The European Commission adopted in February the 2022 work programme of the European Innovation Council, which aims to identify and support breakthrough technologies and game changing innovations to create new markets and scale up internationally. The new funding opportunities are worth over €1.7 billion in 2022 for innovators to scale up and create new markets.
In particular, EIC’s funding and support activity focuses on three research areas:
- EIC Pathfinder – for multi-disciplinary research teams, worth €350 million, to undertake visionary research with the potential to lead to technology breakthroughs.
- EIC Transition – funding to turn research results into innovation opportunities, worth €131 million.
- EIC Accelerator – worth €1.16 billion, for start-ups and SMEs to develop and scale up high impact innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones.
Importantly, all projects of the EIC have access to Business Acceleration Services, which provide coaches, mentors and expertise, partnering opportunities with corporates, investors and others, and a range of other services and events.
Among the novelties, the EU Commission has deployed stronger support to women innovators by developing an innovation gender and diversity index to identify gaps and encourage diversity within companies. This will provide consistent information to investors, funders, customers and policy makers. Furthermore, the 2022 edition of the EU Prize for Women Innovators will include two additional prizes for innovators under 35 – hence, there will be six prizes awarded in total: three prizes to the most inspiring women innovators across the EU and the countries associated to Horizon Europe, and three prizes to the most promising ‘Rising Innovators’ under the age of 35.
Find out more here.
Source: INSME Secretariat
