pioneering the field of biotherapies, announces that it has received €2.5 million in grants and €10 million in equity from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. This grant will enable Bio-Sourcing to successfully complete clinical trials of the first biosimilar developed using its BioMilk™ platform by 2027.

Oxyle: The startup that fights eternity chemicals in our water (01/10/2024)

Trending Topics | 01/10/2024 | Switzerland - "At the beginning, we were supported by several funding programs, including Innosuisse and EIC Accelerator, which provided us with the initial, non-dilutive funding we needed to grow our idea. We also closed our pre-seed equity round of 3 MCHF in 2022. Since Oxyle was founded, we have raised over $12 million through grants, VC funds and private investors".

Marvel backed for femtosecond fusion in €63M round (01/10/2024)

Optics.org | 01/10/2024 | Germany - Germany-headquartered Marvel Fusion, which is aiming to develop a commercial laser fusion process for energy generation, says it has raised a further €62.8 million in a series B round of venture finance. In the July 2024 EIC Accelerator round, Marvel gained support for a project entitled “Commercial Fusion Energy with Short-Pulse High-Intensity Lasers and Nanostructured Fuel Targets”.

Sky high – Europe’s first drone cargo airline gets ready to take off (05/10/2024)

Modern Diplomacy | 05/10/2024 | Bulgaria - When brothers Svilen and Konstantin Rangelov first set up a small start-up called Dronamics in their native Bulgaria in 2014, their ambition was to democratise cargo deliveries in Europe and make affordable next-day delivery of packages a reality for even the remotest regions. Funded by the EU, the CERTIFLIGHT consortium involves commercial and research partners in Belgium, Czechia, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain, and will conclude in April 2025.

D-Orbit closes €150 million investment. The law firms of the operation (02/10/2024)

Monitor Immobiliare | 02/10/2024 | Italy - D-Orbit has closed the second and final phase of its Series C investment round. The capital raised, exceeding €150 million, will enable D-Orbit to continue developing its capabilities in cloud computing and in-orbit services. The capital injection will accelerate collaborations with governments and space agencies, expanding customer reach into new geographies and industries.

Microbiome startup Sequentia Biotech heralds “new era” in omics with €10 million round (01/10/2024)

Outsourcing Pharma | 01/10/2024 | Spain - The Barcelona-based startup Sequentia Biotech has raised €10 million ($11 million) in a Series A round to finance the development of its omics-based technology for use in biomedicine, agritech and food.

Sequentia secures €10m to advance multiomics software (30/09/2024)

Medical Device | 30/09/2024 | Spain - Spanish healthcare data analysis firm Sequentia Biotech has secured €10m in funding to drive its software designed to advance the fields of genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics and microbiomics with funding from the European Union (EU). The money was primarily led by French venture capital company Seventure Partners, with additional investment coming from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, the European Commission’s initiative dedicated to accelerating start-ups across the continent.

Mindpeak: AI-Based Pathological Solutions Secures $15.3 Million (Series A) (30/09/2024)

Pulse 2.0 | 30/09/2024 | Germany - Mindpeak, a leader in AI-powered pathological solutions, announced it has raised $15.3 million in a Series A funding round. This funding round was led by ZEISS Ventures and InnoVentureFund, with participation from AI.FUND, the European Innovation Council Fund, etc. Even though Mindpeak has a cash-flow-positive core business, this new investment will enable the company to further expand the commercialization of its pioneering technologies across several geographies.

EIC Info Day: Spotlight on the Italian Deep-Tech Ecosystem and the Gender Gap in Investments in Rome (04/10/2024)

Il Corriere della Sicurezza | 04/10/2024 | Italy - The European Innovation Council (EIC ), in collaboration with APRE and CDP Venture Capital , organised the Info Day event in Rome to present the EIC Accelerator programme and its opportunities. Dedicated to supporting deep-tech start-ups and SMEs in the scaling up phase, this event focused on strategies to strengthen the Italian deep-tech ecosystem and on the gender gap in investments.

Cristina Vicini-Rademacher: “More Women Needed in Venture Capital and Technology” (27/09/2024)

Tech Talking | 27/09/2024 | Europe - At the European Innovation Council Info Day in Rome we had the pleasure of interviewing Cristina Vicini-Rademacher , founder of Vicini Strategy and, since 2022, Ambassador of the European Innovation Council, the 10 billion euro Deep-Tech investment fund of the European Commission and the EIB, part of the Horizon Europe programme.

Discovering the EIC, the European technology engine (22/09/2024)

Tech Talking | 22/09/2024 | Europe - In the last few days we had the pleasure of participating in the Info Day of the European Innovation Council. The event, held in Rome and organized in collaboration with APRE and CDP Venture Capital and supported by the Ministry of University and Research , aimed to explain how EIC supports researchers and innovators in the field of advanced technologies. A goal that we also embrace, by offering you this introductory article, designed to explain realities and concepts that we have not yet covered here on TechTalking and that not everyone might know.

30/09/2024

EIC Media Review - 30/09/2024

Innatera for the Sensor Edge with Brain-Inspired Technology (30/09/2024)

Embedded | 30/09/2024 | Netherlands - A Dutch neuromorphic computing startup, Innatera, is transforming sensor-edge processing with its Spiking Neural Processor (SNP) technology. In March 2023, the company closed an oversubscribed Series A round, raising €20 million (approximately USD 22.28 million). The funding, led by Matterwave Ventures, MIG Capital, and the European Innovation Council, will support the mass production of the T1 chip.

D-Orbit raises 150 million and shopping in sight (27/09/2024)

Il Sole 24 Ore | 27/09/2024 | Italy - With a target of 150 million euros reached, D-Orbit successfully closes the second step of the financing round that had seen an initial closing of 100 million in January: it is one of the largest global operations of the last year in the space sector. The Como-based SME, now a global champion in space logistics, is thus gathering new confidence from investors, led in this type C round by the Japanese industrial giant Marubeni.

Tests of European train faster than airliner begin (25/09/2024)

01Net | 25/09/2024 | France - For its first tests, the Hardt Hyperloop project did not exceed the speed of 30 km/h. Its next step? To exceed 100 km/h, and this before the end of the year. Founded in 2016, the company is aiming for 2030 for a first journey with passengers on board. Hardt Hyperloop secured a fundraising of 12 million euros in July 2023, from the European Innovation Council (EIC), InnovationQuarter (a regional economic development agency based in the Netherlands), but also Investment Fund Groningen and other investors who had already invested in the startup's capital earlier.

8 freighter market executives to watch in 2025 (25/09/2024)

Corgofacts | 25/09/2024 | Bulgaria - Dronamics has consistently been at the forefront of the drone delivery market, becoming the first cargo drone airline to be assigned designator codes by IATA and ICAO in July 2023. The European Innovation Council announced in March that it would invest $10.8 million into Dronamics to aid the completion of the Black Swan test flight program and commercial drone operations.

Linz voted among Europe's top 3 "innovative cities" (24/09/2024)

MeinBezirk | 24/09/2024 | Austria - Linz has reason to celebrate: it is in the final of the prestigious "European Capital of Innovation Awards" (iCapital) 2024. After two previous attempts, the city has made it into the top 3 in the "Rising Innovative City" category and has already secured prize money of 50,000 euros.

Leaders in Tech Conference returns to Bilbao (26/09/2024)

Spri | 26/09/2024 | Spain - The fifth edition of “ LEADERS IN TECH CONFERENCE ” will once again become the meeting point for the latest technological and innovation trends on October 25. The conference will focus on the present and future of different cutting-edge technologies and their application. The conference will also provide an opportunity to learn more about the two Basque companies selected by the European Union's EIC Accelerator programme, HAWK Biosystems and Alias Robotics.

How to tap into Dubai’s growing startup ecosystem: tips for European founders (25/09/2024)

The Next Web | 25/09/2024 | Dubai - In the investment space, 30% of the more than 1,200 investors who will be attending hail from Europe. The extensive lineup includes Bpifrance, European Investment Fund, Enza Capital, MMC Ventures, H Tree Capital, Mouro Capital, European Innovation Council, and CVCs like NatWest Ventures, Honda Innovation, and Citi Ventures.

Draghi Report: A Waste of Time? (29/09/2024)

Contrepoints | 29/09/2024 | France - Suffice to say that the Draghi report, which is supposed to analyse the reasons for this economic decline, was particularly anticipated. For the former President of the European Central Bank (ECB), the survival of the old continent is at stake. However, it is clear that political and economic leaders have not (yet) taken up its conclusions, outside of a few restricted circles. Let us return to the three essential findings of the report.

Investing in innovation and development for a competitive Europe (27/09/2024)

Publico | 27/09/2024 | Portugal - Investing in innovation and development for a competitive Europe One of the key recommendations is to increase the budget of the new framework programme to double that of the current one – Horizon Europe – to €200 billion over its seven-year duration. This is an ambitious but crucial target.

Research and education: Can the Commission avoid a bad breakup? (26/09/2024)

Research Professional | 26/09/2024 | Europe - A possible rethink of the Framework Programme’s future casts particular doubt over the current pillar two, on global challenges and industrial competitiveness. While the ERC and European Innovation Council feature elsewhere in the commissioners’ briefings, there has been noticeable silence on this aspect of the framework programme in particular.

Where does EC shake up leave education and research? (25/09/2024)

University World News | 25/09/2024 | Europe - At present the Horizon Europe structure is split into three main parts – Pillar I for excellent science, including funding the European Research Council and Marie Sklodowska-Currie Actions; Pillar II to fund global challenges and European industrial competitiveness; and Pillar III to fund Innovation Europe, including the European Innovation Council.

EU plans for economy and competitiveness - simplifications and new fund (25/09/2024)

Europa Portalen | 25/09/2024 | Sweden - The European Commission is proposing comprehensive proposals to strengthen the member states' economies and competitiveness. A recurring keyword is: regulatory simplification. A new competitiveness fund will support strategic sectors and drive the green and digital transition.

A. Jurgelevičius: "About the "silicon valley" in Europe and what does the emergence of a new portfolio EC promise for the startup ecosystem?" (25/09/2024)

15 min | 25/09/2024 | Lithuania - On September 17, Ursula von der Leyen announced the new members of the European Commission, Andris Kubilis, as we know, giving the newly created portfolio of European Commissioner for Defense and Space. At that time, the representative of Bulgaria, Ekaterina Zaharieva, was appointed the first member of the European Commission responsible for the development of start-ups, scientific research and innovation, according to the press release of Mykolas Romeris University.

Mario Draghi's report on the EU's future competitiveness (24/09/2024)

North Sweden | 24/09/2024 | Sweden - On 9 September, former Italian Prime Minister and former President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, released a high-level report on the future of EU competitiveness. The report, commissioned by the European Commission about a year ago, highlights the EU's challenges linked to competitiveness and innovation. This is to be able to challenge the USA and China, but also to stimulate the EU's capacity for self-sufficiency in critical areas. Not least as a result of increased geopolitical uncertainty.

Horizon Europe’s innovation arms are generating substantial added value (24/09/2024)

Science|Business | 24/09/2024 | Europe - Both the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) provide “substantial EU added value” according to an independent report ordered by the European Commission to feed into its mid-term evaluation of Horizon Europe. The report will relieve pressure on EIT, which has faced calls for it to be scrapped or merged with the EIC, to remove the overlap between the two. However, the independent report points to some notable…

Public-private partnerships should be preserved in FP10, says Eszter Lakos (26/09/2024)

Science|Business | 26/09/2024 | Europe - In his landmark report on EU competitiveness, former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi called for a research and innovation system based around an expanded European Research Council (ERC), which funds basic science, and European Innovation Council (EIC), which supports disruptive innovation.“If you want to reinforce the ERC and the EIC, it will imply that the collaborative part of the framework programme will shrink, and this part should be preserved, because this is very much the core of the framework programme,” said Lakos, a former science and technology attaché in Brussels.

UK signals interest in joining FP10 (26/09/2024)

Science|Business | 26/09/2024 | UK - The UK is “interested in potentially associating” to FP10, the EU’s next research and innovation programme, according to a new position paper released by London. In Brussels, however, there’s a behind the scenes tussle over proposals that would see the entire framework programme revamped in 2028, with parts of it potentially reorganised under a new competitiveness fund, which could sit alongside the European Research Council and European Innovation Council. Under a new structure, it’s unclear how association of third countries like the UK would work.

Medical academies seek simplification from FP10 (25/09/2024)

Research Professional | 25/09/2024 | Europe - Groups call on architects of new framework programme to “reduce administrative load and bureaucracy”. The academies want a new “specific, heavily funded” innovation budget to help drive the translation of basic research. “While the European Innovation Council is a first step, funding needs to be significantly increased,” the report says, referring to a part of Horizon Europe created in 2021.

ImPact Biotech Unveils 50% Enrollment In Phase 3 ENLIGHTED Clinical Trial Of Padeliporfin VTP (28/09/2024)

Impact Financial News | 28/09/2024 | Israel - ImPact Biotech,announced that the Phase 3 ENLIGHTED trialevaluating Padeliporfin VTP in patients with low-grade UTUC has achieved a 50% patient enrollment threshold. “We are pleased to have enrolled over 50 percent of the patients in our Phase 3 ENLIGHTED study marking an important milestone for ImPact Biotech,” said Eyal Morag, M.D , Chief Medical Officer of ImPact Biotech.

Nvidia to collaborate with Irish quantum computing company Equal1 (27/09/2024)

Tech Central | 27/09/2024 | Ireland - Silicon-powered quantum computing technology company Equal1 has signed a memorandum of understanding with Nvidia to work on quantum computing use cases, business models and proof of concepts. Equal1 has received funding from Atlantic Bridge, Matterwave Ventures, Enterprise Ireland, European Innovation Council and 808 Ventures. It’s operation includes offices in Ireland, Canada, Romania, the Netherlands and the US.

Klearia puts labs on a chip at the service of water and cosmetics manufacturers (26/09/2024)

La Tribune | 26/09/2024 | France - With its labs on a chip, the Nice-based deeptech is making a splash by directing its technology towards industrial needs. Primary targets are the water treatment and pollutant analysis market for which a pilot will be deployed in 2025 in partnership with Suez, and the cosmetics market through a patented solution for manufacturing products while minimizing formulas, and therefore their environmental and health impact. A disruptive technology identified by Europe and its EIC Accelerator program which supports the European champions of tomorrow.

Underwater storage for clean energy (26/09/2024)

Spring Wise | 26/09/2024 | Netherlands - Off-shore wind is a promising form of sustainable energy, but in order to scale it up sufficiently, it is necessary to develop effective methods for short- to medium-term energy storage. In 2023, FLASC was selected for a grant under the European Innovation Council Accelerator. Previously, the company was awarded a grant from the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to further develop an innovative offshore energy storage system.

Vision | CaixaImpulse Health Innovation Competition: from the laboratory to society (26/09/2024)

Ardina News | 26/09/2024 | Portugal - In Portugal, the programme , in collaboration with BPI, integrates support for research, market knowledge and the ability to drive the future development of companies . The aim is to create an environment that is conducive to the valorisation of scientific knowledge created by research and innovation centres and to contribute to its transfer to the market. CaixaImpulse's support was crucial as it was the first Portuguese company to obtain the prestigious European Commission EIC Accelerator fund in 2021, with 7 million euros for regulatory approval and commercialization of the technology as a diagnostic system.

Tallinn-based Mifundo secures €10 million to create a platform for portable credit profiles (25/09/2024)

EU Startups | 25/09/2024 | Estonia - Estonian-based Mifundo, secured €10 million in funding to create a platform for portable credit profiles across the European Union. This funding is made up of a previously undisclosed €1.2 million pre-seed round from local investors, €2.5 million in grant funding, and €6.3 million in matched funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator program, backed by the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Marvel Fusion lands $70M for laser-powered fusion bet (25/09/2024)

Techchrunch | 25/09/2024 | Germany - The company will increase both lasers’ energy in 2028 or 2029. To hit those milestones, Marvel recently raised €62.8 million in a Series B round, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. HV Capital led the round with participation from b2venture, BayernKapital, Deutsche Telekom, SPRIND, and Tenglemann Ventures. The company was also selected by the European Innovation Council for a €2.5 million grant and up to €15 million in equity investment, which if made will be an extension of this round.

Paris-based InSpek secures €6 million to accelerate biomanufacturing with photonics (25/09/2024)

EU Startups | 25/09/2024 | France - InSpek, a startup specialising in photonic sensing solutions, announced a €3.5 million seed funding round co-led by Breega and Wind and followed by historical investor, Quantonation. This funding round is completed by a €2.5 million Accelerator grant from the European Innovation Council.

20 startups to follow from Al Andalus Innovation Ventures 2024 (25/09/2024)

El Referente | 25/09/2024 | Spain - THE MINDKIND: A startup focused on the research and development of Algorithmic Artificial General Intelligence (AAGI) technology. The origin of its technology is based on basic research in Affective Neuroscience, developed and funded since 2005 by the promoter, Mario Garcés, which has given rise to a new “Cognitive Architecture” called ETR, validated and verified by experts (CDTI, ITAINNOVA, DGA, Ministry of Science and EIC Accelerator of the EU).

Walloon company receives €2.5 million boost from Europe (25/09/2024)

Le Soir | 25/09/2024 | Belgium - Liège-based company Bio-Sourcing has obtained a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council accelerator, as well as a commitment to a subsequent contribution of €10 million in equity, which will be part of a future fundraising. This funding should enable it to conduct clinical trials of its first biosimilar as well as to expand.

The MindKind, the company expert in algorithmic artificial general intelligence (23/09/2024)

El Referente | 23/09/2024 | Spain - "The European Union asks us to present potential investors who would co-invest with it in the Equity in the event of obtaining the EIC Accelerator, in addition to the current interim round that we have open and 50% covered, and where we need a Lead Investor to lead the round and provide knowledge and contacts in the technology sector."

NATO-backed startup raises $8.5m to develop glass-based quantum chips (24/09/2024)

Capacity Media | 24/09/2024 | Italy - The startup’s chips reduce signal loss, a hurdle to building quantum computers. In quantum computing, information cannot be duplicated or copied, so, during situations where signals are lost, it’s impossible to replace one once lost. In addition to the seed funding, Ephos has received funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) and NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator (DIANA).

23/09/2024

EIC Media Review - 23/09/2024

Ekaterina Zaharieva announced as new research commissioner (17/09/2024)

Science|Business | 17/09/2024 | Europe - Bulgarian Ekaterina Zaharieva has been unveiled as the new commissioner for start-ups, research and innovation, after returning Commission president Ursula von der Leyen doled out top jobs and mandates. Part of Zaharieva’s role will be to implement many of the recent recommendations from former Italian prime ministers Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi, who delivered stark warnings about Europe’s failure to keep up with global competition. However, the absence of education within Zaharieva’s revamped portfolio has worried universities, which fear that splitting the mandate could risk disjointed policy. Meanwhile, adding responsibility for start-ups to the R&I portfolio is a first for any commissioner.

The Data Corner: where does EIC funding go? (17/09/2024)

Science|Business | 17/09/2024 | Europe - Readers of this column will have noticed that however the data are sliced, institutions in western Europe and the Nordics usually top the rankings in winning EU research funding. The story for European Innovation Council (EIC) funding is no different. The EIC launched in 2021 with Horizon Europe, and according to the latest EU data the organisation getting the most EIC funding is the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the most successful country is Germany.

The EU is getting its first ever commissioner for startups (17/09/2024)

The Next Web | 17/09/2024 | Europe - Ekaterina Zaharieva has been nominated as the EU’s first ever commissioner for startups, the bloc’s chief Ursula von der Leyen announced. Zaharieva served as Bulgaria’s deputy prime minister for judicial reform and foreign affairs between 2017 and 2021. She’s currently a member of the Bulgarian Parliament. Von der Leyen has now proposed Zaharieva as the designated commissioner for startups, research, and innovation. “We must put research and innovation, science and technology at the centre of our economy,” Von der Leyen said.

Despite good breeding ground, start-ups are struggling to grow in Europe (18/09/2024)

Le Figaro | 18/09/2024 | France - What place for start-ups in Brussels' new roadmap? While the new European Commissioner for Tech, Finland's Henna Virkkunen, was appointed on Tuesday by President Ursula von der Leyen, the continent's young shoots are waiting for gestures from the executive. The observation made on the ecosystem by Mario Draghi in his extensive report published on September 9 is clear: "Europe is currently creating a significant number of start-ups in the early stages, comparable to that of the United States. However, European companies often fail to successfully pass the growth stage," describes the former head of the ECB.

MEPs are fretting about fragmented responsibilities in new Commission (19/09/2024)

Science|Business | 19/09/2024 | Europe - The European Innovation Council, part of Horizon Europe, has started to dish out equity funding to European companies. But Stine Bosse, an incoming Danish MEP with a background in international companies, wants this balance to shift further towards financial support for companies.

