EIT and EEN Join Forces to Strengthen Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology–Enterprise Europe Network (EIT–EEN) Cooperation Guidelines (including the 2025 pilot activities) have now been officially signed by the EIT and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW). 

While EEN and EIT have not previously operated under a formal cooperation framework, their collaboration to date has been pragmatic and project-based, with EEN acting as a broad small and medium sized enterprise (SME) gateway and partner broker, and EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) providing deep, thematic innovation ecosystems. The new guidelines represent the first structured approach to coordinating these complementary services across Europe. This coordination will help companies navigate EU support more easily and access the expertise and opportunities they need to grow. 

With the signatures in place, the focus shifts from preparation to implementation, marking a major step forward in how the EEN and the EIT will work together. 

Two Major EU Instruments Joining Forces 

EEN is the world’s largest support network for SMEs, with around 600 member organisations in 57 countries. It provides advice, training, and international partnership services to innovative and export-oriented SMEs, and is funded under the Single Market Programme. The EIT, funded under Horizon Europe, brings together ten KICs and a network of more than 2 420 partners, forming Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem. 

The new guidelines encourage both networks to work together systematically, establishing shared structures and methods to offer complementary and seamless services to their stakeholders. A particular focus will be on strengthening EIT KICs’ connections with EEN services and extending the EIT’s regional and SME reach. 

Shared Goals for Greater Impact 

The cooperation pursues several core goals: 

1. Strengthening innovation and competitiveness of European businesses, especially SMEs, by maximising cooperation and combining resources, networks, and services. 

2. Promoting knowledge and technology transfer between SMEs, startups, scaleups, and public and private actors. 

3. Supporting scaleup, technology uptake, and market entry by leveraging both networks’ regional presence. 

4. Fostering sustainable growth and prosperity across Europe. 

Key Areas of Cooperation 

Key areas of cooperation include referral pipelines between EEN local offices and the EIT Community’s entrepreneurship and acceleration services, and acting as an access point to KIC education and innovation opportunities for regional SMEs and entrepreneurs across the EU and candidate countries, including the Western Balkans. 

Knowledge Exchange and Joint Initiatives 

The cooperation will also involve the exchange of market intelligence, best practices, and emerging innovation trends. Joint skills development and training activities will support innovation management, intellectual property, scaling strategies, and internationalisation. Stakeholder engagement will be supported through newsletters, reports, and public events, reinforced by strong digital outreach and storytelling from both networks.