Slovenian applicants at the forefront of tapping the potential of the centralised European innovation instrument
Designed to strengthen synergies between EU, national and regional funding instruments, I3 has been particularly effective in strengthening innovation ecosystems across Europe, with Slovenian applicants at the forefront, as illustrated in the figure below.
Figure: Participation in I3 projects per country per capita. Slovenia ranks the highest. | Author EISMEA
The I3 instrument, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), supports inter-regional innovation projects at critical stages of commercialisation and dissemination. It aims to help projects overcome regulatory and market barriers and provide a way to attract investment and integrate into European value chains.
As part of its mission, the I3 work programme focuses on smart specialisation strategies. The aim of this approach is to accelerate the market uptake of research innovations and to strengthen sustainable links between regional ecosystems.
The I3 work programme for the period 2023-2024 offers funding under three strategic strands:
- Strand 1 encourages consortia from regions with different innovation profiles to collaborate on cross-regional innovation projects in areas of common or complementary expertise.
- Strand 2a focuses on less developed regions and helps to establish and grow value chains while integrating regional innovation actors into EU-wide networks.
- Strand 2b strengthens regional innovation ecosystems and builds their capacity to develop business cases for interregional innovation projects.
The Smart Specialisation Coordination Unit (S5) at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development plays a key role in Slovenia's active participation. S5 ensures compliance with I3 objectives by issuing smart specialisation compliance letters to consortia and supports local stakeholders in establishing a strong position in EU value chains.
Slovenia’s proactive participation in I3 underlines its commitment to fostering innovation-led growth. By seizing the opportunities offered by the EU’s Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument, Slovenian innovators are not only contributing to the country’s economic development but also strengthening its presence on the European innovation map. The map of Europe below shows that Slovenia is at the top in terms of the number of partners involved in the project.
As the deadline for the last call for I3 funding on 5 December 2024 is approaching, the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development wishes all Slovenian applicants every success in the future.
Figure: Number of partners in all I3 projects by EU region and country, with Slovenia, especially the Vzhodna Slovenija cohesion region, at the forefront | Author EISMEA