European Commission installs new 20‑member European Innovation Council Board to steer €10bn flagship
- ›The European Commission announced the first 20 members of the European Innovation Council Board under Horizon Europe.
- ›The EIC Board will advise on strategy, work programmes and thematic portfolios for the EIC, which has a planned budget of EUR 10 billion.
- ›Members are appointed for two years, act in a personal capacity and the Board replaces the EIC pilot Advisory Board.
- ›Selection followed an open call with 432 applications and the final composition emphasises gender balance and geographic diversity.
- ›The Board plans its first meeting on 26 November immediately after the EIC Summit and a full time President role remains open with applications invited.
Commission launches European Innovation Council Board with 20 innovators
On 18 November 2021 the European Commission named the first 20 members of the European Innovation Council Board. The Board is a central governance element of the EIC established under Horizon Europe. Its mandate includes advising the Commission on the EIC strategy, the annual work programme and thematic portfolios. The EIC is framed as Europe’s flagship instrument for identifying and supporting breakthrough and disruptive innovation across the full technology lifecycle with a budget of €10 billion for 2021 to 2027.
Commissioner Mariya Gabriel welcomed the appointments and flagged the Board as a key partner for the EIC. She said she looked forward to meeting the new Board at the EIC Summit and to working with them on Europe’s most ambitious innovation programme.
What the Board will do and how it was chosen
Members of the Board act in a personal capacity. Appointments are for two years and can be renewed twice. The legislation foresees between 15 and 20 members. The Commission indicated an intent to rotate roughly one third of members every two years to refresh perspectives while maintaining continuity.
| Item | Detail | Source or note |
| Number of Board members | 20 | Maximum under Horizon Europe is 20 |
| EIC budget (2021–2027) | EUR 10 billion | Horizon Europe allocation for the EIC |
| Applications received | 432 | Call closed 30 June 2021 |
| Gender balance | 50:50 women to men | Commission statement |
| Geographic diversity | 18 nationalities; 8 from Horizon Europe widening countries | Commission statement |
| Age range | Includes members under 35 and over 65 | Commission statement |
| Profiles represented | Researchers, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, ecosystem builders, innovation experts | Commission statement |
| Continuity with pilot Advisory Board | 7 members continued | Commission statement |
| First planned Board meeting | 26 November 2021 | Immediately after EIC Summit on 24 and 25 November |
| Vacancy for EIC Board President | Call open with deadline 17 December 2021 | President is a full time role |
Composition and diversity — what the Commission emphasised
The Commission highlighted that the new Board meets a set of diversity goals. It reports equal gender balance, wide geographic representation including members from so called widening countries and a spread of ages and professional backgrounds. The selection was designed to cover thematic expertise relevant to Europe’s technology priorities including digital, health and the green transition. The Commission also retained a degree of continuity by reappointing seven members from the previous advisory group.
Timing and next steps
The Board planned its first meeting for 26 November 2021 following the EIC Summit on 24 and 25 November in Brussels. Separately the Commission published a vacancy notice for the EIC Board President, a full time role responsible for chairing the Board and providing leadership to the EIC. The deadline for that call was 17 December 2021.
Context and implications for Europe’s innovation ecosystem
The EIC is a central element of the European strategy to channel public support into high risk high value innovation and to bridge the so called 'valley of death' between research and commercial scale up. The €10 billion envelope is meant to combine grants, blended finance and equity investments to back deep tech start ups and SMEs. The Board will influence how that money is targeted across technologies and stages as well as how the EIC interacts with national and regional innovation actors.
Creating a Board that mixes researchers, investors, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders is consistent with the EIC’s mission to cover the full innovation lifecycle. The Board’s advice on thematic portfolios will matter in setting priorities for funding calls under the EIC work programme and in shaping how the EIC Fund deploys equity alongside private investors.
Questions to watch
Several practical issues will determine how effective the Board proves to be. First the appointment of a full time President is consequential because it concentrates leadership in a single figure. Second, members serve in a personal capacity but many come from active roles across the innovation ecosystem. Managing conflicts of interest will be important to ensure fair decision making. Third, the mechanisms for translating Board advice into concrete choices on work programmes and portfolio design will determine whether strategic priorities set by the Board lead to measurable shifts in EIC funding. Finally, ensuring that widening countries and underrepresented innovators actually increase successful participation remains an implementation challenge.
Background timeline and procedural notes
The EIC pilot Advisory Board was an informal group that guided the initial design of the EIC pilot phase. The full EIC and its formal Board are established under Horizon Europe rules. The selection of the 20 members followed an open call and assessments against the published criteria. The Commission underlined balance across gender, geography and profiles as a selection priority.
Stakeholders in national and regional innovation ecosystems will monitor how the Board’s advice shapes the EIC work programme and the practical measures used to boost participation from a wider range of countries and founders. The decision to rotate members aims to maintain fresh perspectives while keeping institutional memory through overlapping terms.
Where to find more information
The Commission published the EIC Board membership announcement alongside links to the EIC Summit programme and the vacancy notice for the Board President. The EIC and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency maintain public pages with calls, work programmes and further background material on the EIC Fund and EIC instruments.