2021 EU|BIC Impact Report ‘Emergent Futures’ 

The Coronavirus pandemic – both in Europe and beyond – has caused significant turmoil and great enthusiasm. Turmoil because every business model in our sector has been tested and many turned upside down, and our client companies retracted to look after their resources in a time of economic contraction. Enthusiasm as the actions and conversations for a green, digital and inclusive future has become even more mainstream, governments, companies, investors and support organisations have started looking actively for complementary solutions to make the transition.

Our growing community represents a dynamic and effective way of stimulating innovative businesses, by offering high-quality support services and building connected innovation ecosystems that identify and co-develop innovative solutions.

DOWNLOAD 2021 EU|BIC IMPACT REPORT 

Report introduction by EBN CEO Laura Lecci  

Our EU|BIC community has shown its best sides and has attracted the attention of policymakers locally and globally eager to forge new directions forward towards greater wellbeing and socio-economic development – fostered by a resilient and connected network of innovation actors.

2020 marked the beginning of what promised to be our most connected, trusted and strongest year yet as a community. Perhaps one day we will look back and reflect: yes it was challenging yet we came out stronger. Indeed, we continued to support our client companies under testing conditions, our programmes and training succeeded digitally, our reach expanded, our ambition strengthened, our teams proved to be resilient, and our partners stood by us through it all. We lived up to our promise and continued to deliver on our commitment to our shared missions.

We are proud to share here the highlight from our EU|BIC community over the last year. At the top of all sectors represented by EU|BICs we see crucial support to companies active in Biotech & Life Sciences, Energy & Clean Technology and increased support to companies
working in AI, Blockchain and Cyber Security. EU|BICs continue to be crucial intermediaries for startups & SMEs for attracting funding.

In 2020/2021 the community reported having attracted more than 1.2 billion euros in capital. The great majority of our community now offer Internationalisation services (Access to markets) as a core service.

As we enter our emergent future, with the pandemic receding, and the confidence that we are going back to some kind of normality, let us be intently discussing development narratives and explore together possible scenarios and pathways for our organisations. The issues created over the years need entrepreneurial innovators, support actors, policymakers, funders and citizens to make bold choices to make a future that is chosen, not endured, a future that does not happen upon us but is made by all of us.

The issues we face, together with those amplified by the pandemic, need entrepreneurial innovators as crucial building blocks in driving agile responses and supporting resilient regions, fostering the transition to a digital, green, and fair future society.

EU|BICs all over the world, have been supporting over 28,600 startups and a growing number of long-term sustainable SMEs to move forward, and we hope you enjoy reading this Impact Report. We are an essential partner in our society’s transition towards 2030. On
behalf of the EBN Secretariat team, we are proud to support you on your mission. And we do our utmost to help you make an even greater impact.

For the EU|BIC community to rise to our future challenges we need to continue the ongoing transition to fair and sustainable regions and societies. We are ready to work with you and
make this happen.