Estonian Patchstack raise $5M Series A for open-source cybersecurity tool (16/09/2024)

Tech.eu | 16/09/2024 | Estonia - Estonian cybersecurity startup Patchstack have raised a new $5M funding round to further their mission of covering the entire lifecycle of open-source security to provide the fastest mitigation to the emerging security threats. “Two years ago, the European Innovation Council supported our R&D efforts with a 2 million EUR grant, which then allowed us to build an amazing product and grow our recurring revenue organically two to three times annually".

Austria : 45 new projects selected under EIC Pathfinder scheme (20/09/2024)

Mena Report | 20/09/2024 | Austria - The European Innovation Council (EIC) has selected the next set of proposals under the 2024 EIC Pathfinder Open call. 45 new projects will receive altogether up to 138 million and will develop cutting-edge technologies throughout a wide range of fields health, artificial intelligence, computing, environment, and energy.

EIT InnoEnergy Invests USD1.1 Million in LignEasy (16/09/2024)

MarketLine Financial Deals Tracker | 16/09/2024 | Europe - InnoEnergy has announced a EUR1 million (USD1.1 million) investment into bio-based materials pioneer, LignEasy. Specialising in lignin separation technology, LignEasy aims to curb carbon emissions in the pulp industry and replace fossil-based raw materials with the forest-based feedstock. The investment and incorporation of LignEasy into InnoEnergy's portfolio will provide significant scale-up opportunities for the start-up's sustainable alternative to traditional practices in kraft pulp mills. This funding will build on the EIC Accelerator grant previously received by the company, enabling the full development of their pilot plant, which is set to reach a production capacity of 1 ton/day later this autumn.

3M backs Morphotonics for augmented reality lens production (17/09/2024)

Optic.org | 17/09/2024 | Netherlands - Morphotonics, the Eindhoven-based startup company working on a roll-to-plate process for printing tiny optical components, says that it is aiming to close a “$10 million-plus” round of venture funding by the end of this year, with materials giant 3M already pledging its support. Established a decade ago by ter Meulen and Bram Titulaer, Morphotonics last year received a European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Grant to support its efforts to mass-produce AR waveguides with its nanoimprinting process.

AURA AERO receives the “Première Usine” label (18/09/2024)

Industriny Heter | 18/09/2024 | Sweden - AURA AERO, pioneer in decarbonized aviation and French aircraft manufacturer with full aeronautical approvals, is taking further decisive steps in its roadmap, with two major French and European endorsements. The financing will also build on the grant from the European EIC Accelerator program that the company has previously received.

Galway medtech company Luminate raises $15m for expansion (18/09/2024)

RTE | 18/09/2024 | Ireland - A Galway based company that makes a device to prevent hair loss and peripheral neuropathy in chemotherapy patients - Luminate - has raised $15m. The Series A investment in Luminate was led by ARTIS Ventures, with participation from Metaplanet, Lachy Groom and 8VC. Luminate previously raised a $2.9m seed round investment led by Elkstone, SciFounders and Faber VC, and received grant funding from Europe’s EIC Accelerator and Enterprise Ireland’s Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund.

Phlair bags €14.5M for its DAC tech to remove CO2 from air (20/09/2024)

Silicon Canals | 20/09/2024 | Germany - Based out of Munich, Phlair is using hydrolyzer-based Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology to remove carbon from the air. This allows for low-cost and scalable CO2 capture from the atmosphere. Phlair’s system uses a pH-swing mechanism for efficient CO2 capture and release, which enables permanent storage or use in CO2-negative chemicals. Phlair has raised €14.5M in seed funding led by Extantia, with participation from Planet A Ventures and Verve Ventures, and a €2.5M grant from the EIC accelerator program.

Cellevate raises €3.2 million in second seed round to drive global commercialization of nanofiber technology (18/09/2024)

Bio Voice News | 18/09/2024 | Sweden - Cellevate, a Swedish biotech company pioneering next-generation cell culture systems for biomanufacturing, has raised €3.2 million in its second seed round, bringing its total equity funding to €6.6 million. The round was led by Industrifonden, in syndication with the European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund), as the company prepares to launch its flagship product, Cellevat3d™ nanofiber microcarriers, in November 2024.

Oppenhoff advises EIC Fund on Reverion’s $62 million Series A financing round (16/09/2024)

Oppenhoff | 16/09/2024 | Germany - Oppenhoff has once again provided the EIC Fund with extensive advice on its investments in Germany. This time, the EIC Fund invested in the Munich-based start-up Reverion GmbH together with the US lead investor Energy Impact Partners (EIP) and Honda Motor, among others. Existing investors Extantia Capital, UVC Partners, Green Generation Fund, Doral Energy-Tech Ventures and Possible Ventures were also involved in the financing round.

Germany-based Reactive Robotics secures €5M to expand its AI and robot-assisted mobilisation in healthcare (17/09/2024)

Silicon Canals | 17/09/2025 | Germany - Munich-based Reactive Robotics, a healthcare startup specialising in AI and robot-assisted mobilisation for hospitals and care settings, announced that it secured an additional €5M in funding. The investment came from investors including Dr. Doll, TQ-Group, Henrik Schunk, Stephan Huber, and the EIC Fund. This funding follows a €2.5M grant from the European Innovation Council in 2023 for R&D efforts.

Celebrating a decade of innovation: The European Capital of Innovation Awards (21/09/2024)

EuroWeekly News | 21/09/2024 | Europe - For a decade now, the European Capital of Innovation Awards has celebrated cities that lead in innovation across Europe. The six finalists for the 2024 edition, announced by the European Commission, now stand a chance to earn the titles of “2024 European Capital of Innovation” and “2024 European Rising Innovative City,” recognising their achievements in fostering sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban environments.

European Capital of Innovation 2024: Turin is among the finalists of the award (20/09/2024)

Quotidiano Piemontese | 20/09/2024 | Italy - Once again Turin confirms itself as a city at the forefront of innovation. Yet another recognition that comes directly from the European Commission, which has chosen the Piedmont capital among the three finalist cities for the European Capital of Innovation 2024 (iCapital) award, which aims to celebrate European cities that are at the forefront of providing innovative solutions for the benefit of their citizens. The other cities competing for the award are Espoo (Finland) and West Midlands (United Kingdom).

The final place opened in the European Capital of Innovation 2024 competition - Oulu is among the three most innovative cities in Europe (20/09/2024)

ePressi | 20/09/2024 | Finland - Oulu competes with Braga in Portugal and Linz in Austria for the title of the most innovative European city in the category of cities with less than 250,000 inhabitants. The winner of the European Innovation Capital 2024 competition will be announced on November 13. in the innovation capital of 2023 in Lisbon.

Espoo is competing to win the innovation capital competition (20/09/2024)

STT | 20/09/2024 | Finland - The city of Espoo has reached the top three in the European innovation capital competition (iCapital Awards). The winner of the competition will be announced in Lisbon on November 13.

Looking for the best ideas for more innovative procurement (16/09/2024)

Vergabe 24 | 16/09/2024 | Germany - It is still possible to apply for the European Innovation Procurement Awards until September 26. The European Innovation Council (EIC) awards prizes in two categories. The European Award for Innovative Procurement was created to recognise innovation procurement in Europe, which is about turning research results and ideas into real innovations. In 2023, for example, an initiative from Sardinia won the award for developing a regional action plan for innovation procurement and setting up a group to encourage public buyers to do just that.

ICN2, a key centre for technological research and innovation in Catalonia, celebrates ten years (21/09/2024)

iymagazine.es | 21/09/2024 | Spain - The centre has a board of trustees that includes the Generalitat de Catalunya , the CSIC and the UAB . Among the most notable achievements of this institution is its remarkable ability to attract competitive funding, having obtained 14 grants from the European Research Council , three projects from the European Innovation Council , and more than 15 million euros in competitive projects in 2023 alone .

Small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU received 6.6 billion euros for innovation in three years (22/09/2024)

Biznis | 22/09/2024 | Serbia - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator is a key instrument aimed at SMEs developing highly innovative projects with high market potential. This instrument provides financial support in the form of grants and capital investments. SMEs applying for the EIC Accelerator are often focused on the development of disruptive technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, green technologies and digital innovation.

Serbian SMEs can receive more than 200,000 euros of support, but they hesitate to use the Horizon Europe program (21/09/2024)

Biznis | 21/09/2024 | Serbia - "When it comes to startups, a large part of SMEs from Serbia that participate in this program come from the IT sector, and they are often innovative startups. These companies focus on high technologies, digitization, artificial intelligence and FinTech or HealthTech solutions. These startups usually seek support through the EIC Accelerator and other programs that provide grants or a combination of grants and equity investments," says our interlocutor.

Draghi report is a wake-up call for EU leaders – Expert (21/09/2024)

University World News | 21/09/2024 | Europe - The official further highlighted the European Innovation Council (EIC), Europe's flagship innovation programme with a EUR10.1 billion budget, which offers three funding lines to bridge gaps between university labs and enterprise: ‘EIC Pathfinder’, targeting early-stage research on breakthrough technologies generated, for instance, in universities; ‘EIC Transition’, targeting technology maturation from proof of concept to validation; and ‘EIC Accelerator’, targeting development and scale-up of deep-tech [and] disruptive innovations generated, for example, at universities and being commercialised by spinoffs, and start-ups.

How strict EU regulation and legal disputes are putting innovative medical apps to the test (21/09/2024)

Markt und Mittelstand | 21/09/2024 | Germany - With the Saarbrücken-based company's programs, companies can also check whether their AI meets legal and regulatory or their own compliance requirements, says Adamidis. The European Innovation Council supported the company from the start-up community of the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security with 2.5 million euros in February. The founders are constantly developing the technology, which also uses AI itself. QuantPi does not just offer software. "Companies can also get advice from our partners if they wish," promises Adamidis.

Sky high – Europe’s first drone cargo airline gets ready to take off (20/09/2024)

Horizon Magazine | 20/09/2024 | Bulgaria - When brothers Svilen and Konstantin Rangelov first set up a small start-up called Dronamics in their native Bulgaria in 2014, their ambition was to democratise cargo deliveries in Europe and make affordable next-day delivery of packages a reality for even the remotest regions.

Austria: High-power report urges big push and budget for EU innovation (20/09/2024)

Mena Report | 20/09/2024 | Europe - Stakeholders in the Brussels research and innovation bubble are fretting over who will be the next EU commissioner for research and innovation, as member states haggle over portfolios hoping for more political influence in the coming five years. Scientists are swooping in the debate too. In a letter sent to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, 19 Nobel laureates say the new college of commissioners should have a prominent portfolio for research and innovation.

EPO and European Commission (DG Research and Innovation) sign landmark agreement (20/09/2024)

EPO | 20/09/2024 | Europe - Over the past three years, the EPO and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) have worked closely in the transition and pathfinder programs to help SMEs maximize their innovation potential. Through these efforts, both DG RTD and the EPO have seen the tangible benefits of strong cooperation, particularly for innovative SMEs. Taking stock of these positive achievements, this cooperation agreement lays the foundation for joint awareness campaigns, training and events to highlight the importance of intellectual asset management, and initiatives to boost the potential of SMEs and start-ups.

The European Innovation Council supports deeptech startups and SMEs (19/09/2024)

Startup Business | 19/09/2024 | Italy - The EIC has the mission of supporting researchers and innovators in the field of advanced technologies and, in particular, through the EIC Accelerator, a tool to support startups and SMEs in the development and scaleup of innovations in the deeptech sector and disruptive innovations in the development phases between TRL 6 and TRL 9.

But why are European start-ups failing to grow? (19/09/2024)

Presse Citron | 19/09/2024 | Europe - The observation is clear. The European Union continues to tirelessly fall behind its competitors in terms of competitiveness. The ecosystem of its start-ups suffers directly: while there are many of them, young shoots are struggling to achieve growth. A worrying situation that can be explained by various factors.

How Canada’s partnership with Horizon Europe strengthens global innovation (18/09/2024)

Innovation News Network | 18/09/2024 | Canada - In July 2024, Canada officially joined the Horizon Europe programme. Here, we look at what this means for global research and innovation. The third pillar, Innovative Europe, aims to make Europe a frontrunner in market-creating innovation via the European Innovation Council. It also helps to develop the overall European innovation landscape through the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), which fosters the integration of the knowledge triangle of education, research and innovation. Pillar III is closed to non-European countries because of European technological sovereignty, although Canadian firms may be eligible for limited participation.

The Draghi Report: It Takes a Village (18/09/2024)

ESPI | 18/09/2024 | Europe - 3.4 Establish a multi-purpose EU Space Fund at the EU level (medium-term) & 3.5 Improve access to finance for EU space SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups to ensure they can grow in the EU (short-term). While over the past years, private funding reached new heights across the European space startup landscape, the trend is currently facing an unsurprising slowdown (ESPI, 2024). Despite relatively successful EU initiatives such as CASSINI, and the EIC Accelerator, the United Kingdom continues to lead the way in terms of invested amounts and the number of deals.

Recasting of Commission roles puts research centre stage (18/09/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 18/09/2024 | Europe - In her ‘mission letter’, von der Leyen tasks Zaharieva with expanding the European Innovation Council (EIC) and European Research Council (ERC). The support for such a move—both from the R&D sector and from sources such as last week’s Draghi report—is overwhelming. Zaharieva is also charged with supporting the next generation of European researchers. But it is remarkable that von der Leyen mentions the European universities initiative in this regard and not the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

All EU innovation funders found to add value (18/09/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 18/09/2024 | Europe - The EIT, launched in 2008 and headquartered in Budapest, funds and supports Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) in thematic areas, bridging gaps between business, research and education organisations. The EIC and EIE both launched under Horizon Europe, the former supporting projects aiming to develop breakthrough technologies and their commercialisation, and the latter to create more connected and efficient environments for innovation.

Zaharieva asked to help researchers and innovators thrive (17/09/2024)

ResearchProfessional | 17/09/2024 | Europe - Ekaterina Zaharieva has been asked to “help researchers thrive” if she is approved for her nominated role of EU commissioner for startups, research and innovation. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen set out on 17 September the responsibilities she wants to be taken on by EU member states’ nominees for positions in the new political term that is about to start.

The missing piece of the puzzle (16/09/2024)

VC Magazin | 16/09/2024 | Germany - Funding as a source of financing for technology companies: Do they fit together? On the one hand: agile, fast-growing deep-tech start-ups with fast-moving development cycles; on the other hand: complex, often lengthy funding applications with considerable bureaucratic effort. In this respect, it is hardly surprising that, especially in times of zero interest rates, quickly available venture capital was usually preferred. Examples of funding programs where external help is worthwhile: Research Allowance, GRW, EIC Accelerator, ZIM, KMU-innovativ.

Digitization has slipped the EU's hands - what should we do? (17/09/2024)

Tech Sverige | 17/09/2024 | Sweden - Draghi is in favor of "inducement prizes" to develop practical solutions to specific technical, industrial or commercial problems - "EU Grand Challenges". In the EU, the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Space Agency (ESA) are already working on innovation awards, but according to the report, use is more widespread in the US.

“Europe is losing ground” and “purchasing power is stagnating”, analyses economist Jean Tirole (17/09/2024)

Actual News Magazine | 17/09/2024 | Europe - New European Commission in Brussels, he president Ursula von der Leyen presented the 27 new commissioners on Tuesday 17 September 2024 to the political group leaders of the brand new European Parliament, after the spring elections. The European Union is-is it up to the economic challenges it faces? Jean Tirole, Nobel Prize in Economics, Honorary President of the Toulouse School of Economics, recently looked at the issue of innovation in Europe, in a report which will be the subject of a conference on Wednesday at the Collège de France.

16/09/2024

EIC Media Review - 16/09/2024 - Special edition - Draghi report

Can anything spark Europe's economy back to life? (09/09/2024)

The Economist | 09/09/2024 | Europe - Europe has at last realised it has a problem with economic growth. Duh. Can it now find a solution? A report published on September 9th by Mario Draghi, a former president of the European Central Bank and prime minister of Italy, and the continent's unofficial chief technocrat, is an attempt to do just that. Over almost 400 pages, Mr Draghi outlines a plan to overhaul Europe's economy. Ursula von der Leyen, the recently re-elected head of the European Commission, is keen to act on his advice. SEE BELOW THE SPECIAL MEDIA COVERAGE.

How European tech can compete with China and the US, according to an EIC board member (12/09/2024)

Sifted | 12/09/2024 | Europe - The European Innovation Council (EIC) is Europe’s flagship innovation programme, with a budget of €10bn at its disposal. One advisory board member, Yousef Yousef, believes Europe’s competitiveness lies in focusing on sectors such as deep tech, AI and sustainability. He’s also the founder-CEO of LG Sonic, which uses ultrasound, real-time water quality data and AI to restore aquatic ecosystems without the use of chemicals. The business is active in 69 countries and has five offices around the world.

Biotech financing under the microscope: The European Innovation Council (10/09/2024)

Holland Bio | 10/09/2024 | Netherlands - Ask biotech entrepreneurs about their biggest challenge, and chances are the answer is 'financing'. The path that biotech innovations take from lab to society is long, full of risks and extremely expensive. A suitable financing offer for every phase of business and product development is therefore an important prerequisite for fully exploiting the potential of biotech for health, sustainability and our economy. In this edition, we focus on European financing: the European Innovation Council (EIC).

Seeds of Bravery, supporting the Ukrainian Tech Ecosystem (10/09/2024)

Aalto | 10/09/2024 | Finland - We at Aalto Startup Center (ASUC) and Centre for Knowledge and Innovation Research (CKIR) are proud to announce our collaboration with a new project, UASEEDs, promoting Ukrainian startups and innovation!

DEEPSYNC platform presentation video is now out (12/09/2024)

Alpha Galileo | 12/09/2024 | Europe - The DEEPSYNC platform serves as a dynamic hub, bringing together innovators, stakeholders and supporters to foster collaboration and drive forward cutting-edge projects. In this video, viewers will discover how DEEPSYNC enables seamless interactions, supports project visibility, and facilitates the sharing of valuable insights and success stories. Included in the video: an introduction to the DEEPSYNC platform and its role within the EIC Communities project.

Contribution of the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation to an innovative Europe (12/09/2024)

Prognos | 12/09/2024 | Europe - The European Commission has been promoting research and innovation in Europe for several decades, including through the funding programmes ‘Horizon 2020’ (funding period 2014-2020) and the successor programme ‘Horizon Europe’ (funding period 2021-2027). They aim to strengthen the EU's scientific and technological base, promote industrial competitiveness and tackle global challenges. The pilot project of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pilot: Promotion of disruptive innovations has been analysed.

How is the EU supporting innovation in food and beverage? (13/09/2024)

Food Navigator | 13/09/2024 | Europe - How is the EU supporting innovation in food and beverage? The EU has long supported innovation in the food and beverage industry, launching the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), in 2008. Now, it’s doubling down on that focus, with the European Innovation Council (EIC). Established as part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, the EIC was officially launched in March 2021, with the aim to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies and game changing innovations.

Research for more sustainability in construction (09/09/2024)

Holz Magazine | 09/09/2024 | Germany - In the topic area "Architecture, Engineering and Construction - Digitalization for a new triad of design, manufacturing and materials" of the EIC Pathfinder Challenge 2023, the European Union is supporting international and interdisciplinary consortia. The University of Stuttgart is involved in three research projects with scientists from, among others, the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (itke).

45 projects will be supported in the EIC Pathfinder program. BUT succeeded in Brno (09/09/2024)

Veda Vyzkum | 09/09/2024 | Czech Republic - As part of the EIC Pathfinder 2024 open call, the European Innovation Council (EIC) will support a total of 45 projects with an amount of 138 million euros. The only successful Czech applicant is the Technical University in Brno with the Bioinspired cellular actuators project.

Passively ventilated buildings without concrete or steel (09/09/2024)

Impresedili | 09/06/2024 | Italy - Led by the Finnish Aalto University with the spin-off Woamy, the University of Milan with the Center for Complexity and Biosystems and the University of Stuttgart, the ArchiBioFoam project has received funding of 3.5 million euros from the European Innovation Council (EIC), as part of the European Pathfinder Challenges 2023 call, to develop the applicability in construction of a load-bearing expanded biomaterial capable of changing shape and reacting to the surrounding environment.

Imperial joins European discussion on accelerating innovation (13/09/2024)

Imperial | 13/09/2024 | Europe - Dr Oscar Calderon Agudo, Advanced Research Fellow in the Department of Earth Science & Engineering, took part in discussions to provide insights on his experience of holding a European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder grant, awarded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme.

EIC Funds Two UB Projects for Cutting-edge Tech (13/09/2024)

Mirage News | 13/09/2024 | Spain - Two University of Barcelona projects have been selected by the European Innovation Council to develop cutting-edge technologies within the 2024 Pathfinder Open call. Marta Estrader and Josep Puigmartí Luis, researchers from the UB's Faculty of Chemistry, lead two consortia to promote advances in the remote detection of aquatic pollution and cell alignment in tissue bioprinting, respectively.

