New Enhanced European Innovation Council presented in Tbilisi
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Wednesday, July 17
EIC represents a new initiative of the European Commission, to support researchers, firms and innovators developing high-risk, breakthrough innovations with the potential to create new markets and boost jobs, growth and prosperity in Europe.
2019-2020 Work Programme of the EIC provides for a financial allocation of about EURO 2 billion including several already existing instruments and some novelties that will anticipate the Horizon Europe 2021-2027 Programming.
The EIC Pathfinder pilot will support ambitious collaborative research projects aiming at developing radical and innovative technologies. The EIC Accelerator pilot (SME Instrument) will be focused on companies and start-ups with a radically new highly risky, and thus, non-bankable idea underpinned by a business plan for rolling out marketable innovation solutions and with a potential to scale up.
Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Nikoloz Alavidze and Catalin Gherman, Deputy head of Cooperation of EU Delegation to Georgia opened the event.
“Delegation of the European Union supports research and innovation through increased collaboration with Georgian partners,” noted Catalin Gherman. According to him, “this is one of the priorities for the EU cooperation in Georgia.”
During the event, Mr. Jean-David Malo, EIC task Force Director, through video conference, welcomed participants and provided a detailed presentation of operational details envisaged by the European Commission under the Enhanced EIC Pilot for 2019 and 2020, EIC Pathfinder and EIC Accelerator schemes.
Together with Georgian counterparts – research groups and institutions, innovative SMEs and start-ups and other interested parties – they discussed the state of play on creative SME development in Georgia and the Role of EIC in supporting the internationalization of Georgia’s innovative SMEs.
The event held in Georgia represents a part of the series of information events held in every EU member state and associated country Horizon 2020.
Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme with nearly ˆ80 billion of funding available over seven years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries, and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.
Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness.