The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) plans to set up one-stop-shops for its services across Europe’s less innovative regions, most of which lie in eastern and central Europe. These regions are part of the Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS), where in recent years EIT has been working to strengthen local innovation capacities.
Now, it wants to maximise its presence by giving innovators easier access to training, funding, guidance on launching start-up and other services.
Two pilots will be launched in Latvia and North Macedonia. In Latvia, for example, there are six or seven hubs, ranging from health to food focused ones, and its innovators may be confused about where to go to get help. In North Macedonia there are no hubs, though there is a national contact point that people can go to for support.
Under the plan, hubs representing all eight communities will be established in the two countries by the end of the year, in a bid to ensure EIT is better positioned to reach innovators looking to access EU funded services, and to guide coordination between the existing local hubs.
By the end of 2024, the EIT hopes to have these hubs all around the RIS regions.
