The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has opened a new EIT Community Hub dedicated to supporting the French Outermost Regions (FORs)
Based in Paris, the EIT Community Hub will help connect innovators, entrepreneurs, and regional partners with Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem. By offering direct access to EIT programmes, expertise, and networks, the initiative represents an important step in closing the innovation gap between Europe’s mainland and its outermost territories.
Connecting the outermost regions with Europe
The new EIT Community Hub is designed to benefit six French Outermost Regions: Saint-Martin, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, and Mayotte.
These six regions, located across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, face unique economic and geographic challenges. The EIT’s goal is to help strengthen their competitiveness, support sustainable growth, and promote deeper integration into Europe’s innovation landscape.
The hubs form part of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS), a long-standing programme that supports areas of Europe that traditionally receive fewer innovation opportunities. Through training, mentoring, access to funding, and cross-border partnerships, the hub will help local actors better participate in European-level innovation activities.
Supporting the EU’s strategy for the outermost regions
Since 2004, the European Union has pursued a dedicated strategy to help its outermost regions build on their strengths and overcome barriers linked to their remoteness. These territories hold strategic assets, including rich biodiversity, research capabilities, and strong entrepreneurial potential. The EIT has aligned its work with this broader EU approach, publishing in 2024 a targeted strategy to enhance engagement with the outermost regions.
The new hub in Paris is a significant action under that strategy. It is intended to make EIT support more accessible, adapt existing tools to the specific needs of the FORs, and develop new initiatives tailored to their local contexts. By doing so, the EIT aims to help nurture talent, encourage innovation-driven entrepreneurship, and address region-specific challenges such as climate resilience, digital development, and sustainable resource management.
Launch event highlights regional talent.
The EIT Community Hub was launched during the tenth edition of Innovation Outre-Mer, held at Station F in Paris. This annual event, led by the Outre-Mer Network and supported by the French Overseas Ministry, brings together startups and innovators from the overseas territories. It offers participants opportunities to pitch projects, take part in immersion programmes, and connect with investors and mentors.
At the launch, project leaders from the outermost regions presented new ideas and explored potential collaborations with EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). Representatives from European and French institutions, along with regional stakeholders, participated in discussions on strengthening innovation pathways and ensuring long-term support for overseas entrepreneurs.
Expanding a Pan-Europen Innovation network
The new Paris-based hub joins a growing network of EIT Community Hubs operating in more than 20 European countries. These hubs help the EIT maintain a strong local presence, particularly in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, and in the EU Outermost Regions. This expansion reinforces the EIT’s mission to build a truly pan-European ecosystem where all regions benefit from innovation-driven growth.
Across Europe, the EIT community includes more than 2,420 partners and over 70 hubs. It has supported nearly 9,900 ventures and helped bring more than 2,400 new products and services to market. With the addition of the new hub for the French Outermost Regions, the EIT continues to broaden access to innovation and ensure that talent from every corner of Europe can contribute to the continent’s future.
