About EBN

European Business and Innovation Centre Network

Organisation

EBN (European Business and Innovation Centre Network) is a not-for-profit that serves a pan-European, global community of people that use innovative business as a driver for regional (economic) development.

 

EBN’s initiatives include EU|BIC certification, development and distribution of quality business support programmes, facilitation and initiation of project collaborations, global networking and advocacy for excellent business support actors like the EU|BICs.

We are on a mission to drive sustainable, economic development and wellbeing in our regions.

Mission Commitments

Regional (sustainable and social) economic development

From its origins until today, we endeavour to build strong innovation networks that support the economic development of European regions by:

 

  • fostering entrepreneurial innovations, including the acceleration of new enterprises and fostering innovation in existing enterprises
  • promoting entrepreneurial culture
  • modernising, digitalising and diversifying industries
  • stimulating job creation
  • partnering strategically with universities, research and science parks, corporates, investors and public authorities to form a vast, diverse, collaborative and connected European business innovation ecosystem

Quality Business Support

We conduct our operations in a manner that delivers the highest-quality support services possible. Our quality-certified, smart selection, ideation, acceleration, and incubation programmes are designed to support startups, scale-ups, SMEs and innovators of all kinds to keep succeeding in achieving their mission. In support of our commitment, we use our position as experts to share best practices with other businesses in our communities and facilitate social capital by getting people to meet and collaborate in mutual innovation projects–leaving no one behind.

Access to finance

From its origins until today, we endeavour to provide a steady pipeline of innovative, investment-ready companies and foster supportive investment opportunities, including, but not limited to, access to private investments, EU and non-EU grants, loans and equity funds, ensuring the continuity of the businesses and innovations that a competitive European economy needs. With a network of networks also including hundreds of investors, we rely on various tools and programmes to embed innovation to finance, and finance to innovation and share best practices on investment processes.

Scaling European Innovation

Our pan-European nature is one of our greatest assets to bolster the expansion potential of European startups, scaleups and innovative SMEs to support those who already operate on an international scale and to reinforce Europe as a global leader in entrepreneurial research and innovation. We apply our understanding of the different needs of our client entrepreneurs throughout the various stages of growth and leverage the support network so they can benefit from the same quality of support in any region they target for expansion.

Our impact

Here are some highlights from our most recent Impact report:

 

  • EU|BICs supported 29,300+ clients. This means 315 clients supported per EU|BIC.

 

  • Companies supported by EU|BICs average a 84.5% three-year survival rate, significantly outperforming the EU average of 58% (Eurostat).

 

  • Companies supported by EU|BICs raised over €881 million in funding. Venture capital accounted for the largest share at €345.6 million (39%), followed by EU funding at €169.3 million (19%), and other public funding at €167.5 million (19%).

 

  • The network had a strong performance in internationalisation, supporting 561 foreign companies to access local markets and 635 companies expand abroad.

 

  • Since 2004, EU|BIC-supported companies have created over 364,700 full-time equivalent jobs, with 9,150 new jobs generated in 2024 alone.

Careers

EBN is home to an innovative and enthusiastic team committed to building inclusive innovation ecosystems and sustainable economic development. We pride ourselves on creating an inclusive and flexible workplace that allows all staff to flourish.

 

Join our team! See below for current job openings or send your open application to info@ebn.eu.

Want to work for a Certified EU|BIC? Job seekers should also check out our news section, updated frequently with new openings from Certified EU|BICs, partners, and other innovation-driven employers