Innovation & Digitalisation

Getting a good idea out of the lab, off the drawing board and into the markets is one of the greatest challenges in business. Getting it to scale is yet another. With the steadfast support of our partners, we have been making every effort to channel financing in the direction of innovative entrepreneurs and small businesses at the earliest stages of their development, supporting disruptive technologies that will shape the digital world of tomorrow.

From artificial intelligence to space, industrial technologies to cybersecurity, we have directed financial support towards sectors that will not only define our future, but also play a key role in Europe’s strategic autonomy, backing jobs and growth, and constituting key chapters of tomorrow’s economy.

At the same time, driving the digital transformation, we’ve been reaching out to traditional businesses who are investing in the digitalisation of their business model, and we’ve been working closely with several Member States to help build and nurture local risk capital ecosystems.

2022 has also seen the beginning of a renewed effort on scale-up financing, with the European Tech Champions Initiative being set up and gathering pace with a view to launching in early 2023, aiming to generate the large funds and ticket sizes that are needed so that bright ideas can not only be born in Europe, but grow, scale and flourish in Europe.