Preparatory action for setting up joint programmes among innovation ecosystems actors

Expected Outcome:Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Open dialogue, prepare the ground and facilitate the agreement among Member States, Associated Countries, and/or their regions, in cooperation with public and private sector and research and innovation actors, towards more dynamic, inclusive, gender diverse, and connected innovation ecosystem, via co-planning, co-implementation, and co-investments around areas outlined in the New European Innovation Agenda[1];
• Prepare joint long-term programmes and action plans fostering collaboration, common innovation-support activities, and the creation of common knowledge assets among EU, national, regional and/or local level innovation ecosystems, enhancing synergies and complementarities of their programmes and encouraging the alignment of their innovation policies and related policies impacting innovation, for example, innovation procurement strategies, in line with the New European Innovation Agenda, establishing, if relevant, links to the Regional Innovation Valley[2]. ;
• Ensure the inclusion of diverse innovation players from across the quadruple helix[3], and several EU territories;
• Foster synergies with other EU funding programmes, including Cohesion Policy instruments and any other funding instruments, including national or regional public funds, and private funds, to complement Horizon Europe support for innovation ecosystems.

Scope:The topic will allow national, regional and/or local authorities in charge of innovation policies and programmes from Member States, Associated Countries and/or their regions, and other research and innovation actors, to prepare joint multi-annual programmes of activities and action plans with the aim of strengthening the performance and capacity of their innovation ecosystems, their efficient interconnection and their alignment towards EU-level priorities, in line with the New European Innovation Agenda[1], to jointly tackle challenges at EU, national, regional, and local level.

The topic will allow applicants to prepare and agree on a common programme of activities and action plans. The applicants are encouraged to consider a project duration of 12 to 18 months and in their proposals they should:

• Identify areas and activities of cooperation to enhance the coordination and directionality of their research and innovation investments and policies and improve the efficiency and performance of the EU's innovation ecosystems, fostering their interconnection and scale-up: • The proposals are encouraged to focus on one or several thematic/technological areas of common interest in line with one or more EU priorities, including the “burning challenges” specified in the New European Innovation Agenda, as well as the Green Deal, the RePowerEU Plan[5], circularity[6] and digital transformation[7] and the priorities set out in the Communications by the European Commission on biotechnology and biomanufacturing[8] and advanced materials[9];
• The proposals should take into account gender equality objectives[10].

• Explain their links to the New European Innovation Agenda and how the projects will contribute to its objectives;
• Plan their long-term action: the applicants are encouraged to consider planning of at least three (3) years towards engaging in the joint cooperation activities set out in the frame of the projects;
• Provide a justification on the need for those joint activities that should be scalable at European level and demonstrate their strong EU added value, explaining the potential for growth and competitiveness foreseen in the targeted sector
• Explain how the proposed action plans enhance synergies of EU, national and/or regional funds and programmes, and encourage the alignment of their innovation agendas;
• Explain the process that they plan to follow, with an open, clear, realistic, and impact-oriented approach, including relevant guidance mechanisms and tools;
• Present what common knowledge assets are expected from the proposed action plans, and the benefit of the intended beneficiaries of the plans;
• Design pilot schemes for specific actions, with the possibility to test them with non-compulsory FSTP schemes;
• Present the targeted milestones to be achieved.
• Ensure inclusiveness and diversity with the involvement of varied innovation actors from the quadruple helix, for example, individual inventors, industry, startups, scaleups and SMEs investors, innovation hubs, business associations, clusters, public and private buyers of innovative solutions as well as citizens and civil society organisations.

The proposals for the development of a joint long-term action plan may include the following two (2) phases:

• A first phase to foster close dialogue among key stakeholders for strategy/partnership building, mapping, and analysis of existing national and/or regional and/or local innovation agendas/strategies/policies/plans/activities. Proposals are welcome to cover a diverse range of innovation actors that are relevant for the fulfilment of their goals and to foresee ways to motivate their inclusion. Activities are encouraged to consider existing tools, knowledge and expertise, including the methodology and governance tools tested and developed in the context of the Regional Innovation Valleys or the knowledge and expertise of the EIT KICs with place-based approaches to innovation;
• A second phase dedicated to the concretising, setting up, and finalising the joint action plan(s) and allocation of the activities over a period of the proposed action plans.

The implementation of the proposed action plans is not part of this topic, unless the project uses FSTP. For the implementation part, the successful proposals under the topic may seek further financial support from other EU programmes, including Horizon Europe and/or other public and/or private programmes.

[1] A New European Innovation Agenda, COM(2022) 332 final.

[2] More information under New European Innovation Agenda - Flagship 3

[3] A model of cooperation between industry, academia, civil society and public authorities, with a strong emphasis on citizens and their needs.

[4] A New European Innovation Agenda, COM(2022) 332 final.

[5] RePowerEU Plan, COM/2022/230 final

[6] Hubs for Circularity

[7] European Digital Innovation Hubs Network (europa.eu)

[8] COM(2024) 137 final

[9] COM(2024) 98 final

[10] See for instance the Horizon Europe regulation for horizontal gender equality principles, the ERA policy agenda 2022-2024, and the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025.