Building bridges between Olomouc and Navarra: A Knowledge Exchange story

How can a visit help reshape a regional innovation strategy? This summer, ICOK’s team travelled from the heart of Moravia, Czechia, to Navarra, Spain, to explore one of Europe’s most mature life sciences ecosystems.

As part of the EU|BIC Knowledge Exchange Programme, EBN facilitated and matchmade an inspiring visit for the staff of EU|BIC ICOK (Innovation Centre of the Olomouc Region), Czechia, to EU|BIC CEIN (Centro Europeo de Empresas e Innovación de Navarra), a leading innovation centre in Navarra, Spain.

Driven by a clear ambition to strengthen their regional innovation infrastructure, ICOK set out to learn from Navarra’s outstanding success in the life sciences sector, a field where the region has built one of Europe’s most integrated and mature ecosystems. Already an active driver of innovation in Moravia, ICOK is now planning to expand its support for startups and research collaborations and saw in Navarra a powerful example of how to combine long-term vision with practical ecosystem building.

‘We took the ICOK team to visit Navarrabiomed, one of our leading biomedical research centres, and IRIS Navarra, our digital innovation hub,” said a CEIN representative. “These visits highlight how we integrate science, technology, and entrepreneurship and how public investment and strong partnerships can drive regional excellence.’

For ICOK, the exchange was a valuable learning experience. The delegation was impressed by the depth of collaboration between academia, government, and industry, as well as the region’s clear commitment to sustainability and quality of life.

‘We were really inspired by Navarra’s ability to align all actors around a shared regional vision,’ added Vladislava Závrská from ICOK. ‘The experience helped us see new possibilities for strengthening our own ecosystem in Moravia.”

Looking ahead, both ICOK and CEIN look forward to continued collaboration, including joint participation in the upcoming PULSIO I Life Science Conference on 12 November 2025 in Olomouc, which promises to strengthen ties and share innovation insights between the two regions.

EU|BIC Knowledge exchange Programme

This exchange was a tangible example of how EBN’s EUBIC Knowledge Exchange Programme fosters practical, peer-to-peer learning and cross-regional collaboration. The ICOK–CEIN partnership is already generating ideas to enhance support for life sciences startups in Olomouc, with plans to deepen cooperation further.

The Knowledge Exchange Visit Programme strengthens collaboration within the EU|BIC community by promoting knowledge sharing, best practices, and innovation capacity building. It offers a unique opportunity for EU|BICs and EU|BIC Associate Members to engage as either Visiting Organisations or Host Organisations, facilitating mutual learning, practical exposure, and impact-driven partnerships.

Do you want to know more about the EUBIC Knowledge Exchange? Click here