Europe adopts a disruptor mindset

By Iain Robertson

The innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, Niccolò Machiavelli warned us, but in Europe the old conditions have no friends left

Training one million deep tech innovators is one of the priorities of the New European Innovation Agenda.

Launched last summer by the European Commission, the Agenda’s aim is to drive the EU’s twin digital and green transitions, putting it on a path to achieve its flagship policy of becoming the world’s first climateneutral continent by 2050.

“The new European Innovation Agenda will ensure innovators, startups and scaleups, and innovative businesses can become global innovation leaders,” said Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation. “We have consulted with stakeholders, such as innovation ecosystem leaders, startups, unicorns, women founders, women working in the capital venture, universities, and businesses. Together, we will make Europe the global powerhouse for deep-tech innovations and startups.”

Europe is an exciting place for innovators right now, with policymakers creating good conditions for growth, and new funding streams available to changemakers, the EU is earning a reputation as being a dynamic space to operate in.

What startups and entrepreneurs at 4YFN will want to know though, is how they can access finance and support - and some of the key EU organisations who can answer that are at this year’s event.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), the continent’s largest innovation ecosystem, are in Barcelona to explain how the institute’s EIT Digital, EIT Food, EIT Health and EIT Urban communities can help those who share its goal of creating a ‘more digital, healthier, liveable and sustainable Europe’. For more, visit Hall 8.1 Stand A9

The European Innovation Council is also in town, on a mission to explain its multi-billion euro support programme available for ‘game changing innovations throughout their lifecycle from early stage research’ all the way up to the ‘scale up of start-ups and SMEs’. Catch up with the EIC team in Hall 8.1 Stand A20.