Breton at Vivatech: a symbolic boost for the EIC amid Europe’s push for deep tech

On 27 May 2024 the European Innovation Council had a visible presence at Vivatech, the annual technology fair in Paris that attracts start-ups, investors and global tech executives. During the event Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market, visited the EIC stand and met a number of start-ups supported by the Council. According to the EIC announcement, Commissioner Breton praised the start-ups for advancing technology and contributing to Europe’s digital and green transitions.

What happened at the stand

The EIC stand presented a cross section of innovations backed by the Council. The projects on display ranged from artificial intelligence and biotechnology to renewable energy and advanced manufacturing. Breton’s visit involved meetings with teams from several promising ventures. The public account of the visit focuses on engagement and praise rather than policy commitments or concrete follow up actions such as procurement, co-investment announcements or regulatory changes.

Why the visit matters and what it does not say

High level visits to trade shows are standard practice for political leaders who want to signal support for priority sectors. Such appearances help raise the profile of particular programmes and of the companies involved. They can help start-ups attract investors, customers and partners. At the same time these events are inherently symbolic. The EIC statement records praise for technological progress and the twin green and digital transitions but does not describe specific commitments made by the Commission, the EIC Fund or national actors during the visit. That means the visit is useful for visibility but is not by itself evidence of follow through on financing, market access or regulation.

Programmes and mechanisms to know

Examples the EIC commonly highlights

While the Breton visit release did not list specific companies, EIC-funded portfolios typically include projects in quantum technologies, advanced materials, health and sustainable energy. The Council often points to initiatives that combine cross disciplinary science with commercialization pathways. For example in other EIC communications projects were described that target secure federated AI for healthcare, quantum communication interfaces between different quantum platforms and integrated sensor fibres for infrastructure monitoring. These examples illustrate the kinds of deep technical risk the EIC seeks to derisk for private investors.

Institutional context and operating agency

The EIC is implemented through EISMEA, the Executive Agency for the European Innovation Council and SMEs. EISMEA is responsible for calls, evaluations and management of many practical aspects of the EIC programmes. The EIC Fund is a separate investment arm that co-invests in companies where the EIC provides grant support or which meet its investment criteria. The European Investment Bank and contractors such as fund administrators or deal platforms are often engaged to provide technical or due diligence support for equity investments.

What to watch next

A political visit raises attention. The more consequential signals to look for are concrete follow up items. Those include announcements of new funding rounds, concrete co-investments by the EIC Fund or private investors, procurement partnerships with public authorities, or changes to regulation that ease market entry. Independent metrics to track would include the number of funded projects that progress to commercial scale, follow-on private investment attracted, and measurable improvements in market adoption or emissions or health outcomes where applicable.

For companies and investors the practical takeaways are the availability of EIC grants and coaching, the EIC Fund as a potential co-investor, and national or regional contact points that may help scale or match follow-on finance. For policymakers the challenge remains to translate visibility at events into durable pipelines that reduce the valley of death between research and industrial scale up in Europe.

A cautious read

Visits by commissioners are useful for signalling priorities and for giving start-ups marketing oxygen. They are not by themselves proof of systemic change. The EIC has demonstrable tools that go beyond exposure, including financing and coaching services. The effectiveness of those tools depends on their reach across the EU, coordination with national innovation systems and the ability to attract additional private capital. Observers should look for follow-up evidence of measurable outcomes rather than rely on a single public encounter for a policy assessment.

Further information and contacts

More information on the EIC, its programmes and calls is available via the EIC and EISMEA web portals. EISMEA publishes work programmes, calls and staff contact points for questions about applications and support services. For companies interested in funding or coaching the standard channels are the Funding and Tenders Portal and the EIC Business Acceleration Services.