Why the EIC is pushing innovation procurement

Public procurement is one of the largest demand levers in Europe. Official figures put public procurement above two trillion euro per year, which is roughly 14 percent of EU GDP on an annual basis. Buying authorities therefore have market power to steer demand toward greener, digital or otherwise innovative solutions. Policy reviews on EU competitiveness such as the Draghi report and the Letta report highlight procurement as a lever to accelerate industrial modernisation and scale high potential companies. The European Innovation Council is responding to that logic with a suite of practical measures under its Business Acceleration Services.

What the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme does

The programme is an end to end effort to open procurement markets to EIC-backed innovators and to accelerate uptake of solutions by buyers. It targets both sides of the transaction. On the supplier side it focuses on awareness, capability building and matchmaking so that startups and SMEs can compete for tenders. On the demand side it supports public buyers to design and run procurement processes that lower barriers for innovative suppliers. The EIC describes the initiative in three linked strands: contact building between buyers and EIC beneficiaries, skills enhancement for suppliers, and the creation of contracts and pilots that lead to business.

The three initiatives: SPIN4EIC, InnoMatch and InnoBuyer

SPIN4EIC: Strategic Innovation Procurement

SPIN4EIC is the programme's capacity building and matchmaking arm. It offers training and targeted, hands on assistance to EIC awardees and public buyers. The stated objective is to create a community of procurers and private buyers interested in EIC solutions and to professionalise buyers so they can design tenders that SMEs and start ups can realistically respond to. SPIN4EIC also provides events that showcase innovators to buyers and an online toolkit aimed at supplier needs.

SPIN4EIC runs periodic Innovation Procurement Academies. One early Academy was scheduled fully online for 14 to 17 October 2024. These courses mix legal, commercial and practical modules to help innovators learn procurement fundamentals and practical bidding techniques. Dates and participation rules are announced on the EIC Community and through newsletters.

InnoMatch: funded pilots and proof of concept

InnoMatch is the programme component that finances small scale demonstrations aimed at proving solutions in a real buyer environment. The explicit objective is to mainstream innovation procurement by lowering the pilot risk for buyers and by giving innovators an onramp to procurement contracts if the pilot is successful.

InnoMatch also aims to increase the likelihood that successful pilots are adopted more widely by supporting the deployment phase and by creating visibility through networked promotion and links with other projects and stakeholders.

InnoBuyer: co creation and adoption by design

InnoBuyer adopts a buyer driven methodology. It brings procurers, called Challengers, together with Solvers usually represented by EIC backed SMEs. The focus is on co creating and piloting solutions to common procurement challenges and then tooling those results into documents that can be used for future procurement. The programme is oriented to adoption by design rather than demonstration alone.

At the time of reporting, the first cohort of Challenger Solver duos is halfway through the co creation piloting phase while a second cohort composed specifically of EIC Solvers and their Challengers is due to begin co creation soon.

How the programme sits within EU procurement policy

The EIC Innovation Procurement Programme operates in the context of a wider EU policy push to use procurement strategically. European Commission guidance and policy work promotes innovation procurement, green and social procurement, and professionalisation of buyers. Tools such as EAFIP methodologies for public procurement of innovation are referenced as good practice. EU law sets the legal framework for tenders, remedies and cross border access but practical barriers remain for smaller vendors.

Practical implications and critical considerations

The EIC Innovation Procurement Programme packages sensible interventions. Training, targeted legal advice, market consultations and small pilot grants reduce typical friction points that prevent SMEs from winning public contracts. However the programme faces structural constraints. Public procurement remains legally and administratively complex and varies across member states. Many buyers still award on lowest price which limits quality and innovation friendly award outcomes. Pilots and academy training lower risk but do not guarantee adoption at scale. Data provided by the EIC shows activity and some early results but these outputs are not the same as sustained market adoption and revenue growth for a large number of beneficiaries.

For policymakers and programme managers the priority should be to convert pilots into repeatable frameworks and to report on procurement wins and revenue attributable to programme interventions. For buyers, the challenge is capacity building and designing procurements that balance competition with clarity on IPR and contractual responsibilities. For innovators the practical needs remain the same. They need accessible tender notices, help with bid preparation, clarity on contract terms and support to manage procurement led pilots into sustainable contracts.

How to engage if you are an innovator or a procurer

EIC awardees and EIC supported organisations can apply to SPIN4EIC assistance, join Innovation Procurement Academies, and register on the SPIN4EIC Community to access matchmaking and events. Public buyers can apply for tailored support across needs assessment, business case building, market consultation and drafting of tender documents. Calls and application forms are published on the EIC Community platform and on the SPIN4EIC webpages. Where there are multiple deadlines described in different documents, applicants should rely on the official call text on the EIC Community platform and contact the SPIN4EIC helpdesk for clarifications.

If you want to track opportunities subscribe to the Innovation Procurement Newsletter or the SPIN4EIC mailing list and consult the EIC Community open calls pages. For immediate questions the programme provides a Helpdesk and a contact form on the EIC Community site.

Disclaimer: This article reformulates publicly available EIC programme material, EU public procurement guidance and related Commission communications. Figures cited are those released by EIC or the European Commission and may reflect self reported results or interim programme metrics. The analysis here flags likely implementation risks and does not represent the official positions of the European Commission.