European Innovation Procurement Awards winners announced at Belgian Presidency Conference

The European Innovation Procurement Awards proudly recognise outstanding initiatives that drive innovation and address societal challenges across the European Union. Hosted at the Innovation Procurement Conference on March 20, organised by the Belgian Presidency of the European Council in close collaboration with the European Commission and the European Innovation Council, the awards ceremony marks a pivotal moment in celebrating procurement-led innovation.

The ceremony was presided over by Jo Brouns, Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation, Work, Social Economy, and Agriculture, alongside Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms.

In the 'Innovation procurement initiative' category, the winner is the Group for Innovation Procurement (GPI) initiative of Sardinia Research (Sardegna Ricerche) from Italy. 'GPI' receive the award for having created a regional action plan for Innovation procurement and a ‘Group for Innovation Procurement’ that encourages public buyers in their region to implement innovation procurements.

Meanwhile, in the category of 'Facing societal challenges: green energy transition', the winner is 'REGEN3TIQ', submitted by Beam Cube (BEAM³) from France. 'REGEN3TIQ' receives the award for their innovative digital twin solution that reduces the energy consumption, and the entire lifecycle ecological footprint of public infrastructure and construction works as well as the purchasing, maintenance and management cycle linked to those type of works.

The winner in each category is awarded € 75 000.

European Commissioner Iliana Ivanova lauded the achievements of the winners, stating,

The European Innovation Procurement Awards celebrate visionary endeavours that not only foster innovation but also address pressing societal challenges. My heartfelt congratulations to the winners. They exemplify the transformative potential of innovative procurement initiatives in shaping a more sustainable and resilient future for Europe.

Minister Jo Brouns added:

Innovation procurement is an essential component to stimulate innovation and to drive the digital and green transition of the European Union. The Innovation Procurement Awards showcase successful cases of excellence and innovation in procurement practices across Europe.

The European Innovation Procurement Awards serve as a testament to the EU's commitment to promoting innovation and sustainability through collaborative efforts and forward-thinking initiatives.

Background

Supported by the European Innovation Council work programme under Horizon Europe, the European Innovation Procurement Awards recognise real life cases in which public and private buyers successfully applied innovation procurement practices across Europe. It also emphasises the importance of close buyer–supplier cooperation in bringing the innovative solutions to market.

In 2023, the European Innovation Procurement Awards featured two categories:

• Innovation procurement initiative category: to reward actions, and mid/long term strategies and action plans that trigger different innovation procurement and sustainable solution and practices.
• Facing societal challenges “green energy transition” category: to reward those innovative procurement practices aimed to support the green energy transition.

More information:

The European Innovation Procurement Awards (EUIPA) 2023 winners page 

EISMEA-EUIPAwardsec [dot] europa [dot] eu (EISMEA-EUIPAwards[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

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