The call for proposals for Strand 2b (Strand 2b - Capacity building) of the Interregional Innovation Investment Instrument (I3) has been published on the European Commission’s website.

The I3 is a funding instrument under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regulation, which aims to support interregional innovation projects in the commercialisation and scaling-up phase, providing the means for actors in innovation ecosystems to scale up their projects to investment level. The I3 instrument is implemented by the European Innovation Council and the SME Executive Agency (EISMEA) on the basis of a biannual work programme.

The aim of this Strand 2b call is to test new approaches to increase the capacity of regional innovation ecosystems in less developed regions to connect and interoperate in EU value chains. The aim of the scheme is to unlock the innovation potential of actors in regional innovation ecosystems, facilitating their subsequent participation in calls for proposals under I3 Strand 1 and Strand 2a.

Strand 2b projects will be expected to demonstrate new approaches, solutions and best practices, specifically to encourage innovation ecosystems in less developed regions and in particular SMEs to engage in interregional innovation processes. Projects result in potential interregional investments and related business and investment plans.

The detailed call for proposals is available here.
The deadline for Strand 2b call for proposals is 16 March 2023. 17:00 (CET)
In connection with the Strand 2b call, EISMEA is organising an online information day on 19 January 2023. Click here to register.