The European Innovation Council (EIC) Partners' Day 2025 brought together 90+ attendees, of which 50+ were EIC Partners, with EIC beneficiaries and other stakeholders making up the rest of the audience. The group engaged in a series of activities dedicated to breaking down the key challenges facing European start-ups, while co-creating innovative and practical solutions. Hosted on 1 April at Covent Garden as a side event to the EIC Summit 2025, the session was co-organised by the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme and EIC ACCESS+ initiatives, both part of the EIC’s Business Acceleration Services (BAS).
The programme began with a keynote speech from Stéphane Ouaki, Acting Director of EISMEA and Head of Department for the EIC. Ouaki highlighted the mission of the EIC and new developments in 2025, setting the stage for a series of impactful discussions with a lively Q&A session. Following Ouaki, Head of the EIC Business Acceleration Services Agnieszka Stasiakowska provided a strategic overview of the EIC's vision and its evolving role in fostering European innovation.
Opportunities for collaboration within the EIC Ecosystem
The gathering was moderated by André Barbosa, from the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme Team and EurA Innovation Ecosystems. Tedora Aibu, also from the Programme’s Team, kick-started the discussion with insights on the programme’s goal to foster partnerships, highlighting the EIC Service Catalogue and its current offer of services from 195+ EIC Partners dedicated to supporting EIC beneficiaries in scaling their businesses through specialised services.
Another central theme of the session was the new EIC ACCESS+ initiative, designed to provide co-funding to boost accessibility to services for EIC-backed innovators. Antonio Zangrilli and Aleardo Furlani from INNOVA, representing the EIC ACCESS+ team, delivered a presentation on the programme’s benefits, stressing its potential to support EIC beneficiaries.
During the roundtable session, participants shared their experiences and best practices as EIC-bakced innovators and EIC Service Providers. They also engaged in a collective brainstorming on how to enhance EIC tools and programmes and better address the needs of EIC beneficiaries.
Representatives of other EIC Business Acceleration Services were also present at the session. Alexandra Romero represented the Tech to Market Programme, which helps innovators from EIC Pathfinder and Transition in their journey from lab to market. Catherine Friederes shared her expertise on the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0, which helps the EIC beneficiaries in their commercialisation strategy in European and foreign markets, namely through participation in renowned trade fairs in the US, the Middle East and the EU.
The discussion was further enriched by insights from the EIC Partners DevelopMinded and Catalyze-Group, represented respectively by Lennaert Jonkers and Neeltje Ramnath.
Reflections from attendees: valuable connections and new insights
As Lennaert Jonkers stated later in the day, “The open conversations about improving and nurturing the programme were very positive, as well as meeting the EIC beneficiaries there. It gave me a clearer picture, as a service provider how to navigate and reach out [to the EIC beneficiaries], that was very helpful.”
The opportunity to network and connect with other members of the ecosystem was a key highlight of the day. Judith Camargo, CEO of Roka Furadada, an EIC-backed project, explained how attending the session was invaluable for her company: “I found the event very useful. I wasn’t sure at first if I should attend, but I’m very happy I did. I made great connections, I could actually meet some service providers in person, and I now have a much clearer understanding of how the EIC Service Catalogue and EIC ACCESS+ work.”
Daniel Keppeler, co-founder of OptoGenTech, also an EIC beneficiary, echoed a similar perspective: “I liked the EIC Partners’ Day a lot. I came here to get connected. Now I see how people think and how everything is intended to work. I’ve got a much clearer understanding of the whole process now.”
The programme also provided a valuable space for in-depth discussions about the challenges faced by the EIC-backed beneficiaries. As Christophe Bodin director of CBO Consulting noted, “the exchange with beneficiaries and partners was incredibly fruitful. We all have different views, but at the same time, they converge, which gives us plenty of material for next steps.”
Willem-Jeroen Stevens, founder and managing partner of Clear Corporate Finance, who has recently joined the EIC Service Catalogue as a service provider, also appreciated the sessions’ ability to foster open communication. “It was an interesting event because I didn’t know much about the EIC beforehand, and I learned a lot and met many interesting people. The EIC is open to listening, which is really special in an EU-organised initiative and platform.”
EIC ACCESS+ peer-learning workshop: Bridging the EIS Service Catalogue with the needs of EIC-backed innovators
The second part of the EIC Partners’ Day featured the first peer-learning workshop of EIC ACCESS+: a core moment of collective reflection and co-design within the EIC community. This workshop marked the launch of a structured consultation process to align the EIC Service Catalogue more closely with the evolving needs of deep-tech innovators across Europe.
The workshop opened with a presentation of findings from two key studies: one on the needs and challenges of EIC beneficiaries, presented by Helene Maxwell from ASTER Capital Partners, and another on service quality and impact assessment, shared by Amal El Ghadfa from EBN - both partners in the EIC ACCESS+ project.
Following the introductory presentations, Paul Stefanut from Booster Labs, also part of the EIC ACCESS+ consortium, made a short introductory speech about the workshop's purpose and objectives. Based on the foundation of the preliminary needs, the participants were then divided into 6 groups and invited to an open discussion on five topics:
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Visibility of the EIC Service Catalogue
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Platform usability and service categorisation
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Enhancing networking and matchmaking opportunities
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Inclusivity and balanced provider utilisation
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Availability and impacts of specific categories of services
The inputs and suggestions collected during the workshop will be further examined for continuous improvement to propose new high-impact offerings and will be the basis for the next sessions of the EIC ACCCESS+ peer learning process.
The programme ended with closing remarks by Agnieszka Stasiakowska, highlighting the day’s outcomes. As the session wrapped up, the workshop allowed to identify the top priorities for ecosystem partners and EIC Beneficiaries and plan future actions to connect them better and answer their needs
About the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme
The EIC Service Catalogue is brought to you by the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme, part of the EIC Business Acceleration Services. This programme is creating a network of partner organisations to address one of the greatest challenges for EIC innovators: accessing specialized sector-focused services. By forging new strategic partnerships with key actors such as business accelerators, incubators, research and training organisations, the EIC helps its beneficiaries access their resources, facilities and expertise so that no individual need is left unaddressed.
For any questions or technical issues concerning the programme or this session, please contact us through the EIC Community’s contact page with the subject ‘EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme’ or contact our helpdesk at eicpartnerships-helpdesk@eic-bas.eu.
About the EIC ACCESS+ project
EIC ACCESS+ is an EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS) initiative aimed at empowering deep-tech start-ups and innovators across Europe. An open call launched in November 2024 offers up to 60,000 EUR in grants, covering up to 50% of the costs, to access specialised services from the EIC Service Catalogue for deep-tech startups and SMEs. Companies can use the funds to access vital resources to accelerate their growth and scale their innovation. EIC Awardees and Seal of Excellence holders (Horizon Europe only) can apply until 31 May 2026. To be eligible for the grant, the services must be completed before 30 June 2025.
Please visit the FAQ page for any questions about the EIC ACCESS+ initiative. Details about the funding and a complete list of eligibility criteria can be found on the project website. For any other questions, please contact our helpdesk at help@eicaccessplus.eu.
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DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.