Why InnoBuyer exists and what it aims to achieve

Integrating innovation into public service delivery is a policy priority across EU institutions. Public organisations often recognise unmet needs but cannot find ready made market solutions. InnoBuyer is an initiative run under the European Innovation Council Business Acceleration Services to address that mismatch. The project is supported by the European Union through Horizon Europe and has a listed budget of 2 million euros. It is positioned as a testbed for demand driven innovation procurement where public entities are supported to engage with small and medium sized enterprises to co create and pilot solutions.

The project lists three primary goals. First, to develop an ecosystem that promotes collaborative innovation between public Challenge Owners and SME Solvers. Second, to launch and validate a structured support programme for co creation of innovative solutions. Third, to demonstrate improved efficiency in EU public services by piloting 16 innovative solutions. The initiative therefore combines capacity building for public procurers with direct piloting of supplier solutions in real world settings.

dotLumen case study: technology, partnership and early lessons

dotLumen is presented by InnoBuyer as a standout beneficiary. Founded by Cornel Amariei, dotLumen aims to address mobility challenges faced by visually impaired people. The company estimates a potential user base of over 300 million visually impaired individuals globally. Its solution combines a pedestrian autonomous driving artificial intelligence embedded into smart glasses. The company positions the product as a scalable alternative to traditional mobility aids such as guide dogs and white canes.

dotLumen worked with the municipality of Cluj Napoca in Romania through the InnoBuyer process. Before the formal collaboration the company presented its technology at the SPIN4EIC pitching event held during the Big Buyers Annual Event 2024 in Brussels. That event provided exposure to the Eurocities network and public buyers from across Europe and helped dotLumen to establish initial procurement contacts and partnerships.

Endre Hunnyadi, dotLumen’s Head of Business Development, described the InnoBuyer engagement as transformative for the company. He said that the platform allowed them to engage municipalities and address real world challenges. He emphasised that preemptive communication with Cluj Napoca representatives and consultations with local experts in visual disabilities were essential to tailor the solution. dotLumen also performed field tests in the city to gather data and refine their product.

Project outcomes claimed and limits to those claims

InnoBuyer reports that the project facilitated dotLumen’s market entry and influenced its business strategy. The company says the experience demonstrated the potential of innovation procurement and opened doors to other municipalities. These are plausible and valuable outcomes for a startup engaging with public buyers. However there are important caveats when assessing broader impact.

First the project budget is 2 million euros. That is useful for piloting 16 solutions but modest relative to the structural costs of scaling across multiple cities and adapting products to varied regulatory contexts. Second measuring increased efficiency in public services requires transparent metrics and independent evaluation. The project aims to pilot 16 solutions but published material does not yet show standardised outcome measures or long term follow up data.

Third there is a familiar challenge in procurement of innovation. Public organisations often lack procedures for long term procurement and follow up. Short term pilots can validate concepts but do not by themselves create scaled markets. The existence of a single successful pilot does not guarantee uptake across other municipalities that have different budgets, procurement thresholds and technical requirements.

Implications for public procurement policy and SME scaling

InnoBuyer is a pragmatic experiment in demand driven procurement. Projects that broker real buyer supplier relationships are important because they force a shift from technology push to user driven development. For EU innovation policy this is a welcome complement to grants and acceleration programmes that focus on technology readiness. Still several issues will determine whether InnoBuyer produces systemic change.

Where to look next and how to follow progress

InnoBuyer and dotLumen have taken steps that reflect a sensible approach to procurement led innovation. Observers and policymakers should now watch for published pilot outcomes, independent evaluations and any replication of contracts in other cities. The original InnoBuyer communications encourage interested parties to follow the project on social media, subscribe to newsletters or contact the project by email for more detail.

A final note on interpretation. The InnoBuyer material is presented as promotional reporting on beneficiary experience. The claims about market entry, efficiency and societal impact are plausible but require validation through standardised impact measures and follow up research. Procurement driven innovation has potential but it will need sustained funding, legal clarity and operational capacity in public organisations to move beyond isolated pilot successes.

This article includes direct project details and quotes reported by InnoBuyer. The project itself provided a disclaimer noting that the information is for knowledge sharing and not the official view of the European Commission. The analysis in this article is an independent rewrite that adds context about procurement, regulatory constraints and the steps needed to convert pilots into scalable public service solutions.