German startup secures $62M for ‘carbon negative’ biogas power plants (13/09/2024)

The Next Web | 13/09/2024 | Germany - German startup Reverion has secured $62mn as it looks to scale a mini power plant that can generate clean energy, capture CO2, and make hydrogen all in one shipping container-sized unit. The oversubscribed Series A funding round was led by US investor Energy Impact Partners with participation from Honda and the European Innovation Council. Munich-based Possible Ventures, climate tech VC Extantia Capital, UVC Partners, Green Generation Fund, and Doral EnergyTech Ventures also joined in.

Methinks AI, life-saving treatments using artificial intelligence (14/09/2024)

El Referente | 14/09/2024 | Spain - Methinks AI has raised a total of €10M in funding (€3.3M in public grants and €6.7M in private investment). In addition, it won the EIT Catapult 2020 as the best digital health startup in Europe and the EIC Accelerator in 2022. It also won the pitch competition in June 2023 at the EIC & German Entrepreneurship Healthcare Investor Day.companywon the gold medal in 2 RSNA Kaggle competitions. This is what they told El Referente.

Quantum science is making its way into Catalonia to become an international benchmark (15/09/2024)

The New Barcelona Post | 15/09/2024 | Spain - This ICFO spin-off is focused on ensuring ultra-secure communications through a quantum encryption system that is integrated into existing optical networks , by installing LuxQuanta machines at both ends of the communication. The startup , which was selected this year by the European Innovation Council Accelerator funding programme, is thus working to “protect communications around the world with extremely cutting-edge technology”, as described by its CEO.

In pictures: Heart Aerospace unveils 30-seater electric aircraft prototype (13/09/2024)

The Next Web | 13/09/2024 | Sweden - Swedish startup Heart Aerospace has unveiled its first full-scale demonstrator hybrid-electric aircraft as it targets commercial flight by the end of 2029, a year later than previously planned. Heart, which employs over 130 people, has raised $145mn from the likes of Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the European Innovation Council, and EQT. However, Forslund describes the ES-30 as a “billion-dollar project.” The company said it will continue to pursue public and private funding to fuel its growth but isn’t sharing further details at this time. Call ID: H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020-4

Biobased startup LignEasy receives €1m investment from EIT InnoEnergy (13/09/2024)

Packaging Europe | 13/09/2024 | Sweden - LignEasy hopes to curb carbon emissions in the pulp industry and replace fossil-based raw materials with forest-based feedstock. The funding will build on the EIC Accelerator grant previously received by the company and enable the full development of its pilot plant, reportedly set to reach a production capacity of 1 ton/day this autumn.

Dracula Technologies goes industrial (12/09/2024)

Le Dauphiné Libéré | 12/09/2024 | France - It's done! The start-up Dracula Technologies has become an industry. For six months, the Valence company has invested in a 2,500 m2 building , formerly occupied by the Reynolds factory, in the Mozart industrial zone. This makes it “the largest factory of digitally printed organic photovoltaic devices in the world”. “A key point” in its development, stressed its CEO, Brice Cruchon, this Thursday, September 12 during the official inauguration of the site.

L’info en + : International recognition (13/09/2024)

Le Dauphiné Libéré | 13/09/2024 | France - Innovation Award at CES 2021 in Las Vegas (in the field of clean technologies). EIC Accelerator 2022: €1.6 million + €5 million in equity, supporting the development and growth of the company. CleanTech Council 2023: award for excellence in the field of clean technologies. Hello Tomorrow Challenge 2017, “energy transition” category. Solar Impulse Label 2020 and 2023. Première Usine France 2030: €5 million for the construction of the factory. Tech Tour 2023 & 2024: recognition for innovation and technological development. Grand Prix Impact - “energy transition” category 2023. Integration of the mapping of French start-ups into Impact 2023. Mission-driven company since 2023.

Membranes for freshwater: Offshore buoy project in Gran Canaria (13/09/2024)

FS Journal | 13/09/2024 | Norway - Ocean Oasis has developed the desalination buoys. They are currently being tested and validated by the consortium's Desalife (Desalination for Environmental Sustainability And LIFE) project. The floating buoys will increase the volume of affordable and sustainable freshwater available to the local population and farmers in the northern region of the island. A pilot buoy named Gaia has already been deployed to validate the technology at a site offshore the Port of Las Palmas. It was made possible by co-funding from the European Innovation Council Accelerator, Innovation Norway and other funders.

This startup is making manure out of other biogas power plants and now has $62M to play with (12/09/2024)

TechCrunch | 12/09/2024 | - Working away on his PhD in Munich only a few years ago, Stephan Herrmann (now a doctor) couldn’t have conceived of a time when his idea for a carbon-negative power plant would attract millions in funding. But now, together with Reverion co-founder Felix Fischer, he has a $100 million backlog of orders for his invention and a fresh $62 million in the form of a Series A funding round. Reverion’s Series A round was led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP) and saw participation from Honda and the European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund).

Reverion raises $62M for carbon-negative biogas power plants (13/09/2024)

Tech.eu | 13/09/2024 | Germany - Reverion, a German company building reversible, carbon-negative power plants, has raised $62 million in Series A funding, including non-dilutive funding. Reverion’s reversible power plants overcome the limitations of conventional technologies for power generation from biogas, significantly increasing revenue for operators from the same biomass. The oversubscribed round was led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP) with participation from Honda and the European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund).

Ana Maiques and her 'cramp cap': "Electrical stimulation could help with neurological diseases" (15/09/2024)

UPPERS | 15/09/2024 | Spain - The scientific and business community has embraced the initiative with hope and Ana has garnered numerous awards. IESE named her one of the most influential entrepreneurs under 40 in Spain in 2010. She received the EU Prize for Women Innovators from the European Commission in 2014. In 2015 and 2016, she was named one of the most inspiring women on Europe's Inspiring Fifty list. In 2019, she was part of the first advisory group of the European Innovation Council, and in 2023 she was awarded the Women Startup Awards in the Disruption Category.

Women Entrepreneurs: How to Apply for the European Award (11/09/2024)

Techno Fashion | 11/09/2024 | Europe - Applications for the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2025 , through which Europe rewards female entrepreneurs as champions of innovation, with prizes of up to €100,000 each , are open until 25 September 2024. Sponsored by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) , the award celebrates the achievements of women entrepreneurs whose innovative activities benefit communities and the planet .

Enter European Prize for Women Innovators now (13/09/2024)

Innovators Mag | 13/09/2024 | Europe - “Europe is home to inspiring women innovators and entrepreneurs leading successful and game-changing companies,” said Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. “The European Prize for Women Innovators highlights their skills and ingenuity, casting them as role models. This prize helps strengthen gender equality in business and tech, championing women innovation talent and women-led companies.” Read more about some of this year’s winners. The application deadline is 25 September at 17:00 CET.

“European Innovation Procurement Awards”: applications now open for the 2024-2025 edition (11/09/2024)

FPA | 11/09/2024 | Europe - very innovation needs early adopters before reaching large-scale market diffusion. Early adopters of innovative solutions in the development, testing and/or implementation phase stimulate the process of transforming innovative ideas into market-ready solutions. The European Innovation Procurement Awards (EUIPA) , promoted by the European Innovation Council (EIC) in the context of Horizon Europe , aim to reward public and private buyers, natural persons and legal entities committed to promoting and stimulating innovative procurement solutions.

Maximize your EIC Funding: Webinar on unlocking business opportunities with Europe’s largest corporations (13/09/2024)

EU Startups | 13/09/2024 | Europe - To provide valuable insights into this successful programme and how to navigate it, the EIC is hosting the EIC Awardees Info Webinar on September 26, from 15:30 to 16:30 CET. This webinar will offer EIC beneficiaries an opportunity to learn from peers who have previously participated in the Corporate Partnership Programme and its activities. In addition, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire process, from the initial application through potential follow-ups and the formation of business deals.

How your startup can prepare to win at the ‘Olympics of consumer technology’ (10/09/2024)

The Next Web | 10/09/2024 | Netherlands - CES Unveiled Amsterdam will be hosting a Pitch Battle competition for the first time with the support of the European Innovation Council (EIC), taking place 15 October 2024 to showcase the best in European tech. The winner will receive a booth space in Eureka Park, the CES startup hub, at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. Note: the deadline to apply is 20 September 2024.

What, where, how? Overview of autumn events and recruitment for startups (16/09/2024)

Mam StartUp | 16/09/2024 | Poland - Deep Tech CEE Summit – October 28-30 In addition to the standard search for projects for deep tech sectors aligned with the global Hello Tomorrow Global Summit 2025 competition, the organizers in this year's edition added the opportunity to get to know the needs of the event partners (including ABB, Veolia and the European Innovation Council Summit). Deep Tech CEE Challenge allows you to find investors and interesting Partners, establish relationships with investors, take part in Hello Tomorrow Global Summit 2025 and help them win in subsequent competitions or accelerators and programs connecting them with companies from Western Europe.

"European Week of Opportunities" from September 23 to 27 in Belgrade and Niš (11/09/2024)

TANJUG | 11/09/2024 | Serbia - From September 23 to 27, the second "European Week of Opportunities" will be held in Belgrade and Nis, where the most important European programs, projects and funds available to Serbian citizens will be presented, announced the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia (PKS). As stated, at the opening on September 23, a key program will be presented with the support of PKS, including EEN and EIC Accelerator.

High-power report urges big push – and budget – for EU innovation (10/09/2024)

Science|Business | 10/09/2024 | Europe - The report, from a man who won plaudits as Italian prime minister and president of the European Central Bank, urged a doubling of the EU’s flagship research and innovation budget to €200 billion in the next seven-year planning cycle, from 2028-2034. At the same time, however, Draghi said the current programme, Horizon Europe, is too difficult for many applicants to navigate, its public-private partnerships are inefficient, and changes are needed in its main funder for innovative companies, the European Innovation Council (EIC).

Draghi report: could the EU set up its own Darpa-like agency? (12/09/2024)

Science|Business | 12/09/2024 | Europe - For research and innovation, probably the most radical Draghi suggestion is that the EU create an innovation agency modelled on the American Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). “Support for breakthrough disruptive innovation remains limited,” the report warns. “Even though Horizon Europe’s mission is to promote disruptive research and innovation, the programme is neither sufficiently funded nor well-structured for the purpose.”

Germany’s Lindner rejects Draghi’s common borrowing proposal (09/09/2024)

Politico | 09/09/2024 | Germany - It took less than three hours. Germany's Finance Minister Christian Lindner said a firm nein to Mario Draghi's call for more common debt to boost private investment. Lindner, whose liberal party's share of the vote has collapsed in recent state and EU elections, told POLITICO that the pooling of "risks and liability creates democratic and fiscal problems." He was commenting on proposals for shared EU borrowing unveiled in Draghi's report on the future of EU competitiveness.

