In response to persisting regional disparities in innovation performance in Europe, the EIT launched the Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) in 2014 to provide tailored capacity building support as well as widened regional outreach to what the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) designates as “modest” and “moderate” innovator countries.
While the EIT looks ahead to new horizons for the 2022-2027 period, it can already proudly present seven years of hard work uniting new partners across Europe within its innovation network. The EIT was working tirelessly between 2014 and 2020 to establish a presence in all EU Member States and beyond.
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Countries which previously had very limited participation in the EIT Community increased their participation between 2014 and 2020 from 40 partners in those countries to over 900. The RIS has both increased the number of start-ups the EIT Community is supporting in RIS countries and facilitated access to business creation services. By 2020, it had supported 1 350+ start-ups and scale-ups.
The RIS Hubs ensure innovators know who to call for support
All countries in Europe have bright minds with great ideas looking for an opportunity to show what they can do. The presence of physical EIT Community locations has given these bright minds access to resources and networks they need to turn ideas into inventions. That is especially valuable in countries where such resources and networks are not readily available. Thanks to the EIT RIS, talent from Lisbon to Ankara now know exactly where to go to find the support they need.
Join the EIT Community through the RIS
Here are the RIS-eligible countries for the 2021-2024 period:
- EU Member States: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia
- Horizon Europe Associated Countries:Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine
- Outermost Regions: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint-Martin (France), Azores, Madeira (Portugal), Canary Islands (Spain)
Want to know if there is an EIT Hub near you? The EIT just drew up this interactive map for you.
Recent EIT RIS Success Stories
Skeleton Technologies has been with the EIT Community from the beginning as part of an EIT InnoEnergy project to develop a unique material called “curved graphene” — a material that propelled them to the success they now enjoy. From its HQ in Tallinn, it has now grown into a Global Cleantech 100 company specialising in energy-saving ultracapacitors supplying the likes of Volvo and Škoda.
Biolive is the first company in the world to use olive seeds as the basis for replacing petroleum-derived plastic. The recyclable and cost-effective bioplastic derived from olive oil production waste is internationally recognised with 30 global awards. The EIT has been there along the way, helping Biolive expand its network in its native Türkiye and beyond, as well as securing investment and the exposure the invention deserves.
ElevenEs’ development was a major milestone for its home country, Serbia. It directly created 2 000 jobs and is an incredible showcase of innovation talent, bringing the world Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) batteries that charge better, faster, and for a lower price. It is now a key component of a more independent Europe as it looks for ways to avoid dependence on foreign components for batteries.
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Source: European Institute of Innovation & Technology (https://bit.ly/3FF7VN1)