The European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA) is hosting an information session on two calls opening on June 6, 2024, under the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) program of Horizon Europe.
The EIE program supports activities aimed at strengthening, connecting, and including innovation ecosystems across Europe. Operating under the 2023-25 Work Program, the EIE focuses on two main areas:
Destination CONNECT: Supporting cooperation and connectivity among various European public and private actors to create a more dynamic, inclusive, and interconnected European innovation ecosystem.
Destination INNOVSMEs: Supporting innovative SMEs in developing market-oriented products, processes, and services through cross-border collaborative R&I projects.
During the session, the experts will present the two open calls and the respective application processes:
- HORIZON-EIE-2024-CONNECT-02-01: Expanding Academia – Enterprise Collaborations
(Applications open until September 19)
This action aims to foster innovation ecosystems with higher education and research institutions or strengthen existing connections. Proposals should outline activities that support these institutions in taking a more entrepreneurial role, such as fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within their operations. The action must also ensure that the institutions’ assets and vision align with their regional specializations (e.g., smart specialization strategies) to integrate seamlessly into innovation ecosystems and economic value chains.
- HORIZON-EIE-2024-CONNECT-02-02: Mutual learning and support scheme for national and regional innovation programs
(Applications open until September 19)
This action aims to enhance dialogue and networking among public innovation authorities and agencies to design and implement regional and national innovation funding programs (aligned with the Plug-in certification requirements for EIC Accelerator phase 2). Applications from regional and national agencies in “emerging” and “moderate” innovation regions, such as Portugal, are particularly encouraged.
Register for the information session here.
The European Innovation Ecosystems program is part of Pillar III of Horizon Europe and is managed in Portugal by ANI.
For further details, please contact the national contact points for the EIE program:
Bibiana Dantas: bibiana.dantas@ani.pt
Rita Silva: rita.silva@ani.pt
