EBN - European Business & Innovation Centre Network’s Post

📈 Promising growth in #Europe; after a 2018-2021 downturn, 2022 saw #recovery driven by ICT and R&D innovation. Some highlights: 🌍 1️⃣ Eastern Europe is emerging as a growth hub for young scaleups; 2️⃣ Greece, Finland, and Denmark are leading the recovery; 3️⃣ ICT and R&D are crucial for Europe’s digital future. 📊 Study to monitor scaleups, conducted by the European Scaleup Institute (with Vlerick Business School as one of its members).

📣 We just started Module 2 of our EU|BIC Essentials Training Track 2024! Following the fantastic insights shared in Module 1: Digital Innovation & Digital Transformation yesterday, this second module deepened our understanding of how to shape, support, and scale digital innovation ecosystems. Highlights from Module 1: We explored foundational concepts of digital innovation and the role of EU|BICs and European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) in driving the EU Digital Decade Policy Programme. From enhancing digital skills to fostering cross-border cooperation, we set the stage for tackling the digital divide. Today our Module 2 covers: ✅ Strategic approaches for fostering sustainable innovation ecosystems around EU|BICs and DIHs ✅ Governance structures to support long-term growth ✅ How EU|BICs can leverage their expertise and ecosystems to drive digital transformation ✅ The journey from public to private funding models and scaling pilots into sustainable programmes Find the whole agenda here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dpYhRwru

🌟 Opportunity for innovative SMEs and collaborators!  Eureka Network's Eurostars, part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs and co-funded by the EU through Horizon Europe, is accepting applications for international R&D and innovation projects until March 13! This call is open to 38 countries. 🌎 💡 What’s in it for you? ✔️ Public funding for collaborative R&D in all fields ✔️ Partner with international experts ✔️ Develop products, processes, or services with strong commercialization potential 📅 Application period: 10 January 2025 – 13 March 2025 (14:00 Brussels time) 📌 Apply via: myeurekaproject.org 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dZSnxGhu  Your consortium must include an innovative SME in the lead, but other partners like large companies, universities, and research organizations are also welcome. Need help navigating the application process? We’re here to assist you. 🚀 #Eurostars #InnovationFunding #HorizonEurope #SMEs #Collaboration

Kruger Labs Shortlisted for Unicorn Kingdom: Pathfinder Awards (UKPA) (And poised to elevate LATAM innovation globally) KRUGERLABS is making waves on the world stage. Kruger has been selected to represent LATAM and the Caribbean at the #UKPA. Let’s delve into what this recognition means: Regional Representation 🥇 ↳ One of the few chosen. ↳ A significant achievement showcasing regional talent. Digital Commerce Solutions Category 💻 ↳ Shortlisted in a highly competitive field. ↳ Highlights our strength in digital innovation. Global Recognition 🌐 ↳ Organized by the UK Department for Business and Trade. ↳ Validates our position as a key player in the tech ecosystem. Semifinalist Status ⭐ ↳ Advanced through a rigorous selection process. ↳ Competing among the best in the world. Highlighting LATAM Innovation ↳ Puts the spotlight on our region’s potential. ↳ Encourages more global collaborations and opportunities. Inspiring Future Growth ↳ Motivates us to keep pushing boundaries. ↳ A stepping stone to even greater achievements. High-Level Competition ↳ Ready to showcase our capabilities at the highest level. ↳ Prepared to bring home the win for our region. Kruger Labs isn’t just representing a company. We’re representing the future of LATAM tech. Follow our journey as we compete on the global stage. Ernesto Kruger Erika Apunte Aguirre Boris Monsalve Juan Esteban Dousdebés Costa #KrugerLabs #UKPA2024 #AmericanInnovation #GlobalRecognition #DigitalCommerce

