INNOVATE-EU: Empowering European Start-ups Through Interconnected and Inclusive Innovation Ecosystems is a Horizon Europe project designed to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems across Europe and empower deep-tech start-ups and scale-ups. Running from January 2025 to December 2026, this 24-month initiative unites eight partners from five EU countries: Germany, Spain, Lithuania, Latvia, and Romania.
Despite Europe’s strong innovation leadership, disparities between regions continue to hinder inclusive growth. While innovation leader regions like Baden-Württemberg in Germany thrive, emerging regions in Latvia and Northeast Romania face significant challenges in accessing capital and adequate support for startups. INNOVATE-EU addresses this fragmentation by fostering cooperation between regions with different levels of innovation maturity, creating a unified European innovation landscape.
Why Regional Innovation Integration Matters
Innovation ecosystems across Europe remain fragmented, limiting knowledge exchange and hindering the potential for disruptive innovations to emerge from less-developed regions. This disparity restricts access to resources, networks, and funding opportunities, particularly affecting women and minority entrepreneurs. INNOVATE-EU recognizes that sustainable innovation requires bridging these gaps and creating pathways for inclusive growth across all European regions.
The project’s mission is threefold:
- Diagnose and Bridge Gaps: Conduct comprehensive mapping of regional innovation ecosystems and identify specific needs of start-ups and support organizations through stakeholder co-creation processes.
- Build a Connected Community: Establish an interregional innovation support network, linking local ecosystems to European-level actors and fostering sustainable cross-border collaboration.
- Empower Start-ups: Design and implement targeted support actions, including training, mentoring, and matchmaking opportunities tailored to the needs of deep-tech innovators across Health, GreenTech, AgriFood, and ICT sectors.
Key Activities
INNOVATE-EU achieves its objectives through comprehensive regional ecosystem analysis and stakeholder engagement, developing a three-stream startup support programme covering capacity building, acceleration support, and access to funding. The project will generate policy recommendations and strategic insights based on real-world feedback from pilot actions, while organizing cross-regional knowledge exchange events and a final matchmaking showcase for investor-ready start-ups.
The project adopts a systematic three-pillar approach: setting the stage through thorough ecosystem analysis, building interconnected and inclusive innovation ecosystems through sustainable community formation, and strengthening European start-ups through direct support combining training on financial modeling, business model innovation, pitch preparation, and international market access strategies.
Expected Impact
INNOVATE-EU will achieve stronger, more resilient regional innovation ecosystems with enhanced cross-border collaboration and knowledge sharing. The project aims to improve access to resources and markets for start-ups and scale-ups while providing actionable policy recommendations for EU innovation strategies. By co-creating action plans with local stakeholders, INNOVATE-EU will deliver tangible improvements in ecosystem collaboration, inclusiveness, and startup support.
INNOVATE-EU represents a new wave of European cooperation that enables innovation to thrive across borders and sectors, ensuring that no region is left behind in the journey toward a sustainable, digital, and inclusive future.
Partners:
- Steinbeis 2i GmbH
- Asociatia Clusterelor din Romania
- AgriFood Lithuania DIH
- Asociacion Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion en Aragon
- Fundacion Zaragoza Ciudad de Conocimiento
- Gruenhof GmbH Latvijas Partikas Uznemumu Federacija
- Clusterul Regional Inovativ de Imagistica Moleculara si Structurala Nord-Est
Project website: https://innovateeu.eu/