Innovative procurement: EIC calls for matching PA and innovative SMEs/start-ups

Among the various acceleration services made available by the European Innovation Council (EIC) there is also one dedicated to innovative procurement. The aim is to facilitate the access of EIC innovators to this rich market, which, on the one hand, fosters innovation in public administrations and, on the other, represents a billion-dollar source of funding for innovative companies. The EIC programme has four strands and operates through calls, one of which is currently open.

As the EIC explains, 'the main objective of this programme is to facilitate the access of EIC innovators to procurement markets in Europe and globally, thus ensuring more market opportunities for these innovative SMEs and start-ups and, at the same time, contributing to their scale-up'.

To do this, the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme (this is its official name) is divided into four actions. Two of these ('InnoBuyers' and 'Tests or Proof of Concepts piloted on the services of public and/or private buyers') involve calls for proposals and also provide grants. The other two ('EIC Innovation Procurement Partnership'; and 'EIC Strategic Use of Innovation Procurement') operate through in-kind services and mentorships.

The InnoBuyers ca