Europe Confronts Its Tech Dilemma: Regulate or Innovate (11/09/2024)

Bloomberg | 11/09/2024 | Europe - Draghi’s recommendation is that the EU spend some €800 billion ($884 billion), favor strategic mergers and scale-ups, and create a European research agency turbocharging innovation. The alternative? “A slow agony,” Draghi deadpanned. A day later, behind the same dais was EU competition and digital czar Margrethe Vestager celebrating twin courtroom wins against Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which Vestager had slapped with multbillion fines for falling foul of tax and competition law.

Mario Draghi outlines his plan to make Europe more competitive (09/09/2024)

The Economist | 09/09/2024 | UK - Growth in Europe has been slowing for decades. Across different measures, a wide gap in GDP has opened up between the European Union and America. Europe’s households have paid the price in forgone living standards. On a per-person basis, real disposable income has grown almost twice as much in America as in the EU since 2000.

Draghi urges EU to catch up rivals or face 'slow agony' (09/09/2024)

Reuters | 09/09/2024 | Europe - The European Union needs far more coordinated industrial policy, more rapid decisions and massive investment if it wants to keep pace economically with rivals the United States and China, Mario Draghi said on Monday in a long awaited report. The European Commission asked the former European Central Bank chief and Italian prime minister a year ago to write a report on how the EU should keep its greening and more digital economy competitive at a time of increased global friction. "The situation at the moment is really worrisome," Draghi told a news conference in Brussels.

Draghi demands €800B cash boost to stem Europe’s rapid decline (09/09/2024)

Politico | 09/09/2024 | Europe - Europe must invest twice as much as it did rebuilding after World War II, allow more tech and telecoms companies to merge and take drastic measures on defense spending, Mario Draghi said. In a landmark report on how to stem the Continent's economic decline, the former European Central Bank (ECB) president said Europe needed to invest an additional €800 billion a year to drag itself out of a trough of low productivity and feeble growth that's pushing it behind the United States and China in the international pecking order. He called it an "existential challenge."

Europe’s new normal: High energy bills, fading industry and one chance to fix it (10/09/2024)

Politico | 10/09/2024 | Europe - Mario Draghi, the EU economic guru and former European Central Bank chief, offered a similarly dire message, using elevated energy bills to make his case for a massive overhaul of how Europe does business. “The moment is really worrisome,” he said while presenting his report. “We cannot ignore it any longer.” It’s a diagnosis EU officials in Brussels, who ordered up Draghi’s assessment, fully endorse and are already infusing into their policy work. Ursula von der Leyen, the EU’s top executive, called Draghi’s pitch to accelerate Europe’s green industry “basically the same idea we’re pushing forward.”

Mario Draghi's cry of alarm on the European economy, condemned to "a slow agony" if it does not change (09/09/2024)

Le Monde | 09/09/2024 | France - In a report presented in Brussels, the former president of the ECB analyses the disconnect with the United States, while China is gaining strength, and argues for more joint borrowing and investment.

Draghi’s Europe plan collides with national crises (09/09/2024)

Reuters | 09/09/2024 | Europe - As befits Italy’s soccer tradition, Mario Draghi is finding it harder to attack than to defend. The former European Central Bank chief rescued the euro zone during its debt crisis and, as prime minister, marshalled his country’s response to the pandemic. Tackling the European Union’s huge investment gap with the United States and China will be a different ball game.

Draghi: ‘Reform R&I programme and double ERC funding’ (09/09/2024)

Research Professional | 09/09/2024 | Europe - Mario Draghi has called for reform of the EU’s research and innovation programme and a doubling of the budget of the European Research Council in his long-awaited report on the bloc’s competitiveness. The report, which was published by the European Commission on 9 September and runs to hundreds of pages, “recommends reforming the EU’s next framework programme for Research in terms of its focus, budget allocation, governance and financial capacity”.

At a glance: The Draghi report’s R&I recommendations (09/09/2024)

Research Professional | 09/09/2024 | Europe - Draghi was tasked with exploring the challenges facing European industry by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last September. Here are his main suggestions for research and innovation at a glance. Number 8. Convert the European Innovation Council Pathfinder instrument into an agency modelled on the US Advanced Research Project Agency model.

Mario Draghi: The EU is threatened with collapse. 800 billion euros of investments are needed annually to catch up with the USA and China (09/09/2024)

Glasove | 09/09/2024 | Bulgaria - The European Union may be losing its meaning, says a report on EU competitiveness prepared for the European Commission by former Italian prime minister and ex-ECB chief Mario Draghi. During his eight-year term as head of the European Central Bank, Italian economist and former prime minister Mario Draghi pledged to do "whatever is necessary" to protect the euro from market turmoil. Ursula von der Leyen tasked him with saving the entire economy and getting it back on the path to competitiveness.

EU must close innovation gap to overcome ‘existential challenge’, warns Draghi (10/09/2024)

The Next Web | 10/09/2024 | Europe - Mario Draghi has sounded the alarm about the EU’s competitiveness — and future — as it is again failing to translate ideas and ambition into technological innovation. In a report commissioned by the bloc’s chief Ursula von der Leyen, Draghi stressed that a pronounced growth slowdown has widened the GDP gap between the Union and the US. This slowdown is closely linked to sluggish tech development.

Draghi Report: 'Europe Weakened by Failing Innovation Capacity and Dire Skills Shortages' (10/09/2024)

Neth-ER | 10/09/2024 | Netherlands - Europe’s competitiveness and innovation capacity are failing and that is problematic. This is evident from Mario Draghi’s long-awaited report on the future of Europe’s competitiveness. To rectify this, the EU needs a new industrial strategy, with research, innovation and research at its core. Draghi also proposes to increase the budget for Horizon Europe, reform skills policy and establish a European competition coordination framework.

Draghi report gets broad initial welcome from R&I sector (10/09/2024)

Research Professional | 10/09/2024 | Europe - The research and innovation sector has broadly embraced the long-awaited report on EU competitiveness from former Italy prime minister Mario Draghi. Published by the European Commission on 9 September, the report recommends putting R&I “at the centre of EU strategic priorities” as part of an effort to shore up EU competitiveness against competition from the US and China.

Draghi’s research and innovation proposals lack spark, experts say (11/09/2024)

Euractiv | 11/09/2024 | Europe - While Italian technocrat Mario Draghi may have accurately diagnosed the EU’s competitiveness problems in his long-awaited report, his cure lacks spark, experts say. Innovation and tech took centre stage, but many concrete proposals left experts underwhelmed. “The analysis is really good, but in terms of recommendations, many remain too incremental within the existing system,” Professor in Management, Strategy and Innovation and Bruegel Senior Fellow Reinhilde Veugelers told Euractiv.

Researchers welcome Draghi’s call to spend more and better on R&I (12/09/2024)

Science|Business | 12/09/2024 | Europe - Research and innovation have never been more present in mainstream policy debates after this week former Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi, placed research and innovation at the heart of his recommendations for boosting EU competitiveness. That followed on from an earlier report by another former Italian prime minister, Enrico Letta, on the future of the single market, in which he called for a ‘fifth freedom’ for research and innovation.

Draghi’s direction on competitiveness needs a joined-up commissioner role (12/09/2024)

Research Professional | 12/09/2024 | Europe - Recognition of the potential to reform the European Innovation Council to boost disruptive innovation will be shared by many—together with the aim for it to more closely resemble the US Advanced Research Projects Agency model, consistently held as a beacon for invention. However, opinion may be split over the level of autonomy such an approach affords to individuals in selecting priorities for funding.

Draghi report sounds alarm on Europe's competitive decline (13/09/2024)

Tech.eu | 13/09/2024 | Europe - For example, the European Innovation Council's (EIC) Pathfinder has a budget of only €250 million for 2024. In comparison: US ARPA agencies have significantly higher budgets (DARPA: USD 4.1 billion for 2023; ARPA-H: USD 1.5 billion; ARPA-E: USD 0.5 billion). Similarly, the UK's ARIA has a budget of GBP 800 million over several years. The German Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation (SPRIN-D) has a budget of EUR 220 million for 2024.

The Draghi report: a preliminary peek (15/09/2024)

The Independent | 15/09/2024 | Malta - Earlier this week Mario Draghi, former President of the European Central Bank, and former Italian Prime Minister, submitted a report looking into the challenges faced by industry and the corporate world in the EU single market. The Draghi report, 397 pages long, was requested by the European Commission as announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her 2023 State of the Union address. It is entitled The Future of European Competitiveness.

09/09/2024

EIC Media Review - 09/09/2024

European Union with support for innovative technologies (06/09/2024)

Evertiq | 06/04/2024 | Europe - The European Innovation Council (EIC) has selected the next batch of proposals under the EIC Pathfinder 2024 open call. 45 new projects will receive up to €138 million in total and will develop innovative technologies in a wide range of areas - health, artificial intelligence, computer science, environment and energy. Applications are still open, the deadline for an EIC grant is 16 October.

Three new programme managers join the European Innovation Council (05/09/2024)

Neth-ER | 05/09/2024 | Belgium - The European Innovation Council (EIC) team has been strengthened with three new programme managers. The portfolios that the new programme managers will be working on are Artificial Intelligence, Health and Biotechnology, and Advanced Materials for Energy.

What is Europe for SMEs? (02/09/2024)

netPME | 02/09/2024 | France - "If European entrepreneurs say that overall from the point of view of brand image and cooperation, Europe is good, in reality, seen from their window, they say that Europe has no impact on their company at 63%*", comments Alain Di Crescenzo, president of CCI France, who deplores the "anti-European communication" that is made on the territory. He thus points out that if there is a lot of European aid, SMEs do not see it, many of them not necessarily being aware of being financed by Europe.

Universities must play a central role in von der Leyen's second term (19/08/2024)

Times Higher Education | 19/08/2024 | Europe - Research, innovation and education are recognised in the European Commission president's manifesto, but let's assert their wider relevance, says Jan Palmowski. Ursula von der Leyen's successful election for a second term as president of the European Commission was based on her carefully calibrated policy guidelines, which will now form the commission's road map for the next five years.

Gammadonna FAB60: a bulwark against the backstage in the fight against the gender gap (03/09/2024)

Focusmo | 03/09/2024 | Italy - GammaDonna's commitment to supporting innovative female entrepreneurship continues with force. The historic association that has been working for twenty years to reduce the gender gap in the socio-economic field presents the 60 most innovative female entrepreneurs competing for the GammaDonna Award 2024. Emilia Garito is the Founder and President of Deep Ocean Capital SGR SPA and Quantum Leap srl, part of the Be.Shaping the Future group and Engineering Spa. As a Jury Member for the EIC (European Innovation Council) and Ambassador of the XPrize foundation, Emilia is a European expert in technology transfer and artificial intelligence

Brussels rumour mill churns the scenarios for next research commissioner (04/09/2024)

Science|Business | 04/09/2024 | Europe - Stakeholders in the Brussels research and innovation bubble are fretting over who will be the next EU commissioner for research and innovation, as member states haggle over portfolios hoping for more political influence in the coming five years. Scientists are swooping in the debate too. In a letter sent to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, 19 Nobel laureates say the new college of commissioners should have a prominent portfolio for research and innovation. The letter calls on von der Leyen to create a “well-funded portfolio dedicated to research and innovation” and to pick “a strong supporter of research” to take the helm of EU research and innovation policy.

EUR 178.59 million in Horizon Europe grants awarded to Luxembourg applicants (03/09/2024)

Luxinnovation | 03/09/2024 | Luxembourg - Luxembourg has a good track record with the European Innovation Council (EIC), which focuses on cutting-edge technologies and high-risk research. The country has been awarded 10 projects under the EIC Pathfinder programme , which supports ambitious collaborative research. In addition, two Luxembourg start-ups – Arspectra and Circu Li-ion – have received prestigious funding from the EIC Accelerator , which helps young companies expand into new markets.

Think tank calls for EU to create an Arpa-style funder (05/09/2024)

Research Professional | 05/09/2024 | Europe - The EU research commissioner who is appointed over the coming weeks should consider creating an equivalent of the United States’ advanced research projects agencies, a think tank has suggested. innovation professor Reinhilde Veugelers suggested that the European Innovation Council, which was introduced to Horizon Europe to fund the development of breakthrough technologies and their commercialisation, should have an autonomous governing body akin to that of the European Research Council.

IESE and the European Innovation Council publish new roadmaps for European deep-tech scale-ups (04/09/2024)

IESE | 02/09/2024 | Spain - The EIC Scaling Club’s has released the first 4 reports in the “Challenge Roadmaps” series, elaborated in partnership with IESE. These reports delve into the strategies that the analyzed European deep-tech scale-ups plan to employ to overcome significant hurdles over the next year. They highlight key areas such as refining their go-to-market strategy, enhancing board effectiveness for market expansion, optimizing customer acquisition and retention, and refining due diligence practices to attract lead investors.

EU’s bouquet of funding programs for SMEs (05/09/2024)

Banking Frontiers | 05/09/2024 | Europe - It is often highlighted that European Union’s efforts in achieving economic well-being depend on SMEs in the region – the largest creators of jobs and also a major driver of innovations. Recent studies have shown that SMEs make up over 99% of EU companies. EU member states have recognized the implicit need to support them in a big way. It is a fact that some of the iconic European brands began as SMEs. European Innovation Council (EIC), which is the region’s flagship program to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies and innovations.

Ukraine : Digest of current business financing programs from international organizations August 2024 (02/09/2024)

Mena Report | 02/09/2024 | Ukraine - The Ministry of Economy presents a digest of current business support programs from international organizations in Ukraine as of August this year. Available programs provide opportunities for financing and co-financing from leading international organizations and cover a wide range of support: from the introduction of innovations in the agricultural sector and the development of processing of agricultural products to the improvement of cyber security of critical infrastructure and interregional innovative investments.

BPIFRANCE secures contract for Financial Management Consultancy Services (03/09/2024)

Pivotal Sources | 03/09/2024 | Belgium - Belgium based BPIFRANCE has secured contract from European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), EISMEA - European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency for Financial Management Consultancy Services . The value of the contract is worth 30417 EUR.

Lung Cancer: University of Parma in the Precision Nutrition Project (02/09/2024)

Parma Today | 02/09/2024 | Italy - A precision nutrition project has started that aims to improve the quality of life of patients affected by lung cancer and among the main partners there is also the University of Parma.

New technology to replace heat pumps and air conditioners. Germany is preparing a "revolution" (04/09/2024)

Ernergia RP | 04/09/2024 | Poland - Will the heat pumps that are so popular in Poland be replaced by a completely new technology? Employees of the University of Saarland want to create an alternative cooling and heating system for single-family houses. The new project will use the phenomenon of so-called elastocaloric. The project, which the team from Saarland University is working on, has made it onto the prestigious TOP Ten Technologies 2024 list. It also received a prize of EUR 4 million from the European Innovation Council as part of the Pathfinder program.

Reeve Foundation grant to further research into Onward Medical technology (03/09/2024)

Deaandeel Houder | 03/09/2024 | Netherlands - Onward Medical has been given the opportunity to conduct further research into the BCI system thanks to a grant from the Reeve Foundation. The company announced this on Tuesday morning. The grant will enable Onward Medical and its partners CEA-Clinatec and NeuroRestore to evaluate the use of the ONWARD ARC-BCITM system to restore thought-controlled movement of the hands and arms after spinal cord injury.

Anna Sandak is the first scientist in Slovenia with European funds for innovation (06/09/2024)

24ur | 06/09/2024 | Slovenia - Anna Sandak, deputy director of the InnoRenew research institute and professor at the University of Primorsko, obtained funding from the European Innovation Council for the Pathfinder project. With this, according to the Sandak Institute, she became the first female scientist in Slovenia to obtain funding for the Searcher in Slovenia project.

Research: Building houses with foam, Unimi wins the European tender (03/09/2024)

Il Denaro | 03/09/2004 | Italy - It is a foam capable of changing shape, reacting to the surrounding environment, and being a load-bearing material for building construction. It is called Archibiofoam, and it is the first result of a project led by Aalto University, in Finland, with its spin-off company Woamy. The University of Milan, with the Center for Complexity and Biosystems, and the University of Stuttgart are also part of it. In recent days, it received funding of 3.5 million euros from the European Innovation Council, with the Pathfinder Challenges 2023 call.

Nature’s own chemistry could help reduce waste and improve health (05/09/2024)

Horizon Magazine | 05/09/2024 | Switzerland - EU-funded researchers are studying chemical processes in nature to develop new, cleaner means of chemical production and computers that can communicate with the human body.

Season One Update – Pioneering Study On The Effectiveness of Rugby Headgear in Reducing Brain Injuries (04/09/2024)

Irish Rugby | 04/09/2024 | Ireland - World Rugby developed the ‘Law 4 Headgear Trial’ framework to enable manufacturers to field test new designs of rugby headgear which may be of assistance in reducing or helping to prevent brain injuries. N-Pro is the first product to receive approval under this framework. The study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the N-Pro Headguard in reducing brain injury biomarkers. The study is co-funded by the European Innovation Council and Contego Sports, the Irish company that designed N-Pro.

3.5 million euros for the bio-foam that will revolutionize the construction of the future (02/09/2024)

Green Report | 02/09/2024 | Italy - The University of Milan is also involved in the European project ARCHIBIOFOAM. An alternative to concrete, steel and glass.

Medtech: green light from Bercy for the acquisition of Sonio by Samsung (02/09/2024)

Maddyness | 02/09/2024 | France - Exit prestige for Sonio investors . And for good reason, just one year after its Series A, the French medtech, specializing in prenatal health for children and pregnant women, is officially moving into the hands of the South Korean giant Samsung via its medical subsidiary Samsung Medison.

Lyon startup 3Deus Dynamics hopes to conquer the silicone printing market (02/09/2024)

Archyde | 02/09/2024 | France - Use sandbox to mold 3D printed silicone parts. This process, called “granular media dynamic shaping”, was invented by 3Deus Dynamics, a Lyon start-up founded in 2020. Formation of support material. The company plans to advance further thanks to a €10 million financing round completed in May from Elkem Silicones and the European Innovation Council’s EIC accelerator programme.

The spin-offs of the University of Barcelona have obtained 11 million euros in financing (04/09/2024)

viaempresa | 04/09/2024 | Spain - The spin-offs of the University of Barcelona, companies that have emerged from technology or knowledge developed at the University, have raised around 11 million euros in financing during 2023. In 2023, the investee companies raised €10.8 million in funding, both public and private. Highlights include the €1.28 million investment round received by Oniria Therapeutics , as well as obtaining €2.5 million EIC Accelerator support from Nimble Diagnostics .

Juanjo Infante (Vaxdyn): “The technology we have validated is unique and very competitive” (03/09/2024)

Tribuna de Andalucia | 03/09/2024 | Spain - At the Institute of Biomedicine in Seville there is a laboratory dedicated to infectious diseases closely linked to the Virgen del Rocío Hospital, and they were specifically working with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Now, the European Union with this program, the EIC Accelerator, allows us to access 2.5 million in subsidies and, subsequently, another 12 million euros of investment in the company's shareholding.

Normet acquires Lekatech (03/09/2024)

MEQ | 03/09/2024 | Finland - Earlier in 2023, Normet announced their minority investment in Lekatech, a Finnish start-up company founded in 2018 with the ambition to revolutionize hammering technologies by introducing linear electric technology for hammering applications. Normet is excited to announce that it has acquired the full ownership of Lekatech. In 2021, Lekatech secured EUR 6.3 million in EIC Accelerator funding for the development of the fully electric hammer.

Seville-based Vaxdyn secures 15 million from the EU for its first vaccine against a multi-resistant bacteria (02/09/2024)

ABC | 02/09/2024 | Spain - To obtain this grant for the clinical study of the K-Vax vaccine in humans, the biotechnology company has competed with 969 European companies. Funds from New York, Portugal and Spain begin a due diligence to participate in the round that the firm has opened to raise another 12 million

Klaipėda University's start-up - European Horizon grant (06/09/2024)

Atvira Klaipeda | 06/09/2024 | Lituania - A KU spin-off company created to develop this technology, received a significant and solid grant worth 2.3 million euros from the European Union's general research and innovation program "Europos Horizontas EIC Accelerator". Inobiostar is the first green university company in Lithuania to receive funding from this program.

AI and sustainability; "The battle we all have to win" (03/09/2024)

Stuttgarter Zeitung | 03/09/2024 | Germany - With the help of AI and big data, the Stuttgart start-up VCG.AI is revolutionizing the handling of organic industrial waste. How the transformation to a bio-based circular economy is being accelerated and what role Stuttgart is playing in this.

They will make the tire giant greener – with the help of bark (07/09/2024)

Dagens Industri | 07/09/2024 | Sweden - Reselo makes rubber from birch bark. Now the KTH startup will collaborate with Finnish Nokian Tires in developing the next generation of environmentally friendly tires. At the same time, collaborations are underway with both Polestar and AB Volvo. Reselo, which previously received SEK 25 million in support from the European Innovation Council (EIC), is currently in a financing round where the goal is to raise approximately SEK 45 million. As early as 2026, the next round will begin, then with the aim of financing the company's first factory.

