As the European Innovation Council (EIC) continues to reinvent itself and set the tone for providing top-tier services to its beneficiaries, this year was all about making sure that online platforms and events brought entrepreneurs and innovators together. As we look back at the roads we’ve walked along during this year and look at its baggage, in retrospect, it has had many successes but was just as challenging.
At the beginning of 2020 a new virus, related to SARS (Covid-19), was reported. Back then, little did we know what that meant for the world. If 2020 was all about new challenges, perseverance, and collaboration, 2021 was no different. However, this time around humanity was better prepared and there have been bright points in yet another annus difficilis. With 6 Procurer events, 70 EIC beneficiaries that joined the events, and more than 100 Business Partners, the EIC Business Acceleration Services Innovation Procurement Partnership Programme was a success. With just a few days left in another one-of-a-kind year, here’s our rundown of the best moments in terms of Innovation Procurement to come out of 2021.
Success meant driving forward together
It goes without saying that the EIC prides itself in constructively revolutionising business and innovation. To carry this on, ePitching events with Parkering Malmö, for the BME’s 56th Symposium, or with José de Mello’s Group were important to give EIC-funded startups and companies a way to promote their work and solutions smartly, efficiently, and – most importantly – sustainably.
In the age of technology and big power moves, the Procurement matchmaking events covered matters concerning sustainable parking solutions, mobility, health-related innovations, or even transportation-related ones. Plus, the overall satisfaction rate after the events was close to 85%.
Why choose the EIC? The answer is simple
These types of initiatives organised by the EIC are meant to support companies and promote sustainable innovation and growth. With that in mind, the opinions of several EIC beneficiaries about these initiatives mattered and are to be noted.
Bohdan Jacos (Customer Relations Manager at GOSPACE TECH), attended the EIC ePitching Procurers Day with Parkering Malmo and saw this as a valuable opportunity. In his opinion, applying to this EIC initiative was a no-brainer given “it’s very good that the EIC can organise these types of events and allow companies to present their solutions. We’re a parking-solving related company so we appreciate having this possibility. We’re always happy to present the product and this one gave us the chance to do so, and it was very much appreciated”.
Julie Sufana (Chief Marketing Officer at contextflow) that attended the EIC Procurers Day by José de Mello Group mentioned that being part of the EIC Community “has been instrumental in enabling us to hit our next milestones. From a technology standpoint, we were able to move from a testing version to the one now being deployed into clinical practice. We can now sell, scale-up and truly make a positive impact in radiologists' daily routine”.
The same feeling was shared by Per Reidar Ørke (VP Business Development & Co-founder of Excitus). After attending the EIC ePitching with Procurers with NO-FEAR event, he stated that: “Our participation, besides giving visibility to our company, offered us access to organisations dedicated to the MedTech-sector. Normally, I pitch to physicians, nurses, or investors but during the EIC ePitching with Procurers event, I had the opportunity to pitch to them and make a connection to the usage of the device and how this can save money for the customers. It was a very interesting experience to be pushed from doing investor/user pitches to real procurer pitches”.
When it comes to the Procurers side, their opinions match those of the SMEs. As a result of the EIC ePitching to Procurers event with BME that marked their 56th Symposium, Selin Ritcher (Head of Global Purchasing at Nanogate Management Services) and Michael Mayhaus (Head of Procurement at Amazonen-Werke) share the same opinion about joining forces with the EIC.
Selin Ritcher said: “It’s a possibility to touch base with startups to scale up new technologies and understand what the current trends in the business are. [Also], what tools are available in the market and what potential ones might be coming up”. And Michael Mayhaus mentioned that it’s always good to “attend these EIC events, so whenever there’s a chance, you should be part of these types of initiatives and the rest will be done by the EIC”.
What will happen next – and where do we go from here?
The European Innovation Council is always open to new collaborations with the most innovative companies in Europe. So, if you’re looking for opportunities to connect with some of the largest public and private procurers of innovation in Europe make sure to check our events calendar often to grab the best opportunity to take your business to the next level. From our part, stick with us in 2022 and you will not regret it!
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.