The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Poland’s Ministry of Economic Development and Technology have announced a new initiative to boost innovation across the European Union
Through a Memorandum of Understanding, the two institutions will launch the EIT Regional Innovation Booster (EIT RIB) pilot phase in Poland in 2025.
This pilot is a big step forward in addressing regional disparities in innovation and supporting the growth of high-potential startups and scaleups in countries with emerging innovation ecosystems.
Empowering startups in emerging innovation regions
The EIT Regional Innovation Booster is designed to offer tailored support to startups and scaleups in EU countries classified as modest or moderate innovators.
The initiative will help these ventures grow, scale internationally, and attract investment, closing the gap between regional innovation capabilities and more established ecosystems.
Poland was selected to host the pilot phase due to its growing innovation sector and strong cooperation history with the EIT. By launching the programme in Poland, the EIT aims to build a scalable model to expand to at least four other countries starting in 2026, with full implementation targeted for 2029.
A comprehensive approach to ecosystem development
The EIT RIB pilot in Poland will focus on four key areas: mapping the innovation ecosystem, selecting and mentoring high-potential startups, supporting internationalisation, and aligning activities with Poland’s smart specialisation priorities.
A joint EIT–Poland Task Force will oversee the programme, ensuring strong coordination and strategic alignment with national and EU-level innovation strategies. The initiative is structured to simplify the complex landscape of innovation support by integrating existing funding streams and development programmes into one support pathway.
Investment and infrastructure to drive success
To support the rollout and operation of the pilot, the EIT has committed to investing at least €30 million into the programme by 2028. This funding will be used to develop support mechanisms tailored to the specific needs of the Polish innovation ecosystem and to create scalable models for broader EU use.
A key element of this phase is the opening of the EIT Community Hub in Warsaw, scheduled for May 2025. This Hub will act as a central point for coordination, local engagement, and networking with the broader EIT Community across Europe.
Building on Poland’s past with the EIT
Poland has been an active partner in the EIT’s Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS), receiving over €32 million in grants between 2023 and 2025.
This includes €2.7 million directly supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 79 Polish organisations are involved in projects across EIT’s Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).
The EIT has already supported the creation of 285 ventures in Poland from 2021 to 2023, engaged more than 7,600 participants in education and training, and helped launch 31 innovations. The EIT Regional Innovation Booster builds on this momentum to create a more cohesive and connected innovation landscape across Europe.
A more inclusive European innovation future
The EIT Regional Innovation Booster hopes to unlock new entrepreneurial potential and ensure innovation thrives beyond traditional hubs by aligning local, national, and EU innovation efforts. The Poland pilot is expected to show how tailored, integrated support can empower startups and scaleups in emerging regions and contribute to a more inclusive European innovation ecosystem.
![Figure 1: Sketch of the evolution of the Universe over the last 13.77 billion years. It started with the Big Bang, followed by an extremely short period of rapid exponential expansion. The furthest we can see is the cosmic microwave background, when radiation decoupled from matter, approximately 380,000 years after the Big Bang. This is followed by the ‘dark ages,’ during which this radiation redshifted from the visible regime into infrared and sub-mm wavelengths. The occurrence of the first stars, about 400 million years after the Big Bang, ended this phase, spearheading the formation of galaxies as we see them today. [Credit: NASA/WMAP Science Team, public domain]](https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fig-1_1200-100x70.jpg "How did the first stars form in space?")
