Commission announces winners of the first European Innovation Procurement Awards (EUIPA) 2021

At the European Innovation Council Summit in Brussels on 24 and 25 November 2021 the European Commission revealed the winners and runners up of the inaugural European Innovation Procurement Awards. The prize was funded under Horizon Europe and is managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, often abbreviated as EISMEA. An independent jury selected winners across three categories that showcase procurers who have used public or private purchasing power to stimulate innovation.

What the awards aim to do

The EUIPA were created to recognise public and private buyers who promote and implement innovation procurement across Europe. The Commission frames innovation procurement as a lever to modernise public services, to improve value for money and to open market opportunities for new suppliers, notably start ups and SMEs. The awards also aim to highlight effective buyer supplier cooperation needed to move an innovative solution from prototype to market deployment.

Who runs the prize and how winners were chosen

The prize is funded from Horizon Europe and managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency. Winners were chosen by a jury of independent experts. The Commission presented the awards during the EIC Summit, one of the EIC programme's flagship events that brings together startups, investors, researchers and public authorities. The EUIPA is among several EIC prizes launched to showcase different strands of innovation policy and practice.

Why the Commission emphasises procurement

Commission communications and EIC materials stress that innovation procurement helps public authorities secure more economical and higher quality solutions. The policy argument has two parts. First, buyers can access tailored solutions for complex public needs by setting outcome oriented specifications and by partnering early with suppliers. Second, procurement can be a route to market for innovators and scaleups that struggle to compete in traditional tenders aimed at established suppliers. That potential makes procurement a lever for competitiveness and job creation in the EU.

A note of caution and where evidence is thin

The benefits attributed to innovation procurement are plausible and supported by cases where public demand accelerated product development. However there are persistent barriers to large scale uptake. Procurement rules, administrative capacity in public bodies and risk aversion remain obstacles. The awards showcase promising practices but they do not by themselves prove systemic change. Independent evidence on wider replication, procurement outcomes and long term economic impacts is limited. Observers and policymakers will need to track follow on adoption and whether awarded projects lead to measurable improvements in service delivery or market creation.

Practical implications for buyers and suppliers

For public buyers the EUIPA winners provide models on how to design procurement strategies that engage suppliers early, include R and D services where necessary and adapt contract and evaluation processes to allow innovative proposals. For suppliers including SMEs the awards signal that buyers are looking for partners and that some EU funding lines explicitly reward innovation friendly procurement. Still suppliers should be aware that competing in innovation procurement often requires longer sales cycles and closer co development with procurers than in standard tenders.

How the awards fit with other EIC activities

The EUIPA is one of several EIC prizes and activities intended to promote innovation across different sectors and actors. The Commission lists the EU Prize for Women Innovators, the European Capital of Innovation Awards and the European Social Innovation Competition alongside EUIPA as part of the 2021 EIC prize portfolio. The EIC also runs grant and equity instruments, coaching and ecosystem building efforts aimed at scaling deep tech startups and innovators in Europe.

What to watch next

The immediate outcome is reputational recognition and a financial award for winners and runners up. The more consequential questions are whether the awarded procurement practices will be replicated and scaled across member states, and whether the Commission will publish follow up evaluations showing measurable impacts. Stakeholders should also look for guidance materials and capacity building activities from EISMEA and the Commission that make it simpler for regional or municipal procurers to adopt the practices recognised by these awards.

Contacts and source documents

The prize is managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency. Public materials and the original award announcement were published on the EIC and European Commission websites on 25 November 2021. For further information EISMEA maintains contact channels and documentation about EIC prizes and procurement activities under the Horizon Europe programme.