EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0 builds a European pavilion for scaleups — with caveats

Brussels, June 3rd 2024

Summary

›The European Innovation Council Business Acceleration Services launched the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0 to help EIC-backed SMEs, startups and scaleups internationalise via participation at major trade fairs.
›The programme offers end-to-end support including coaching, pre-departure market briefings, cultural and IP training, B2B matchmaking and on-site customised services.
›ITF 3.0 focuses on four sectors and aims to place participants at about a dozen fairs in EU, MENA and the United States, with BIO International Convention San Diego in June 2024 as a highlighted activation.
›Eligibility is restricted to companies that have received EIC support and are selected through open calls. Practical success depends on pre-existing market readiness, regulatory preparation and effective follow-up.
›EIC BAS publishes performance figures for its suite of services but independent verification of long-term conversion from trade-fair participation to durable international growth is limited.

What the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0 is trying to do

The European Innovation Council Business Acceleration Services has rolled out the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0, an initiative designed to create curated European pavilions at major global trade fairs and to help EIC awardees accelerate commercialisation abroad. The stated aim is to reduce barriers to international expansion for European startups, scaleups and SMEs by packaging market access services around trade fair participation.

Core offer and services

End-to-end market support:ITF 3.0 provides a sequence of services that begin before the event and continue after. These include pre-departure market briefings, sector and country intelligence, tailored coaching on commercial strategy, cultural orientation and intellectual property, on-site logistical and visibility support at the European Pavilion, B2B matchmaking, and structured follow-up to convert leads into partnerships or sales.

Types of coaching and training:Coaching is adapted to the needs of the selected awardees and ranges from pitch and positioning workshops to IP protection and negotiation practice. Organisers highlight tailored modules to help firms present to investors, procurers and corporate partners.

Sectors, regions and scale

ITF 3.0 concentrates activity across four sector groupings: Biotech and Pharma, Health and Medical Care, Clean Tech Environment and Energy, and New Technologies and Industrial Technologies. The programme targets strategic markets in the EU, the Middle East and North Africa region and the United States. Promotional materials describe 12 international trade fairs across these regions and sectors during the programme period.

Eligibility and selection

Who can apply:The programme is open only to startups, scaleups and SMEs from EU Member States and Associated Countries that have previously received EIC support. Participation requires applying to specific open calls that are published on the EIC Community Platform. Outside experts review and rank the applications to select participants.

When to apply:Open calls generally open roughly six months before a given trade fair. Applicants must demonstrate product-market alignment, readiness to commercialise internationally and a coherent internationalisation strategy in their application.

BIO International Convention 2024: a case in point

As the programme launched, the EIC used the BIO International Convention in San Diego (3 to 6 June 2024) to showcase 15 EIC-backed biotech and biomanufacturing firms on the European Pavilion. The BIO convention attracts tens of thousands of industry participants and is a notable platform for licensing, partnerships and investor meetings.

Company	Country
ABILITY PHARMACEUTICALS SL	Spain
ACOUSORT AB	Sweden
BEATS THERAPEUTICS Ltd	Ireland
GENOMTEC S.A.	Poland
IRIS AI AS	Norway
KVANTIFY APS	Denmark
MCULE.COM KFT	Hungary
MTM Srl	Italy
PEPTOMYC SL	Spain
REACT4LIFE S.R.L.	Italy
SDS OPTIC S.A.	Poland
STAB VIDA INVESTIGACAO E SERVICOS EM CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS LDA	Portugal
VAULTREE LIMITED	Ireland
VERIGRAFT AB	Sweden
VITALERA	Spain

Selected companies received onboarding calls and a pre-departure workshop that covered logistics, US market insights and corporate culture. The EIC pairs newcomers with alumni from previous programmes to share practical lessons on exhibiting and networking at major conventions.

Programme timeline and where to check dates

Communications about ITF 3.0 vary slightly by page. Some EIC materials describe the initiative running through 2024 and 2025 while other EIC pages extend activity into 2026. Prospective participants should consult the EIC Community Platform for the authoritative schedule and the specific open calls tied to each trade fair.

