EIC Impact Report 2023: Accelerating Deep Tech in Europe

The European Innovation Council (EIC) Impact Report 2023 showcases the remarkable advancements achieved by the EIC in establishing itself as the preferred investor for European deep tech entrepreneurs. In 2023, the EIC Fund, the investment branch of the EIC, finalised over 100 investments in deep tech companies, totalling approximately €1.2 billion.

The report delves into the impacts of the EIC, a €10 billion program of the European Union (EU), focusing on approximately 500 startups, 275 advanced research projects, and 140 projects commercialising research results funded under Horizon Europe since 2021. It also provides insights into how the EIC identifies, supports, and scales up breakthrough technologies and deep tech startups.

In the report, President of the Board of the EIC, Michiel Scheffer, indicated that in 2024 the Board will focus on four priorities:

• Strategic excellence by identifying the thematic priorities in a strategic, conceptually rigorous, and effective way,
• Securing a cohesive innovation system, with a good flow of research findings to innovation, effective deployment and protection of intellectual property,
• Promoting that all regions in the EU have optimal access to excellence by identifying barriers and biases to innovation and promoting optimal innovative ecosystems,
• Investment excellence, with a main objective to crowd in other funding (public and private) into innovative entrepreneurship in deep-tech.