On 29 October, the European Innovation Council (EIC), together with GIS - Transfer Center Foundation, Innovation Starter, National Innovation Fund and Endeavor, will host an EIC Info Day as a side event to Crossroads by StartUp Bulgaria in Sofia.
The event will present the current EIC Work Programme, providing detailed information on the individual calls and highlighting funding opportunities available to potential applicants.
The provisional agenda is available below.
Please note that this is an in-person event only. Registration is required and spots are limited.
- innovation
- Thursday 29 October 2026, 10:30 - 16:10 (EET)
- Sofia, Bulgaria
Programme
- 29 Oct 2026, 10:30 - 11:00 (EET)Registrations and welcome coffee
- 11:00 - 11:10 (EET)Opening
Speakers:
- Momchil Sabev, Director, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
- Ivan Vasilev, Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation
- 11:10 - 11:50 (EET)Panel discussion on the impact of the EIC
Session moderated by: Momchil Sabev, Director, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
Speakers:
- Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board, Invest EU Fund Investment Committee Member
- Milla Marinova, Founder and CEO, R8ER, EIC Board Member
- 11:50 - 12:20 (EET)Fireside chat with Ekaterina Zaharieva, Bulgarian Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation and Ivan Vasilev, Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation
Session moderated by Milla Marinova, Founder and CEO, R8ER, EIC Board Member
- 12:20 - 13:00 (EET)A walk through the European Innovation Council (EIC) journey
Presenters:
- Isidro Laso, Senior EIC Policy Officer, Directorate-General Research and Innovation, European Commission
- Boyan Zhekov, National Coordinator for Horizon Europe, Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria
- 13:00 - 14:00 (EET)Networking Lunch
- 14:00 - 16:00 (EET)PARALLEL SESSION 1: EIC for deep tech start-ups and scale-ups
Session moderated by Andrei Lintu, Deputy Head of Unit, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
14:00-14:45 Deep dive into the EIC Accelerator/EIC Fund
Followed by Q&A session
Presenters:
- Andrei Lintu, Deputy Head of Unit, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
- Jussi Hätönen, Head of the EIC Division, European Investment Bank
14:45-15:30 EIC Awardee Experience
Followed by Q&A session
Presenter:
- Angela Ivanova, CEO at Lam’on, EIC Ambassador/awardee
- Svilen Rangelov, CEO and Co-founder of Dronamics, EIC Accelerator awardee
- Milen Ivanov, Managing Partner at Sofia Angels Ventures, EIC Jury Member
15:30-16:00 Panel discussion - Scaling science-based start-ups: how to raise 'slow' capital in a fast-paced world
Followed by Q&A session
Speaker (more speakers pending):
- Leona Aslanova, CEO Innovation Starter
- 14:00 - 16:00 (EET)PARALLEL SESSION 2: EIC for deep tech researchers
Session moderated by Agnes Monfret, Head of Unit for EIC Pathfinder, EISMEA
14:00-14:45 The European Innovation Council: support for researchers
Followed by Q&A session
Presenter:
- Agnes Monfret, Head of Unit for EIC Pathfinder, EISMEA
14:45-15:30 EIC Pathfinder participant experiences
Followed by Q&A session
Speaker:
- Petia Koprinkova, Professor, Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NEMO-BMI project)
15:30-16:00 Panel discussion: Exploring technology transfer strategies and best practices
Followed by Q&A session
Moderated by Agnes Monfret, Head of Unit for EIC Pathfinder, EISMEA
Speaker:
- Tsvetelina Yorgova, Research Assistant at Institute of Mechanics, Bulgarian academy of sciences, Project Manager, EEN Network
- 16:00 - 16:10 (EET)Closing remarks
Speaker:
- Momchil Sabev, Director, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
Practical information
- When
- Thursday 29 October 2026, 10:30 - 16:10 (EET)
- Where
- Bulgarian Army StadiumBorisova Gradina, bul. "Dragan Tsankov" 3, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Languages
- English