Selected trade fair	Typical dates	Region
BIO International Convention	3-6 June 2024	San Diego, USA
CES International	6-9 January 2026	Las Vegas, USA
Mobile World Congress	2-5 March 2026	Barcelona, Spain
GITEX Africa	7-9 April 2026	Marrakech, Morocco
GITEX Europe	30 June - 1 July 2026	Berlin, Germany

How ITF 3.0 fits into the EIC Business Acceleration Services

ITF 3.0 is one strand of the broader EIC Business Acceleration Services ecosystem. The BAS portfolio includes programmes for investor readiness, corporate partnerships, procurement matching and immersion in global innovation hubs. The EIC promotes the Community Platform as the single access point for calls, services and partner directories.

Published EIC BAS impact metrics:EIC materials report cumulative figures for the BAS portfolio since 2021 such as more than 20,000 one-on-one meetings between awardees and corporates, 595 deals, roughly €350 million raised through investor outreach and €1.2 billion raised by Scaling Club members. The materials also list €42 million in turnover linked to trade fairs since 2024 and other procurement and pilot figures. These figures are presented as indicative of programme reach rather than independently audited causal outcomes.

What to watch and policy caveats

Trade fairs are useful for visibility and early-stage deal flow but they are not a substitute for deeper market entry work. Promoted metrics on meetings and money raised mix different interventions across the EIC ecosystem and do not isolate the marginal impact of trade-fair participation alone. Selection bias is another issue since participating firms are already EIC-backed and generally farther along in product readiness than a wider pool of SMEs. Evaluations that track cohorts over multiple years and use control groups would be necessary to establish the programme's long-term effectiveness for market entry.

Operational risks:Costs of travel, regulatory approvals, localisation of product labelling, legal and IP protection, and follow-up capacity are common stumbling blocks. Without dedicated budgets and trained staff to pursue leads after a fair, initial interest can evaporate quickly. Local market partners, clear commercial milestones and measurable KPIs are essential to convert introductions into contracts.

Practical advice for EIC awardees considering ITF 3.0

Prepare your IP and regulatory story:Before applying or booking a stand, ensure your intellectual property strategy and freedom-to-operate assessments are in order. For regulated sectors like biotech or medical devices, map required approvals and local clinical or certification pathways so that conversations at the fair can lead to concrete next steps.

Budget real follow-up and local operations:Allocate resources to follow-up meetings, localised marketing materials and legal counsel. A trade fair can produce dozens of leads but converting them requires prompt, tailored outreach, and sometimes local representation or distribution partners.

Define measurable objectives:Set specific goals for the event such as number of qualified meetings, pilot agreements signed, letters of intent, or investor follow-up meetings. Track conversion rates to refine participation decisions in subsequent years.

How to apply and get more information

All open calls for ITF 3.0 are published on the EIC Community Platform. Applicants need EU Login credentials to apply. The call typically asks for details on product readiness, alignment with the trade fair objectives and an internationalisation plan. Queries can be routed through the EIC Community helpdesk by selecting the 'EIC International Trade Fairs Programme' category in the contact form.

Concrete examples and outcomes reported by the EIC

EIC communications highlight individual success stories from prior rounds. Examples include a company called .lumen reportedly closing 100 deals after CES 2024 and MySphera claiming to have doubled sales following MWC 2024. A participant quoted in EIC materials, Mustafa Ergen of Ambeent, described participation as enhancing branding and market reach. Such stories are useful but should be read as illustrative rather than representative of a systematic outcome assessment.

Bottom line

The EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0 assembles useful services around trade-fair exposure for EIC-backed companies and plugs them into a broader BAS ecosystem. That combination can reduce practical barriers for firms that are already market-ready and have realistic follow-up capacity. At the same time, claims about turnover and funds raised should be treated cautiously until rigorous evaluations attribute outcomes to specific interventions. Companies thinking about applying should focus on regulatory readiness, IP protection, and an operational plan to convert leads created at the fairs into sustainable commercial relationships.