EU Project Pills: I3 Instruments 

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Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instruments – Strengthening regional innovation ecosystems through Smart Specialisation and interregional collaboration

The Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instruments for 2025-2027, allocating € 176 million to strengthen the EU’s innovation ecosystems and promote smart specialisation, supports consortia of researchers, businesses, public administrations, and civil society, with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as key beneficiaries, to test, pilot, validate and bring to market innovation projects focusing on digital and green transition, and smart manufacturing.

The Instruments and funds can be essential to cities, regions, and local authorities committed to green and digital transition. Ensuring that this transition happens is also the mandate of CCRI Knowledge Hub (CCRI KH), an EU-funded project EBN is running under the coordination of KVeloce to make the green transition and the shift towards circular economy a reality across Europe. Promoted by the project, EBN brings you the EU Project Pill: I3 Instrument training.

In this not-to-miss session, local authorities, incubators and business support intermediaries, companies will deep dive into the I3 Instrument and explore the opportunities for advice and support in implementing smart specialisation strategies.  

7 May at 10h CET – Register here

The EU project pill on the I3 Instrument will be your chance to: 

• Get guidance on Access to Finance for Cities and Incubators: The I3 Instrument provides financial and advisory support for interregional cooperation, offering practical solutions for stakeholders engaged in digital and green transition, including circular innovation. 

• Understand how the I3 Instrument promotes Smart Specialisation as a Funding Strategy: The I3 Instrument prioritises projects that align with regional Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3). Understanding how to integrate circular economy initiatives within this framework is essential for cities and regions seeking investment. 

• Connect to local authorities and Innovation Hubs: to establish and strengthen cross-border collaboration. 

• Get insights on the application process: and learn from previously funded projects that helped cities and regions in refining their strategies for securing I3 support and scaling up digital and green economy initiatives. 

• Access available details on the upcoming calls expected to be launched on the 22nd of May 2025 and get ready to familiarise yourself with the funding scheme and maximise chances of success. 

This training will strengthen your capacity to navigate funding opportunities, promote interregional innovation, and accelerate the circular economy transition in European cities and regions. 

In this session will delve into:

Training

EU|BIC Associate Civitta, coordinating the I3 Support Facility service, will guide participants into the objectives, ratio, and practicalities of this scheme to get ready for the upcoming funding calls (foreseen for early summer 2025).

Focus: The I3 Instrument work programme aims at promoting innovation through Smart Specialisation and interregional collaboration. The I3 Instrument supports stronger interregional cooperation in investments and makes sustainable connections by linking regional ecosystems in shared smart specialisation areas, vital to accelerate market uptake of research results and stimulate innovation. 

Best Practice

EU|BIC Fundacio BIT (FUNDACIO BALEAR D’INNOVACIO I TECNOLOGIA) will share their experience as consortium partner of an I3 Instrument funded programme: Circular Economy and Sustainability solutions for Agrifood in the Mediterranean (CESAM project)

Focus: How does this funding scheme benefit regional innovation ecosystems and advance their sustainable economic development? The inter-regional cooperation focus is clear, but how to involve different representatives of the quadruple helix? How to identify key themes and partners?

Meet & connect

If you already have a project idea and you are looking for potential partners, this is the right moment to share it with other session participants. Please contact Maria José Marqués and Chiara Davalli by April 30th if interested in this opportunity.

Schedule  

10.00-10.10 Check in and intro CCRI KH and EBN

10:10-11:00 Training by Civitta 

11:00-11:20 Case study by Fundació BIT  

11:20-11:50 Meet & connect 

11:50-12:00 Conclusions 

The take-aways from this session are: 

• A clear understanding of the I3i funding scheme and practical tips on how to apply for it. 

• Concrete examples of I3i-funded projects with a focus on circular economy. 

• Connections with European regions and/or innovation & entrepreneurship support organizations (such as EU|BICs) to investigate possible cross-border collaboration opportunities. 

Target audience 

• EU|BICs, incubators, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Support Organizations 

• Cities and Regions 

Do not hesitate to share this training opportunity with other stakeholders of your regional innovation ecosystem – such as SMEs, research centres and CSOs – potentially interested in the upcoming calls. 

Experts

Sander van der Molen, Partner at EU|BIC Associate Civitta

Partner and board member at Civitta, leading multiple international teams focused on innovation and startup ecosystems in Europe and beyond. Innovation Consultant with over 20 years’ experience in innovation, R&D commercialisation, and digitalisation. Team Lead in international tender projects focused on innovation, research commercialisation, (European) Digital Innovation Hubs, and SME support. International Business Coach, selected by EISMEA (SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator). Has secured over €100 million in funding for clients across various grant programmes. A dedicated expert in Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) and the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument support contracts for European Commission.

About CCRI Knowledge Hub (EU Funded project) 

CCRI Knowledge Hub (CCRI KH) is a EU funded project aiming at increasing the impact of the existing Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) by expanding the network of stakeholders, bringing together the knowledge and critical mass already developed around the implementation of the Circular Economy and building on the EC stakeholder platform. The aim is to promote and realise the circular economy concept in EU cities and regions, in particular those in the initial phase of transition to the circular economy. To achieve its objective, CCRI KH will act as a “knowledge hub”, building on existing initiatives and projects to foster the uptake of the circular economy in EU cities and regions. The K-CCRI formula is based on three principles: 

• easy access to feasible systematised knowledge, 

• tailor-made mentoring according to users’ needs and 

• effective awareness-raising to make the circular economy more desirable. 

These principles, in turn, are based on four main dimensions: 

1. Public engagement 

2. innovation and technology 

3. business models and 

4. financial support Impact assessment. 

K-CCRI, a project coordinated by Kveloce, brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of experts consisting of 11 partners from 6 EU countries (research and technology centres, universities, research organisations, international networks and associations, regional authorities, as well as specialised companies and SMEs) who bring complementary skills and competences to achieve the project objectives. 

2025 Training timeline