EIC Summit 2022: programme, speakers and what to expect
- ›The European Innovation Council hosts its flagship EIC Summit in Brussels on 7 and 8 December 2022 at Tour & Taxis.
- ›Day 1 focuses on plenary sessions and awards with live web streaming of the opening, prizes and policy session.
- ›Day 2 is restricted to EIC beneficiaries and features parallel workshops and networking, with selected plenaries streamed.
- ›Key themes include the New European Innovation Agenda, innovation procurement, corporate-startup cooperation and business acceleration services.
- ›Registrations are at capacity and many breakout sessions are in-person only, limiting access and external scrutiny.
EIC Summit 2022: overview
The European Innovation Council holds its flagship event on 7 and 8 December 2022 in Brussels. The Summit brings together awardees, EIC beneficiaries, corporate partners, investors and EU policy makers to discuss innovation policy developments, celebrate award winners and run workshops aimed at helping deep tech companies scale. Plenary sessions will be web streamed but many of the hands-on workshops and breakout sessions on day two are restricted to EIC-funded participants.
Day 1 highlights: plenaries, awards and policy signals
Day 1 runs from 14:00 to 18:30 Central European Time and will be the most accessible part of the Summit for a wider audience because selected plenary items are broadcast online. The programme combines formal opening remarks, prize ceremonies and a policy session focused on the New European Innovation Agenda.
| Time | Session | Speakers and format |
| 14:00 - 14:20 | Opening | Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth; Jean David Malo, Director of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency. Online broadcast |
| 14:20 - 15:20 | EIC Award Ceremonies: Women Innovators and iCapital Prizes | Celebration of women entrepreneurs and cities; Moderator Andrew Walker, Co-founder of KnowH2Ow; Speaker Mariya Gabriel. Online broadcast |
| 15:40 - 16:00 | New European Innovation Agenda | Mariya Gabriel and Nicolas Brien, Chairman of the European Startup Network. Online broadcast |
Day 2 highlights: beneficiary workshops and thematic tracks
Day 2 takes place on 8 December from 9:00 to 16:15 and is reserved for EIC awardees and beneficiaries. The schedule mixes plenary highlights that will be streamed with parallel workshops and breakout sessions that will not be available online. The sessions emphasise scaling, procurement, corporate collaboration and EIC business support services.
| Time | Session | Speakers, moderator and broadcast status |
| 09:10 - 09:50 | From tech-zero to tech-hero: two health tech Unicorn journeys | Moderator Anita Krohn Traaseth, EIC Board member; Speakers Márcio Colunas, Founder and CSO at Sword Health; Dr. Jonas Schöndube, Senior Vice President and Business Area Director for Biosciences at BICO. Online broadcast |
| 11:00 - 11:45 | Scaling-up through Innovation Procurement | Speakers Vasileios Tsanidis and Bertrand Wert from EIC; Lieve Bos and Panagiotis Sevdalis, European Commission. In-person only |
| 12:00 - 12:45 | Roasting entrepreneurs | Panel of investors and founders including Jean-Baptiste Segard, Ilmars Osmanis, Cornel Amariei, Martin Basila, Flavia Richardson, Jose Antonio Martinez Rubio and Eleonore Venin. In-person only |
| 14:15 - 15:00 | Large corporate and scale up cooperation | Moderator Anita Krohn Traaseth; Speakers María Victoria Hernández Valcárcel (CaixaBank Payments & Consumers), Victor Pacheco (Holcim), Stefan Kolb (Fresenius Kabi). In-person only |
| 15:15 - 16:00 | EIC Business Acceleration Services: Discover EIC support beyond funding | Moderator Agnieszka Stasiakowska; Speakers Marina Kovacevic, Ann Whyte, Romain Bouttier. In-person only |
Selected sessions explained
Logistics, access and practical notes
The Summit takes place at Tour & Taxis, Shed 2 in Brussels. According to organisers, the event has reached maximum capacity and registration is closed. All plenary sessions will be available by web streaming on the event website while most breakout workshops on day two are in-person only and restricted to EIC awardees. The format concentrates technical deep dives and networking benefits among a select group of beneficiaries which reduces broader transparency and participation.
Implications and critical observations
The EIC Summit performs several functions at once. It is a policy communications vehicle for the European Commission and the New European Innovation Agenda. It is a networking platform that aims to accelerate scaling and matchmaking. And it is a showcase for EIC-funded success stories and awards. Those roles are legitimate but they also create tensions. Public visibility and celebratory programming risk overshadowing the harder work of measuring long term impact. Limiting many sessions to beneficiaries concentrates advantage among those already inside the EIC funnel and reduces the ability of outsiders to scrutinise claims, methods and follow up. Furthermore, policy tools like innovation procurement and corporate collaborations are promising but hard to execute at scale. Stakeholders should look for concrete, replicable outcomes and for data on how services like EIC BAS translate into measurable commercial growth.
Who should follow the Summit and how to access content
Plenary sessions including the opening, award ceremonies and selected policy discussions are web streamed and are the easiest way for the public, researchers and companies outside the beneficiary pool to follow the Summit. EIC beneficiaries will gain the most from the in-person workshops and matchmaking opportunities. Observers interested in policy commitments, awards and headline panels can review the web streams and consult the EIC website for post-event materials and summaries.
For further details organisers direct attendees and interested parties to the official EIC Summit page which hosts the live broadcast and event information.