Commission seeks leading innovators for the European Innovation Council Board

Under the Horizon Europe legislation, this Board has a powerful role to guide the implementation of the EIC as Europe’s most ambitious innovation programme with a budget of €10 billion. In particular the Board will advise on the EIC strategy, work programme and thematic portfolios in order to maximise the impact of the EIC and may also advise on broader innovation policy matters.

We are looking for passionate innovators - entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists, corporate leaders, researchers and academics with leading expertise in fields relating to future and emerging technologies, breakthrough and disruptive innovation, starting and scaling businesses, innovation ecosystem builders, and innovation experts.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Research, Innovation, Culture, Education and Youth, said:

The EIC is becoming the hallmark of excellence for impact-oriented innovators and the role of the EIC Board is to put the innovator at the centre of this flagship innovation initiative. We have many outstanding innovators in all parts of Europe and I call on them to come forward for this important new role.

The deadline for innovators to express their interest is Wednesday 30 June, following which the Commission will select between 15 and 20 members to be appointed to the Board which is expected to start its operations in September. Members act in a personal capacity and are appointed for a two-year term of office, renewable twice. The EIC Board will take over from the previous EIC pilot Advisory Board that helped steer the initial strategy and implementation of the EIC [link to EIC pilot Advisory Board members]

The Horizon Europe legislation also creates a new position of President of the EIC Board and a separate call will be published soon to recruit a leading figure from the world of innovation for this position.

Background

The European Innovation Council is a key novelty of Horizon Europe and represents the most ambitious innovation initiative that Europe has taken, with a budget of €10 billion for the period 2021-2027. The EIC was launched on March 18^th 2021 with funding opportunities in 2021 of over €1.5 billion with a mission to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough and disruptive innovations and to support European leadership in emerging technologies and deep tech companies.