Check out our 2024 EIT Regional Innovation Scheme Activity Report
EIT2024 marked 10 years of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) – and a decade of impact in helping close Europe’s innovation gap.
The latest RIS Activity Report showcases how this key programme of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) continues to boost innovation capacity across emerging and modest-performing regions of Europe and beyond.
Since its launch in 2014, the EIT RIS has transformed from a programme focused on opening up innovation to new regions into one of Horizon Europe's most effective instruments for bridging Europe's innovation gap, ensuring that talent and potential are fostered, nurtured, and amplified wherever they emerge. In 2024, ventures supported in the EIT RIS area attracted over €216 million in investment, while more than 105 000 participants joined EIT training and education activities to develop entrepreneurial and innovation skills.
A Decade of Impact
Looking back over 10 years of the EIT RIS, the achievements are clear:
- 324 000 people skilled and upskilled through EIT education programmes;
- 6 500 ventures created and supported;
- €1.33 billion in EIT grants dedicated to the RIS area;
- €3.23 billion in investment attracted by EIT RIS-based, Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC)-backed ventures.
A Snapshot of the 2024 Results
Across the RIS-eligible countries, the EIT Community supported 1 231 startups, facilitated the launch of 219 new innovations onto the market and trained over 105 000 participants. Moreover, in 2024, start-ups and scale-ups in the EIT RIS area, supported by the EIT, attracted over €216 million in investment. These results highlight the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme in driving growth, resilience, and innovation.
The report also highlights the expansion of EIT RIS activities into regions, including Ukraine, Turkey, the Western Balkans, and the EU’s Outermost Regions. Initiatives such as EIT Jumpstarter, EIT Red Kalyna, and EIT InfraBooster are empowering innovators with the tools, skills, and networks they need to thrive in challenging environments.
For ten years now, the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme has helped to overcome the innovation divide across Europe. What began as an effort to make EIT activities accessible to all regions has now become a powerful engine of entrepreneurship and skills opportunities. The results speak for themselves – thriving startups, skilled talents, and better-connected innovation ecosystems across Europe. In the years ahead, we aim to build on this success and make sure more and more startups and talents from the regions can benefit from the EIT’s presence on the ground and turn their ideas into impactful innovations.
Martin Kern, Director of the EIT
Looking Ahead
As the EIT RIS enters its second decade, the EIT is preparing new tools to scale its impact. A network of EIT Community Hubs will act as one-stop shops for innovators, providing easier access to EIT services and opportunities. The EIT Regional Innovation Booster pilot will bring long-term support to promising early-stage ventures, ensuring they can grow into tomorrow’s scale-ups.
With innovation more crucial than ever to tackle Europe’s green and digital transitions, the 2024 RIS Report demonstrates how the EIT and its KICs are helping Europe’s emerging ecosystems thrive.
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