How to identify unmet needs for innovation procurement: InnoMatch webinar (25 Feb 2025)

Brussels, February 20th 2025

Summary

›InnoMatch is running a practical webinar on 25 February 2025 to help buyers identify unmet needs that justify innovation procurement.
›The session is part of the Buyers Capacity Building Series and will cover needs identification, examples of well defined needs, and the Open Call for Buyers proposal template.
›InnoMatch supports proof of concept pilots for EIC-backed innovators and will fund up to 38 pilots with up to EUR 60,000 per pilot.
›InnoMatch sits inside the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme alongside SPIN4EIC and InnoBuyer which aim to connect EIC awardees with public and private buyers.

Webinar: Identify unmet needs for innovation procurement with InnoMatch

InnoMatch, an initiative under the European Innovation Council Innovation Procurement Programme, will host a one hour public webinar on 25 February 2025. The session aims to give public and private buyers practical, hands on guidance to identify and prioritise unmet organisational needs that can be addressed by innovative solutions. The webinar is part of the Buyers Capacity Building Series which is designed to help organisations navigate the often complex route from problem definition to procurement of innovation.

When, where and how to join

When: Tuesday 25 February 2025, 10:00 to 11:00 Central European Time. Where: Online via Zoom. Registration is required to participate. The session is free and open to a broad set of stakeholders including public procurers, private buyers, EIC awardees and organisations building capability in innovation procurement.

What the webinar will cover

Practical objective:Help innovation buyers diagnose internal problems that affect efficiency, quality or impact and then translate those problems into prioritised needs that can attract innovative suppliers.

Learning outcomes:Attendees will learn techniques to identify unmet organisational needs, see real world examples of well defined needs, and get guided support to complete the InnoMatch Open Call for Buyers proposal template to create a stronger application.

Agenda and speakers

The session has three core segments and a question and answer slot. Cristina Roca from ICLEI will present an overview of the InnoMatch Open Call for Buyers. Jorge González from TicBiomed will cover how to prepare a strong proposal including methods to identify needs that require innovation and examples of well defined needs. The session ends with a Q and A period for 20 minutes.

Who should attend

The webinar is aimed at public organisations seeking new solutions to improve services, private companies interested in adopting innovative technologies, people and organisations building capability in innovation procurement, EIC awardees scouting procurement opportunities, and buyers interested in piloting and showcasing supplier solutions.

Buyers Capacity Building Series: purpose and topics

The Buyers Capacity Building Series is a sequence of webinars and training events that offer practical guidance on the steps that lead from identifying a problem to piloting and scaling an innovative solution. The series targets the demand side of the market with pragmatic advice on matching needs to suppliers and on designing low risk pilots.

Key topics in the series:Identifying and articulating needs, engaging with suppliers, designing and managing pilot programmes, and measures to maximise long term impact and scalability of adopted solutions.

Why this matters: the 'first customer' problem and innovation procurement

Innovation procurement explained:Innovation procurement is a demand side policy tool where public or private buyers use procurement processes to procure new or improved products, services or solutions. The process can include market consultations, pre commercial procurement or tailored calls for pilot testing and demonstration projects that de risk adoption for both buyers and suppliers.

The first customer barrier:Many innovative SMEs and start ups struggle to find early customers. Without a credible buyer they cannot scale, but many buyers will not take on unproven solutions because of risk, regulatory constraints or procurement rules. Innovation procurement instruments try to bridge that gap by funding pilots and helping buyers structure procurement around unmet needs.

What InnoMatch does and how it fits into the EIC programme

InnoMatch is one of three strands under the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme. It focuses on proof of concept demonstrations and pilot testing of solutions developed by EIC beneficiaries. The initiative aims to recruit committed buyers and match them with EIC backed innovators to run time limited pilots that can lead to larger procurements or commercial uptake.

Programme element	Core purpose	Scale and timeline
InnoMatch	Support pilot testing and proof of concept demonstrations between EIC beneficiaries and buyers	38 pilots supported, up to EUR 60,000 per pilot, running until September 2027
InnoBuyer	Demand driven co creation and procurement support for Challengers and Solvers	Funded under Horizon Europe with a budget of EUR 2 million, piloting 15 solutions
SPIN4EIC	Broader strategic initiative to link EIC innovators with procurement markets and build buyer capacity	Ongoing activities including toolkits, academies and buyer assistance until at least 2026

Administratively InnoMatch is a Coordination and Support Action funded by Horizon Europe and implemented by a consortium of four partners. The consortium combines marketplace, sector and municipal expertise to support matchmaking and pilot delivery.

InnoMatch implementing partners:F6S (Ireland), TICBioMed (Spain), ICLEI (Germany) and Civitta (Estonia). These partners will run open calls, support buyers to refine unmet needs and manage pilot implementation.

Open call structure under InnoMatch

InnoMatch plans three categories of open calls to recruit buyers and EIC beneficiaries. Pilots must be implemented within 12 months of selection. The calls are designed to be both buyer led and supplier led depending on the route chosen.

Open call type	Who applies	Purpose and mechanics
Type 1	EIC beneficiary and Buyer together	Pairs an EIC backed innovator with a committed buyer to address a buyer defined need. Two waves planned.
Type 2	Buyers only	Buyers submit unmet needs across five thematic areas derived from SPIN4EIC. InnoMatch helps shape needs and group them into challenges. One cohort planned.
Type 3	EIC beneficiaries only	EIC beneficiaries submit competing solutions to Buyer defined challenges. One winner per challenge is selected.

Thematic areas linked to SPIN4EIC:Agriculture, Food and Beverage. Construction, Infrastructure and Manufacturing. Digital transformation including next generation computing, AI and cybersecurity. Energy, Environment, Sustainability and Mobility. Health and Life Sciences.

Numbers, funding and EIC Business Acceleration context

InnoMatch will support a total of 38 pilots at up to EUR 60,000 per pilot. The InnoBuyer strand has a separate budget of €2 million to test a demand driven co creation methodology and to pilot 15 solutions. These activities sit inside the EIC Business Acceleration Services which also runs programmes to match EIC awardees with corporates, investors and global markets.

Metric	Value
InnoMatch pilots	38 pilots, up to EUR 60,000 each
InnoBuyer budget	EUR 2 million
EIC BAS matchmaking since 2021	Over 20,000 one on one meetings and 595 reported deals
EIC BAS investor outcomes	EUR 350 million raised through investor outreach and EUR 1.2 billion raised by Scaling Club members

Practical caveats and implementation challenges

Pilots and procurement support can lower barriers to adoption but they do not guarantee scale. Public procurement is constrained by procurement rules, budget cycles and risk aversion. Even with pilot funding, converting a successful proof of concept into routine procurement requires political will, procurement reform and budgets that account for total cost of ownership. The success metrics claimed by acceleration services tend to aggregate many activities and are not a guarantee that every pilot leads to procurement or commercial scale up.

What buyers should expect:Support to refine unmet needs, co design pilots, and administrative assistance to prepare proposals and terms of reference. Buyers must still commit internal resources and follow procurement rules. Pilots funded at modest levels may prove useful to de risk technology but may not cover deployment or long term integration costs.

Next steps and how to follow InnoMatch

Interested buyers and EIC beneficiaries should register for the webinar and consult the InnoMatch website for details on upcoming open calls. The project invites buyers to submit unmet needs and innovators to prepare proposals for the different call types. InnoMatch and the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme also maintain LinkedIn channels for updates.

Disclaimer: This article provides factual information about the InnoMatch webinar and the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme. It does not represent the official view of the European Commission. Readers should consult official sources and the project website for formal guidance and application rules.