Transforming the Innovation Landscape in Europe
On 23 May, as part of the Turin EIC Days initiative promoted by Turin iCapital, the Energy Center hosted the event "Universities, Incubators, Accelerators and Investors", with the participation of Michiel Scheffer, President of the Board of the European Innovation Council (EIC).
The event, moderated by Gianmario Pellegrino, Deputy Vice-Rector for Technological Transfer of Politecnico di Torino, began with institutional greetings from Chiara Foglietta, Council Member of the City of Turin for Ecological and Digital Transition, Innovation, Mobility and Transportation, and Alessandra Fiorio Plà, Deputy Rector for International Education at the University of Turin. The session was introduced by Francesco Profumo, as a member of the EIC Board. The audience brought together researchers from Turin’s universities and research centres, as well as representatives from companies, startup incubators, foundations and funding organisations that are part of the city’s innovation ecosystem.
The meeting highlighted the uniqueness of the Turin innovation ecosystems, along with the city’s ability to evolve by building on its past and by selecting and integrating interests and experiences that contribute to continuous improvement. In this process of transformation, Politecnico plays a key role, especially by promoting an open-campus model that fosters collaboration and idea-sharing with international companies.
The EIC President outlined the objectives of the Council, which was created to introduce a disruptive "breakthrough" component into the European research system and to bridge the gap between research and market applications. He presented the EIC’s funding tools and innovation support measures, aimed at identifying and promoting breakthrough innovations and supporting the growth of innovative companies, particularly startups and deep tech SMEs – which bring forward innovations based on advanced scientific and engineering discoveries, and address complex and high-impact challenges. The EIC offers both funding and acceleration services, with a budget of 10 billion euros for the seven-year Horizon Europe framework programme (2021-2027). EIC funding is also available to companies and comes in three main categories: support for basic research and the development of new technologies; the transformation of research results into innovation; and support for companies in the development and scaling-up phases.
The discussion focused on Italy's low performance in EIC calls, particularly in those dedicated to more mature projects, such as the Transition and the Accelerator. A number of strategies were proposed that local stakeholders and universities could implement to improve these results. Among them: including in project teams not only scientific and technological experts but also specialists in product development, market strategy and business; enhancing university support during scouting, team-building and proposal-writing phases; and improving coordination with the industry at regional level – an approach that has produced very positive outcomes in countries such as Spain.
The speakers concluded that the Turin innovation system has all the necessary ingredients to become a key player in breakthrough innovation. It is a system developed more recently than others, capable of creating synergy among its stakeholders in order to strengthen its ability to attract EIC funding, an indicator of both technological excellence and maturity of the industrial system.
"This morning of intense and generous dialogue between President Scheffer and the researchers from our city’s two universities gives us a frank and positive image of our local context, which has all the tools needed to succeed in the international innovation race: excellent universities, a vibrant and diverse industrial district, and the strong presence of investment funds to encourage the creation and growth of innovative startups. Securing funding for innovation on EIC calls is both a sign of the very high quality of the work being done in our ecosystem and a lever to attract further local investment. The dialogue with EIC confirms that the actions already taken by our University and by UniTo to improve coordination among stakeholders and support aspiring founder teams are on the right track, and now require strengthened communication and steady, long-term commitment”, comments Gianmario Pellegrino.
