Flagship 3: Accelerating and strengthening innovation in European Innovation Ecosystems across the EU and addressing the innovation divide

This flagship aims to accelerate innovation and unlock excellence across the EU through various tools. It focuses on creating the basis for the emergence of connected regional innovation valleys across the EU, notably involving regions with a lower innovation performance, by building on strategic areas of regional strength and specialisation, in support of key EU priorities.

Regional Innovation Valleys will bring together less and more innovative regions with a view to addressing the most burning challenges facing the EU, namely reducing the reliance on fossil fuels, increasing global food security, mastering the digital transformation (including cybersecurity), improving healthcare and achieving circularity.

As of 11 December 2024, 148 regions have received the Regional Innovation Valleys label as a recognition to their commitment to enhance the coordination and directionality of their R&I investment and policies, at regional level.

With an overall commitment of € 170 million for the Regional Innovation Valleys initiative, the first beneficiaries will receive approx €116 million, with nearly € 54 million from the European Innovation Ecosystems Work Programme under Horizon Europe and over € 62 million the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for these valleys.

This newly established network of regions will enable them to:

• work together based but not limited on their smart specialisation strategies, meeting specific local challenges and needs, whilst contributing to the Union’s strategic priorities; 
• strengthen their R&I investments and policies and engage in interregional cooperation;
• identify potentially relevant partners, by facilitating matchmaking and interconnections among those regions who are committed towards the same objectives;
• prepare and/or implement joint innovation plans to constitute connected regional innovation valleys.

Selected Regional Innovation Valleys map

Factsheets

Regions identified as Regional Innovation Valleys

UNITE / RIVCircular / PRECISEU / ECIV

Relevant links

EU Preparatory action on innovation for place-based transformation and call for expression of interest

2023 Μatchmaking map: Regional Innovation Valleys

Events

• Workshop on “Regional Innovation: drivers, opportunities and challenges"
• S3 Conference 2024 – Rimini, Emilia-Romagna (Italy)
• European Week of Regions and Cities: Regional Innovation Valleys – What’s in it for my region?
• Recording of online info session  “Regional Innovation Valleys - calls for proposals”

Pilot calls 2023 – useful links

• Recording of online info session  “Regional Innovation Valleys - calls for proposals”
• EIE co-fund FAQ
• Learn more about the difference between the two calls, EIE ( under Horizon Europe) and I3 instrument (under ERDF)
• Call for expression of interest FAQ

As part of the REPowerEU Plan, the European Commission has committed to boosting breakthrough innovation in renewable and low carbon hydrogen, a key technology for breaking the reliance on fossil fuels. Drawing on a EUR 200 million top-up from Horizon Europe, the number of Hydrogen Valleys in the EU will, starting in the fourth quarter of 2022, be doubled to reach 50 by 2025. These will cover several hydrogen applications and combine into an integrated regional ecosystem covering the entire value chain, aligned to regional requirements. The existing hydrogen valleys established in the EU will also be connected with one another to accelerate the rollout of the hydrogen economy in the EU, with funding under the Connecting Europe Facility.

Relevant links

REPowering the EU with Hydrogen Valleys: Clean Hydrogen Partnership invests EUR 105.4 million for funding 9 Hydrogen Valleys across Europe

Mission Innovation Hydrogen Valley: Project locations

Under the European Innovation Council Scale Up 100, the EIC is setting up an EIC Scaling Club, an exclusive community of 100 European high-growth deep-tech champions and future unicorns. The Club will engage companies in a pan-European network of scalers to share their peer experience and obtain exposure at the European level. It will provide the selected companies with tailored coaching and access to quality business partners such as corporates and investors.

The participating companies will come from the portfolio of EIC Awardees and other national and European innovation programmes or beyond. They will be selected based on the transformative solution of their deep technologies and growth performance while respecting the cohort’s geographical diversity and the gender balance of the leading teams.

Following the EIC Scale 100 Forum in October 2024, 72 new members will join the Club, forming a fully curated community of 120 European deep-tech scale-ups.

Relevant links

EIC Scaling Club

EIC Scaling Club under EIC Scale Up 100 

Scaling up with the European Innovation Council: launch of the new initiative to support Europe’s future deep tech champions

At the Competitiveness Council in December 2022, following the adoption of Council Conclusions on New European Innovation Agenda (NEIA), the Commission launched a call to governments to announce actions in support of the NEIA. This announcement was based on the understanding that full support and engagement from the Member States and Associated Countries is needed to ensure the implementation of the NEIA. 

The actions were gathered through the EIC Forum, a group of Member States and Associated Countries' public authorities and bodies in charge of innovation policies and programmes, with the aim of promoting coordination and dialogue on the development of the Union's innovation ecosystem.