EIC at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2023

From 27 February to 2 March 2023 the European Innovation Council organised a delegation of 20 EIC-backed deeptech companies at Mobile World Congress Barcelona. The event, the industrys largest telecoms and mobile trade fair, attracted more than 2 000 exhibitors, 4 700 members of the global media and over 100 000 visitors from 173 countries. The EIC Pavilion positioned European science based startups and scaleups on a global stage with a programme of exhibition space, preparatory workshops and speaking slots.

Who exhibited at the EIC Pavilion

The 20 companies selected to represent the EIC Pavilion ranged across EU and associated countries and represented technologies described broadly as artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning and mobile solutions. The organisers emphasised an immersive experience highlighting what they described as the quality and authenticity of European novelties.

Programme support, visibility and partnerships

EIC activity at MWC combined exhibition space with a series of support measures. The EIC ran preparatory workshops for participating companies to hone pitches and plan business development. The event also included a high level panel on Deep Tech in Europe featuring Timo Hallantie, Head of the EIC Pathfinder Unit at EISMEA. Participants highlighted the EICs role in backing visionary entrepreneurs and argued that science based innovation is a strategic opportunity for Europe to build global competitiveness.

The pavilion also benefited from the GSMAs start up platform 4YFN. In a pre event interview Lara Dewar, Chief Marketing Officer of GSMA, described the EIC Pavilion as an important element of the entrepreneurial community at MWC and recommended that European startups and scaleups use the opportunity to network, validate concepts and accelerate scaling. Organisers and partners framed MWC as an intensive environment for lead generation and partner discovery.

Preparatory workshops and advice from experienced participants

Ahead of MWC the EIC organised virtual preparatory workshops covering practical trade fair tactics and networking strategy. Speakers included the Director of GSMA Mark Callender who previewed networking and partnering opportunities. Representatives from regional trade body ACCIO advised participants on leveraging the event to reach global markets. Past participants in the Overseas Trade Fairs programme such as JADBios Head of Marketing shared practical experience on pitch preparation.

The workshops are part of the EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme 2.0 which ran in 2022 and 2023 with the stated aim of helping EIC funded SMEs, startups and scaleups to develop international commercialisation strategies and to exhibit at up to 15 trade fairs across EU and extra EU markets. The EIC highlighted success stories and case studies to illustrate potential gains from participation.

Follow up fairs and the evolution to a longer term ITF programme

The article noted that the next EIC delegation would exhibit at Hannover Messe from 17 to 21 April 2023. In later planning the EIC and the Executive Agency EISMEA evolved the OTF concept into the International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0, or ITF 3.0, which runs from 2024 to 2026 and expands the geographic coverage to include the Middle East, North Africa and the United States.

ITF 3.0 formalised a more sectoral approach covering biotech and pharma, health and medical care, cleantech and energy, and new industrial technologies. The revamped programme emphasises tailored market briefings, pre departure coaching, cultural and intellectual property training and robust follow up mechanisms. EIC publicity cites participant success stories such as companies reporting sales or deals after trade fair attendance. These anecdotes can be persuasive but they do not replace systematic impact evaluation.

Practical next steps and caveats for companies

For EIC beneficiaries and potential applicants the pathway to participate involved responding to open calls and completing an application detailing product market fit, readiness to internationalise and commercialisation strategy. Calls typically open about six months before each trade fair and external experts assess applications. The EIC Community Platform and the EIC Community Helpdesk were the primary information points for applications, case studies and guidance.

While trade fairs can accelerate lead generation and create high quality contacts, organisers and participants should be realistic about outcomes. Generating durable commercial relationships and measurable revenue growth depends on targeted follow up, local market understanding and alignment with partners. Public communications from institutions such as the EIC typically highlight positive examples. Readers and potential applicants should ask for detailed impact reporting where available and clarify evaluation criteria used by the programme.

How to follow EIC activity and participate

Updates, open calls, success stories and practical resources were published on the EIC Community Platform. The EIC also promoted programmes and events via social media channels including Twitter and LinkedIn. Companies interested in future delegations were advised to monitor the Community Platform for open calls and to use the Helpdesk for specific questions about trade fair eligibility and application procedures.