EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities under HORIZON-EIE-2025-02-CONNECT-02

Overview

The "Implementing co-funded action plans for connected regional innovation valleys" call (HORIZON-COFUND) is a uniquely European instrument. It leverages the scale, policies and networks of the Union to transform regional strengths into transnational, high-impact value chains. Below is a concise analysis of the key EU-level advantages and actionable opportunities applicants can exploit.

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1. Single Market Access (450+ million consumers)

• Pan-European pilot-to-market pipeline – Interregional projects funded via cascading grants (FSTP) can validate solutions in multiple Member States, accelerating TRL 6-8 demos and proving regulatory compliance across the EU in one go.

• Demand aggregation – Joint PCP/PPI schemes allow public buyers from different regions to act as a single customer, offering innovators larger contract volumes and de-risked entry into national markets.

• Early conformity with EU standards (CE-mark, GDPR, AI Act, eco-design, etc.) boosts readiness for mass deployment in the entire Single Market, not just in the pilot region.

2. Strategic Cross-Border Collaboration

• Mandatory mix of ‘leader/strong’ and ‘moderate/emerging’ regions lowers the usual barriers to partnering with top ecosystems and ensures knowledge flows both ways.

• Quadruple-helix critical mass – By pooling academia, industry, government and civil society from at least three countries, consortia can cover the full innovation chain (research → uptake → citizen acceptance).

• Portfolio logic – Managing ≥3 interregional projects as a coordinated portfolio enables shared IP management, talent mobility, and joint scale-up services across borders.

3. Deep Alignment with EU Flagships & Missions

| EU Policy / Agenda | How the Grant Delivers |

| ------------------ | --------------------- |

| European Green Deal & Net-Zero Industry Act | Prioritise valleys on renewables, circularity, bioeconomy, hydrogen; mobilise regional smart specialisation (S3) funds for green tech pilots. |

| Digital Decade & AI Act | Create federated testbeds for trustworthy AI/cybersecurity involving Digital Innovation Hubs and EDIH networks. |

| New European Innovation Agenda Burning Challenges | Target deep-tech valleys on fossil-free energy, food security, health biotech, etc. |

| ERA & Cohesion Policy | Bridge innovation divide by hard-wiring Widening regions into EU value chains. |

4. Regulatory Harmonisation & Standard Setting

• Early joint dialogues with EU agencies (EMA, ENISA, JRC, etc.) built into Annual Work Programmes can position valleys as living labs shaping future technical standards.

• Mutual recognition of test results between participating authorities reduces repetitive certification costs.

5. Access to Europe’s Integrated Innovation Ecosystem

• Plug-and-play connectivity with EIC, EIT KICs, Enterprise Europe Network, Euroclusters, Missions platforms and ERA hubs provides immediate visibility for regional SMEs and start-ups.

• Talent circulation – Staff exchanges financed under the core collaborative activities allow specialists from less-advanced regions to train in leading facilities (clean-room, test farm, AI datacenter, etc.) and return home with cutting-edge skills.

6. Funding Synergies & Blending

• 50 % co-fund requirement acts as a magnet for ERDF, REPowerEU, RRF, InvestEU and national S3 budgets, unlocking multi-fund packages often exceeding EUR 100 m per valley.

• Private leverage – Venture capital, corporate venturing and philanthropic foundations can co-fund FSTP calls, multiplying the EU grant and crowding-in private risk finance.

• Sequencing advantage – Use Horizon Europe for high-risk demos, then channel InvestEU or CEF2 Digital & Energy for large-scale deployment.

7. Scale & Impact Potential

• Critical mass of demand, supply and finance across several regions de-risks industrialisation, shortens time-to-market and paves the way for EU-wide standard adoption.

• Recognition as ‘Regional Innovation Valley’ creates a lasting EU label that attracts foreign direct investment and anchor companies looking for pan-European test sites.

• Common Knowledge Assets (datasets, IP pools, open standards) strengthen Europe’s open strategic autonomy by embedding key technologies in EU-controlled ecosystems.

8. Long-Term Systemic Value

• Governance innovation – Annual joint work programmes institutionalise cross-border priority setting, making interregional cooperation the norm rather than the exception.

• Inclusive growth – Social economy actors, citizen assemblies and gender-balanced boards, required under the call, ensure broad societal uptake and legitimacy.

• Policy learning – KPIs aligned with SDGs and EU Gender Equality Strategy feed directly into national reform agendas and future Cohesion Policy programming.

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Actionable Tips for Maximising EU Advantage

1. Map each partner’s smart specialisation priority against one of the New European Innovation Agenda’s ‘burning challenges’; build a technology roadmap that shows clear value-chain complementarities.

2. Ring-fence ERDF or RRF funding before proposal submission to satisfy the 50 % co-fund letter of intent; quote exact operational programme lines to score on credibility.

3. Design FSTP calls so that funded third-party consortia must include at least two regions from different innovation performance categories, reinforcing cohesion.

4. Embed a joint ‘EU Market Access Task-Force’ (legal + regulatory experts) to guide startups through CE-marking, EU taxonomy reporting, AI Act compliance, etc.

5. Reserve budget for participation in EU standard-setting bodies (CEN/CENELEC, ETSI) and dissemination at EU Council Presidencies & Mission Arena events.

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Conclusion

Operating at EU level under this HORIZON-COFUND call offers far more than grant financing. It provides a ready-made framework to:

• integrate top and emerging regions,

• align with flagship EU policies,

• leverage multi-fund packages, and

• achieve market deployment across the entire Single Market.

By fully exploiting these pan-European advantages, consortia can turn regional strengths into globally competitive, resilient and sustainable innovation valleys that embody the New European Innovation Agenda.