Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 1

Expected Impact:FOR ALL THREE THEMATIC PRIORITIES!Expected impact at the closure of the project (non-exhaustive list) Innovative technologies tested and adopted by companies and public administration;Innovative solutions deployed improving businesses confidence, competences and means to digitalise and grow;Contribution to digitisation and health systems transformation, through various types of innovation and the supply of IT services;Uptake of technologically/economically reliable and viable solutions on the market;Deployment of new green and digital technologies fostering the growth of Europe’s manufacturing sector;Innovative technologies adopted by SMEs;Identification of possible sources of funding/funding mix, to cover the residual investment needs (public-private partnerships for the deployment of innovation, the collaboration with venture capitals, EIB group loans etc);Strengthening innovation diffusion channels;Reinforcing the capacity of regions to co-invest together, joining forces on common S3 investment priorities (interregional investments). Long-term impact (non-exhaustive list):Increased companies’ productivity and efficiency;Improved user-friendly, accessible and interoperable public services;Improved level of digital skills;Improved EU innovation capacity and competitivenessCreating new market opportunities for EU companies;Making the EU industry more efficient and sustainable;Improved way of living and of doing business;Increased social and territorial cohesion as well as personal well-being;Improved education and vocational training systems (indirectly);Reinforcing/reshaping EU value chains whilst increasing EU competitiveness in global markets;Unlocking the innovation potential of EU regions/countries;Contributing to the European Green Deal objectives;Positive impact on environment, health, climate, social and economy;Economic growth and job creationReinforcing/reshaping EU value chains whilst increasing the competitiveness of the EU in global markets. Objective:Objective of this call for proposalsStrand 1 of the I3 instrument seeks to increase the competitiveness and the resilience of EU value chains on the basis of interregional cooperation and shared smart specialisation areas.The objective of the I3 Instrument Strand 1 call for proposals is to support interregional innovation investments by offering consortia of innovation actors from the quadruple helix ecosystems the necessary financial and advisory support to bring their innovations to a mature level, ready for commercialisation and scale-up, while bridging and reducing the innovation divide in Europe with a strong cohesion policy focus of integrating all regions and in particular the less developed regions into European value chains.Thereby, applications under this call seek to facilitate:the development of already existing or the creation of new interregional and cross-border value chains and a better connection between regional innovation ecosystems;the collaboration between innovation actors, especially SMEs, from less developed regions and innovation actors, especially SMEs, from more developed regions, contributing to cohesion policy objectives. Active participation of the less developed regions and outermost regions is strongly encouraged. Participation of innovation actors is based on shared or complementary innovation priorities, as defined in their regional and/or national smart specialisation strategies. Projects shall show a balanced participation of regions with varying levels of development and innovation performance.I3 Instrument business investment cases start with a minimum TRL 6 and have the ambition to facilitate demonstration and to accelerate market uptake and commercialisation. The development of the business and investment cases is facilitated by the regional innovation ecosystems with companies in the lead.The support to be provided shall be (a) financial (through direct funding of consortium’s beneficiaries or through cascade funding/financial support to third parties (FSTP)) or (b) nonfinancial (e.g. coaching, mentoring, matchmaking activities). See section 2.3 for conditions and details.Themes and prioritiesApplications under this call for proposals must address one of the following thematic priorities: Digital transition orGreen transition orSmart manufacturing Each project application under this call must address one thematic priority. Digital transition Digital technologies present an enormous growth potential for Europe. In line with the Europe fit for the digital age priority, this thematic priority targets investments in businesses and public administrations (notably in the part related to the innovation sector) with regards to the digital transition. Projects will unlock the potential for digital growth, deploying innovative solutions that improve accessibility and efficiency of services (both for businesses and citizens) while bridging the digital divide.This thematic priority encourages applications in one or more or a combination of the following investment areas (non-exhaustive list):a. Digital economy innovation The deployment of innovative solutions for businesses digitalisation and digital services, including the use of artificial intelligence;ICT up-take in SMEs applied to traditional and emerging sectors; B2B; B2C; Customer to Customer, including infrastructures and services (digital innovation hubs, living labs, etc.);Demonstration of innovative digital technologies in view of the commercialisation of research results and a better integration in EU value chains;User driven innovation and valorisation of traceability and big data;Companies reinforcing EU cybersecurity value chain and protecting from hacking, ransomware and identity theft;“Digital based” open innovation, supporting entrepreneurial discovery processes and cooperation between academia and businesses in the framework of smart specialisation;Digital skills for companies adopting innovative digital technologie