European Innovation Council to hold inaugural Summit in Brussels and online 24-25 November 2021
- ›The newly launched European Innovation Council will hold its first Summit on 24 and 25 November 2021 as a hybrid event in Brussels and online.
- ›European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel will open the one and a half day programme featuring keynotes, workshops, pitching sessions and EIC prizes.
- ›The Summit will include the official launch of the EIC Forum and programmes aimed at connecting startups, researchers, corporates and investors.
- ›The core programme will focus on the EIC 'Startup to Scaleup' agenda, ecosystem policy and emerging technologies while highlighting future funding opportunities.
EIC Summit 2021: first major gathering for Europe’s new innovation body
The European Innovation Council or EIC, launched in March 2021, marked an early milestone with an announcement that it will host its first Summit on 24 and 25 November 2021. The event will be hybrid with in-person activity in Brussels and an online stream. The one and a half day programme is billed as a mix of inspirational keynote speeches, interactive workshops, pitching sessions, and award ceremonies including the European Prize for Women Innovators. The Summit will also host the official launch of the EIC Forum.
What the Summit will feature
Organisers describe a packed programme targeted at high growth European start ups and innovators. The Summit is intended to attract small and medium sized enterprises, researchers, corporates, potential investors and venture capitalists. The official programme will include keynote addresses, workshops, pitching sessions and prize ceremonies. It will also be a venue to explain how startups and researchers can access EIC funding opportunities in coming work programmes.
| Item | Detail |
| Dates | 24-25 November 2021 |
| Format | Hybrid event in Brussels and online |
| Opening speaker | European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel |
| Programme highlights | Keynotes, workshops, pitching sessions, EIC Prizes, launch of EIC Forum |
| Target audience | Startups, SMEs, researchers, corporates, investors and VCs |
| Core themes | EIC Startup to Scaleup, ecosystem policy, emerging technologies |
Who should attend and why it matters
The Summit aims to be a networking platform for scaling companies, researchers seeking commercial paths, established corporates scouting technologies and private investors searching for deal flow. For startups, direct access to investors and to EIC programme managers can be useful. For policy makers and ecosystem builders the event is an opportunity to shape the 'Startup to Scaleup' narrative that the EIC promotes across EU member states.
A pragmatic view and open questions
Announcements about summits and launches are useful for signalling priorities and for focusing attention. They are, however, also promotional. A few practical points deserve attention as the EIC moves from launch to delivery. Details matter for whether the Summit becomes genuinely useful to innovators: how matchmaking between companies and investors is organised, how accessible the event is to participants from widening regions, and whether follow up services are offered to convert contacts into funding or contracts. Hybrid events present additional diversity and inclusion challenges. Online participation can reduce travel barriers but also tends to generate weaker networking outcomes compared with in person meetings.
Practical next steps and how to follow updates
The announcement invites interested participants to stay tuned for more details. Organisers pointed readers to the EIC website and to follow the EIC Twitter account for updates on registration and the detailed programme. Specific registration instructions, speaker lists and the final agenda were to be published closer to the event.
Bottom line
The first EIC Summit in November 2021 is a visible step by the European Commission to rally actors around its Startup to Scaleup agenda and to showcase funding and support instruments. The event is likely to be a useful contact point for many innovators. It is not a substitute for the longer term task of converting promises of support into measurable scaling outcomes. Startups and investors should approach the Summit with clear objectives while remaining realistic about the limits of a single event to secure finance or partnership commitments.