Today, the Commission makes available €122 million under the European Innovation Ecosystems part of Horizon Europe and the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument part of the European Regional Development Fund to strengthen and advance European innovation ecosystems, connecting all EU territories, to address societal challenges, and to foster stronger cohesion. These calls for proposals contribute to a key initiative of the ‘New European Innovation Agenda’, which aims to promote interconnected ‘Regional Innovation Valleys’ across the EU.
- 17 May 2023
Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said: "These calls support European regions to thrive in vibrant innovation ecosystems. They foster cohesion and interregional collaborations. This makes sure that everyone contributes to and benefits from Europe's leadership in innovation. From decreasing fossil fuel dependence to bolstering global food security. From boosting digital transformation and cybersecurity to revolutionizing healthcare. The opportunities are many fold.”
Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, added: “These calls are a joint effort of Cohesion Policy Funds and Horizon Europe, aimed at supporting innovation actors in regions with varying levels of economic development and innovation performance. This opportunity enables European regions to join forces and put forward interregional innovation projects along smart specialisation strategies, fostering the bridging of the innovation divide and delivering tangible benefits for all regions.”
The New European Innovation Agenda aims to position Europe at the forefront of the new wave of deep-tech innovation and start-ups. It will help Europe to develop new technologies to address the most pressing societal challenges, and to bring them on the market.
The Regional Innovation Valleys aim to harness the full potential for innovation, including deep-tech, across the different EU territories to address societal challenges and the innovation divide in the EU. Its objective is to identify up to 100 regions committed to enhance the coordination of their research and innovation investment and policies. The Commission recently launched a call for expression of interest inviting European regions to become regional innovation valleys.