From 17 to 21 April 2023, EIC- funded SMEs, startups and scale-ups with extraordinary deeptech solutions, met in Hannover, Germany at Hannover Messe 2023 under EIC Overseas Trade Fairs (OTF) Programme 2.0. The world’s largest trade fair for industrial technology brought together more than 2500+ exhibiting companies, 650+ speakers and over 66 000+ visitors from 173 countries.
The EIC Pavilion hit the stage at Hannover Messe 2023, featuring the latest developments that address major societal challenges with a focus on energy management, automation, machine learning, artificial intelligence and data-driven, networked manufacturing processes. Throughout the flagship tradeshow, the EIC innovation leaders leveraged the opportunity to network with industry professionals, opinion leaders and like-minded counterparts.
Among the key highlights stood out the speech of the Deputy Head of Unit -EIC Transition Activities & Business Acceleration Services- at EISMEA, Veronica Beneitez Piñero, entitled European Innovation Council: backing deeptech innovative entrepreneurs. Ms. Beneitez stressed out the fundamental role of the EIC in helping European innovators identify, develop and scale up game-changing technologies and impactful solutions, creating a competitive advantage in the global innovation ecosystem.
Speaking at the stage of the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) of the European Commission, the Deputy Head of Unit at EISMEA pointed out: «Τhe EIC creates opportunities that breakthrough European companies can leverage in order to scale up and become world players. We support groundbreaking ideas that help society, but we also seek an economic revolution in digital technologies, making Europe an engine of creation and growth of market leading companies».
In the framework of Hannover Messe, high-level officials of European institutions visited the EIC Pavilion, including the Member of the European Parliament, Reinhard Bütikofer, the Director General of DG GROW, Kerstin Jorna, the Deputy Director General of DG GROW, Maive Rute and the German Minister of European Affairs & Regional Development, Wiebke Osigus.
In a previous interview with the EIC, the Senior Project Director Trade Fair & Product Management at Hannover Messe, Ulrike Hammer, highlighted the added value of the EIC Pavilion: «As a supporter of game-changing innovations, the EIC aligns perfectly with the DNA of Hannover Messe. Thus, we really are natural partners. Hannover Messe and its visitors stand to gain tremendously from the diversity represented by the EIC exhibiting companies».
To find out more on the EIC-funded pioneers that participated in Hannover Messe 2023, please read this article. The next delegation of EIC companies is all set to exhibit revolutionary innovations in BIO 2023, taking place in Boston, USA from 5 to 8 June 2023.
About EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme 2.0
The EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme 2.0 supports EIC-funded SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups to develop their large-scale commercialisation strategy in foreign markets and leverage entrepreneurial opportunities at global innovation hubs, strengthening the European Union’s (EU) brand around the world.
Building on the success of the Pilot OTF Programme, which took place between 2017-2018, the EIC OTF Programme 2.0 is running throughout 2022 and 2023, offering EIC beneficiaries the unprecedented opportunity to showcase their unconventional ideas at 15 international trade fairs in diverse sectors across EU and extra-EU markets.
Check EIC OTF Programme 2.0 for additional information and the list of the upcoming trade fairs. For stories, open calls and events, you may also visit the EIC Community Platform.
To follow the latest news and learn more about getting involved, please visit the EIC’s official social media accounts on Twitter and LinkedIn.
