– Hosted by RInnoValleys partners Acceler8 Ltd, a leading Maltese venture builder
Valletta, Malta – July 2024 – The RInnoValleys Project successfully hosted its third Peer Learning Event on June 11th and 12th, 2024, at the Valletta Design Cluster in Malta. Organized by Acceler8 Ltd, a leading Maltese venture builder, the event brought together representatives from consortium partners and stakeholders across Europe to discuss and strategize on enhancing regional innovation capabilities.
Event Highlights and Agenda
The two-day event started with Martin Vieira, Innovation Funding Strategist at Acceler8, who inaugurated the event with a presentation on the New European Innovation Agenda, setting the stage for discussions on regional innovation policies and EU funding leverage.
Keynote speaker Gege Gatt, CEO of Ebo AI, shared his entrepreneurial journey in Europe and Malta, providing valuable insights into navigating regulatory challenges in the AI startup landscape. This was followed by an interactive workshop aimed at identifying strategies to enhance regional capabilities for accessing and leveraging EU funding programs.
The first day’s agenda also included a keynote speech by Jessica Camilleri, Director at Malta Enterprise, focusing on fostering innovation and enhancing competitiveness in Malta. A panel discussion featuring Diana Micelli (EIT Community Officer Malta), Anamaria Pantea Magri (CEO of Ascend Consulting), and Christina Skoubridou (Director of the EU Innovation Department at Envolve Entrepreneurship) delved into the role of regions in adapting to the changing innovation landscape.
The second day featured case study presentations from local stakeholders, highlighting successful regional alignments with the European Innovation Agenda. Presenters included Fabian Borg from Gzira Local Council, Camille Bon from EIT RIS Hub Malta, and Joanne Attard Mallia from the Valletta Design Cluster.
Group discussions continued from the first day’s workshop, with participants consolidating their strategies and developing action points for aligning innovation policies and leveraging EU funding. The day concluded with visits to the Malta Digital Innovation Authority and Supercharge Ventures, where attendees engaged in presentations and networking with local startups.
Conclusion and Future Steps
The event underscored the significance of collaborative efforts in enhancing regional innovation ecosystems and accessing EU funding opportunities. Participants expressed interest in continuing collaborations and developing projects for upcoming EU calls, particularly in the areas of academia-enterprise collaboration and EIC readiness.
For more information about the RInnoValleys Project and its upcoming events, please visit rinnovalleys.eu.
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About RInnoValleys
RInnoValleys is a project funded by Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON) aiming to transform regions into innovation valleys. Innovation stakeholders from Greece, Catalonia-Spain, Malta, Hungary, