EISMEA and DG REGIO have launched the I3 Support Facility to enhance interregional innovation ecosystems and support the I3 Instrument. The Facility promotes cohesion and integrates less-developed EU regions into value chains through its Capacity Building Hub, offering technical, regulatory, and investment advice, a matchmaking platform, workshops, and a handbook.
Empowering innovation: the I3 Support Facility has been officially launched!
- 10 January 2025
The European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), in collaboration with Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) has launched the I3 Support Facility to enhance interregional innovation ecosystems, supporting the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument (Pillar 4 of the Talent Booster Mechanism).
The Facility, focusing on fostering cohesion and integrating less-developed EU regions into European value chains, has at its core a Capacity Building Hub, which accelerates the adoption of the I3 Instrument by promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing, and stakeholder capacity building. It aligns projects with EU and regional priorities while gathering policy insights from ongoing initiatives.
To support stakeholders, the Facility offers technical, regulatory, and investment advice to strengthen project proposals, a matchmaking platform to foster collaboration, and workshops, training seminars, and a handbook to share best practices.
Data transparency will be ensured by the I3 Observatory, a dashboard for monitoring project outcomes, trends, and progress, that will contribute to the dissemination of insights, aiding the evolution of regional and European innovation ecosystems. Additionally, the Facility includes a Policy Lab designed to support policymakers, public authorities, and intermediaries in addressing challenges faced by less developed and outermost regions. The Lab enhances institutional capacities, develops effective policy solutions, and helps regions retain talent and attract investments.