Throughout a duration of two years, the SPREAD2INNO Project successfully provided training and acceleration opportunities for startups in Italy, Bulgaria, and Greece, aiming to support the closing of the geographical innovation gap in Europe. With a three-phase startup acceleration programme, as well as complementary activities, SPREAD2INNO ensured that the needs of emerging entrepreneurs were addressed and that innovative ideas were boosted and taken to the next level.

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The Horizon Europe-funded project SPREAD2INNO – “SPREADing the global potential of developing innovation ecosystems to strengthen INNOvation in regional and local businesses” – aimed to bring together different innovation stakeholders to implement a replicable programme for the provision of high-quality business services. From January 2023 until January 2025, a consortium of seven partners from six European countries contributed to enhancing business activities in less developed innovation regions in Bulgaria, Greece, and Italy. The project was coordinated by Fondazione E. Amaldi (Italy), with the partners being Fraunhofer IPK (Germany), the European Business Angel Network (Belgium), Teseas (Italy), Cleantech Bulgaria (Bulgaria), MINDS & SPARKS (Austria), and Patras Science Park (Greece).

The main activities of the project were centred around a three-phase startup acceleration programme. During six local events in Bulgaria, Greece, and Italy, 120 startups received the opportunity to participate in exciting workshops, network with important stakeholders, and compete for a place in the next phase. Two Innovation Academies in Italy and Bulgaria provided tailored workshops and mentoring for the 24 winners of the local events’ pitching sessions. The last phase of the project consisted of an intensive training week for the six Innovation Academies’ finalists.

Project results

Throughout these two years, the project achieved numerous important results, including:

• The implementation of six local events
• The implementation of 2 Innovation Academies
• The implementation of a seven-day intensive training programme
• A final event highlighting the project’s results
• The development of a one-stop-shop web platform
• The creation of a best practices manual

As the partner responsible for dissemination and communication, MINDS & SPARKS contributed to the project’s success by leading the promotion of all activities, including attracting startups for the acceleration programme and ensuring the lasting impact of the project’s outcomes. Furthermore, MINDS & SPARKS developed the SPREAD2INNO one-stop-shop web platform, which provides a centralised online solution for innovation stakeholders to connect, exchange knowledge, and find relevant entities across Europe.

Project impacts

By implementing the activities listed above, SPREAD2INNO successfully contributed to the following long-term impacts:

• Enhanced openness, competitiveness, and global potential of developing innovation eco-systems and creation of local jobs with high-value added
• Balanced business activity across Europe
• Improved quality and outreach of business acceleration services in developing innovation ecosystems
• Enhanced network connectivity within innovation ecosystems by reinforcing their capacity to support existing and emerging innovators and companies
• Strengthened and expanded cooperation between innovation ecosystems worldwide
• More inclusivity and gender equality in innovation ecosystems

Links

Project website: www.spread2inno.eu

X: https://twitter.com/SPREAD2INNO_EU

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spread2inno-project

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SPREAD2INNO-Project

Keywords

Startups, innovation, SMEs, business, innovation ecosystem, pitching, training, workshops