🌍 Build EU-Japan collaborations around FoodTech, HealthTech, and Smart Manufacturing Funding Opportunities 🇪🇺🇯🇵   EIT Global Outreach, together with JETRO - Japan External Trade Organization , EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, invite you to join the EU-Japan 'Bridging the Horizon' webinar, a unique opportunity to connect with innovation players from Europe and Japan and form collaborations around Horizon Europe funding opportunities.   🗓️ When? Wednesday, December 4, 2024 | 9:00–10:50 AM CET 💻 Where? Online (details shared after registration)   🌟 Why attend? ✅ Explore cross-border Horizon Europe funding opportunities tailored to EU and Japan FoodTech, HealthTech, and Smart Manufacturing innovation players ✅ Enhance your chances of success by learning to bridge cultural and business gap ✅ Expand your network by connecting with leading innovation players from Europe and Japan.   This webinar is your chance to gain valuable insights and build impactful collaborations between Europe and Japan, focusing on some of the most dynamic and transformative sectors in innovation.   🔗 For more information and registration click here: https://lnkd.in/g6ukrvw7 Laurent Roux Guglielmo di Cola Márton Herczeg, PhD Adi Barel Ido Rosenblum Eva Somodi Adina Beer Eden Dvir Zano Orestis Trasanidis Leslie Harris Tal Caspi Maayan Sharon Maytal Perlman Sahar Sazgar Catherine Breyssens Verónica Rodríguez García, PhD Adi Horesh Isaac Middelmann Konstantinos Georgoulias Martine Van Veelen Balazs Furjes Antoni Pijoan Tommaso Emiliani

Regional Innovation Valleys, 151 Regions* have been selected to receive a RIVs label and committed to: 🏄♂️ Strengthen their Research & Innovation (R&I) ecosystem 🏄♀️ Enhance the coordination and directionality of their R&I policy and investment towards key EU priorities 🏄♂️ Engage in R&I collaboration between more and less advanced regions with complementary smart specialisations (S3). The Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) initiative is one of 25 actions of the New European Innovation Agenda (NEIA). It aims to harness the full innovation potential across Europe, connecting less and more innovative regions and addressing social challenges through cutting edge technology. Involved regions identify their competitive advantages to bridge innovation divide, using their complementary strengths for an improved Research & Innovation (R&I) ecosystems Towards #ERAHubs

💯 The verdict is in. And the Netherlands ranks among Europe's top 5 innovators according to the recently released European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). 👀 What criteria were the EIS looking at? The EIS report groups countries as Innovation Leaders or Strong Innovators based on EU averages. Since 2017, most EU nations have improved their innovation performance with some fluctuations and things to improve upon. 🦾 What were the Netherlands strongest areas? The three main areas were a strong education system, top research institutions, and a digitally proficient population. However, the country still struggles with low private investment in innovation, which is below the EU average. ✨Overall, the Netherlands continues to strengthen its status as a leading innovator in Europe – and this can be seen here in Amsterdam, from the city’s dynamic startup ecosystem to the groundbreaking research that is conducted at institutions such as the Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) and the University of Amsterdam. 🔗Get all the facts here: https://lnkd.in/eU9suncc #DutchInnovators #Top5Innovators #InnovationInAmsterdam #AmsterdamInnovators

𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 - Facilitating Access to Capital 🌟 This endeavor, co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus Plus program 🇪🇺, is designed to equip SMEs with essential knowledge on various capital access sources, promoting growth and innovation.
 The initiative involves creating training modules based on research about available financial solutions 💰, conducted with stakeholders from Malta, Italy, Bulgary, Cyprus, and Austria. 🤝 The project has been organized with the support of European partners: Malta Stock Exchange plc | Exeo Lab Srl | Meta4 Innovations | Vernian RTI | South - West University “Neofit Rilski” | European projects and training OOD 👇 Read our full press release to discover how we're making an impact: https://vist.ly/3bdr8 #ErasmusPlus #Fairness #AccessToCapital #EUfunded #Innovation #Growth #Equity

Five Senegalese start-ups, supported by the Netherlands-funded project, showcased their innovations at the Kokùtana Forum—a leading event dedicated to digital innovation—gaining market insights, networking opportunities, and attracting new users and investors, driving business growth. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4fc44Hb

"Nel mezzo del cammin..." While the European public opinion suddenly woke up on topics like deep tech funding and support for disruptive innovation, the European Innovation Council (#EUeic) reached already the middle of its life cycle (2021-2027). Since there is a lot of discussion and (sometimes unjustified) opinions on it, I believe that it is always better to take a look on actual data and facts, before drawing conclusions. What a better moment than a "mid term" reflection? Here just the top 3 quick findings I got while playing around with some numbers: - the EIC crossed its midlife by delivering 5 Billions € to more than 1000 Projects run by disruptive innovators all over EU (from universities to start-ups and scale-ups) - every 14th successful project is lead by or as an Austrian participant onboard - during the last 3.5 years, I could support Austrian disruptive innovators to bring >100 M€ to the Austrian innovation ecosystem. These are just few quick findings, anyone can make her/his/their own mind on that, there is no intent of judgement, either political or public statement here. In my small way, it is just nice when you can look back, see what you did and be able to tell yourself... "not bad" 😎