Treble raises €11m in Series A round to scale its sound simulation platform (03/09/2024)

Arctic Today | 03/09/2024 | Iceland - Treble Technologies, a next-generation sound simulation and synthetic audio data generation technology company, has raised €11m in a Series A round. The round was led by KOMPAS VC, an early-stage VC firm focused on the built environment with participation from Iceland’s leading venture capital firm Frumtak Ventures, the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Omega ehf, strategic partners St. Gobain & L-Acoustics, as well as experienced angel investors. The investment will be used to expand the Treble team, enhance R&D efforts, forge new enterprise clients, and tap into new markets.

Delivering green hydrogen solutions (04/09/2024)

Innovation News Network | 04/09/2024 | - Dynelectro, a pioneering company in sustainable energy solutions, announces its first commercial-scale Dynamic Electrolyser Unit (DEU), after exceeding two years performance testing with low degradation. Dynelectro’s journey, thus far, has culminated in over €20m, which has been solely directed to technology and innovation development. Comprised of €11m in equity funding with early-stage investors, including the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund. Furthermore, €9m in grant funding has been achieved from the European Innovation Council, Shell Gamechanger, the Danish Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP) and other innovation programmes.

Braga is in the semi-finals of the European Capital of Innovation Awards 2024 (03/09/2024)

Link to Leaders | 03/09/2024 | Portugal - Braga is one of the semi-finalist cities of the European Capital of Innovation Awards 2024 (iCapital Awards). The competition includes the categories European Capital of Innovation and European Rising Innovative City, and the Portuguese city is competing in the semi-final of the latter together with the cities of Bruges (Belgium), Leiden (Netherlands), Linz (Austria), Oulu (Finland) and Tartu (Estonia).

How to perfect your dragons’ den pitch (03/09/2024)

Innovators Mag | 03/09/2024 | Europe - Pitching for new investment is a chance to go to the next level and for early-stage startups, scaleups and larger SMEs, success hinges on getting it right. So, what does it take to produce a standout pitch? When you arrive on stage, you should be primed to deliver a clear, lean, enticing pitch. The ‘how to prepare for your Dragon’s Den pitch’ workshop held in Brussels earlier this year, at the European Innovation Council Summit, offered tools to help.

02/09/2024

EIC Media Review - 02/09/2024

Innovation is driving change in logistics sector (27/08/2024)

Internet Retailing | 27/08/2024 | Germany - “Innovation is the new competitive advantage.” There’s no doubt that striving for change and creating new value is the driving force in a rapidly evolving logistics and supply chain management sector, writes Jason Whitworth is an M&A partner at BDO LLP. The futuristic approach by certain businesses, combined with a growing appetite from investors, is being evidenced in the deals market – namely the European Innovation Council Fund’s investment in Dronamics.

Reforming innovation policy to help the EU escape the middle-tech trap (25/08/2024)

Obserwator Finansowy | 25/08/2024 | Poland - Europe is lagging behind in innovation. This article describes how its industry seems to be stuck in a middle-tech trap that discourages leaving the beaten track. The authors argue that EU innovation policy should support breakthrough innovation to break this lock-in, but this requires deep reforms, both in terms of structure and financing.

Smart hives and robots for sustainable beekeeping (30/08/2024)

TechNews.bg | 30/08/2024 | Bulgaria - As part of a pan-European research initiative funded by the EU, the B-GOOD project , de Graaf and a team of researchers from 13 European countries joined forces from mid-2019 to November last year to investigate how new technologies can benefit to support the health of bees and the sustainability of beekeeping.

EIC Accelerator - How to play in the European league of deep tech champions (27/08/2024)

Rebuild Lidermedia | 27/08/2024 | Croatia - If you have a deep tech startup and think you have the potential to play in the European Champions League, register for the EIC Accelerator workshop - the path to the European Champions League for deep tech startups , which will be held on September 4 at the Zagreb office of SEECEL (Regional Center for the Development of Entrepreneurial competence for the countries of Southeast Europe).

'We’re responsible for the survival of Apple': Arm's Hermann Hauser on building billion-dollar tech companies in Europe (27/08/2024)

Sifted | 27/08/2024 | USA - Hermann Hauser, who helped establish the chip design company, and one of European tech’s biggest success stories, Arm Holdings, says that he’s the reason Apple is still standing. That’s because in the early 90s, Apple’s CEO at the time John Sculley joined up with Hauser to develop the Arm processor — a computer chip design which today powers electronic devices all over the world — and create a company of the same name, investing $1.5m to purchase 43% of the new business. Apple sold those shares over time, making $800m in the process. In a 2015 interview with PC Mag, Sculley said this is what “kept the doors open at Apple” before Steve Jobs returned. “We’re responsible for the survival of Apple,” Hauser tells Sifted.

Three visionary research projects for a more sustainable construction industry (30/08/2024)

BBA Online |`30/08/2024 | Germany - The "EIC Pathfinder" supports visionary projects that are still in an early stage of development and have the potential to create new markets. Three research projects from the University of Stuttgart are now being supported as part of the "EIC Pathfinder Challenge 2023". These bring together architecture, civil engineering and digitalization to ensure greater sustainability in construction.

Air vents in facades open and close autonomously according to weather – ’Sounds like science fiction, but it’s real’ (29/08/2024)

Forest.fi | 29/08/2024 | Finland - A facade element made of wood foam can bring in considerable savings in heating and cooling. The research project has received millions in funding and a pilot plant is being planned. Wood foam elements for buildings are being developed in the Archibiofoam project led by Aalto University. The project has received a three-year Pathfinder Grant of EUR 3.4 million from the European Innovation Council.

University of Stuttgart: Hotspot for top international research in construction (28/08/2024)

Bauingenieur24 | 28/08/2024 | Germany - The so-called Pathfinder Challenge of the European Innovation Council (EIC) is one of the main funding lines from Pillar 3 (Innovative Europe) of the Horizon Europe programme. It focuses on visionary projects at an early stage of development on new technologies that have the potential to create new markets. At the University of Stuttgart, three research teams are benefiting from the current EIC Pathfinder Challenge.

KTH with and shares in 11.7 million euros for deep tech (28/08/2024)

KTH | 28/08/2024 | Sweden - It has now been decided which research projects have been awarded grants within the framework of the EIC Pathfinder programme. KTH is honored to be involved in four of these, which range from fusion energy to advanced biotechnology.

EU Backs €6M Initiative for Wave Energy-Powered Water Desalination in the Canary Islands (31/08/2024)

Water HQ | 31/08/2024 | Norway - The European Union has granted nearly €6 million to a consortium led by the Norwegian company Ocean Oasis to advance wave energy-powered desalination technology. The funding, awarded by CINEA under the Circular Economy and Quality of Life Programme. Ocean Oasis previously deployed a pilot buoy, Gaia, near the Port of Las Palmas in November 2022 to validate the technology. This effort was supported by co-funding from the European Innovation Council Accelerator, Innovation Norway, and other funders.

How one start-up secured European Innovation Council funding (27/08/2024)

Science|Business | 27/08/2024 | Israel - LightSolver, a Tel Aviv-based start-up developing a novel all-optical supercomputer, has made significant strides since its launch in 2020. But pioneering a new paradigm in supercomputing comes at a price, which the European Innovation Council (EIC) has helped with. The company secured a €2.5 million grant combined with a €10 million equity investment in the latest round of the EIC Accelerator, a €7 billion funding programme for high-risk deep tech start-ups.

Oulu is a semi-finalist in the European Capital of Innovation 2024 competition (28/08/2024)

Ouka.fi | 28/08/2024 | Finland - Oulu has reached the semi-finals of the European Capital of Innovation (iCapital) Awards, along with 11 other cities. The competition has two categories, European Capital of Innovation for cities with more than 250 000 inhabitants and European Rising Innovative City. Oulu is competing in the latter category.

7 business ideas that will change the world (26/08/2024)

Emprendedores | 26/08/2024 | Spain - A German startup that has developed impressive technology. Twinsity proposes AI to inspect the proper functioning of large infrastructures, such as bridges, water dams or oil refineries. With its AI and machine learning platform, these reviews are done in a safer way and at a lower cost (up to ten times cheaper). Founded in 2019, they have just received €2.5 million from the European Innovation Council Accelerator to boost their growth worldwide.

The 100 hottest Irish start-ups to watch in 2025 (30/08/2024)

Think Business | 30/08/2024 | Ireland - Galway-based space tech business Mbryonics is at the forefront of transforming satellite communications, datacoms, and 5G wireless sectors through cutting-edge wireless optical transport and Coherent Photonic-Optical (CPO) transceiver technologies. Provizio is a Limerick tech business founded by entrepreneur Barry Lunn with the ambition to make its autonomous accident-prevention technology in cars as ubiquitous as seat belts.

Turin among technological excellences, selected together with 11 other cities as a semi-finalist in the 10th edition of the European Capital of Innovation Awards (29/08/2024)

unosguardosutorino-it | 29/08/2024 | Italy - The recognition is prestigious, European Capital of Innovation (iCapital), but the prize is also significant: 1 million euros allocated to the city capable, better and more than others, of opening its governance practices to experimentation and of proposing itself as a model, pushing the boundaries of technology for the benefit of their citizens. Turin is also among these technological excellences.

UroMems raises €44 million for its clinical trials (29/08/2024)

Presences Grenoble | 29/08/2024 | France - Proposing an automated smart implant to treat stress urinary incontinence... A perspective that requires clinical trials. UroMems has raised €44 million to finalize this step. The fundraising was led by Crédit Mutuel Innovation, with the support of the European Innovation Council and other investors.

Estonia: Tallinn among 6 finalists for European Innovation Capital (29/08/2024)

Baltic News Service | 29/08/2025 | Estonia - Tallinn has advanced to the semifinals of iCapital, the 10th European Innovation Capital competition, being the only capital city to make it this far, and the winner of the competition will receive a prestigious title along with a prize of one million euros to further develop innovation.

Braga among the finalist cities of the “European Rising Innovative City” (29/08/2024)

SAPO | 29/08/2024 | Portugal - The City of Braga was announced as one of the semi-finalists for the prestigious “European Rising Innovative City” award, a category of the European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital) 2024. This nomination highlights Braga as one of the six European cities that stand out for driving innovation and promoting governance practices open to experimentation, with the aim of benefiting its citizens.

Siri, we didn't invite you here to get money (01/09/2024)

Shifter | 02/09/2024 | Norway - The Høydevind company actually started as a world record attempt. So far, they have been refused by Siri Kalvig and the Nysnø fund, but the EU millions are rolling in. The company has received a total of 8.5 million from the EU divided between the SME instrument, EIC accelerator, European Innovation Fund and the Marie Sklodowska Curie programmes.

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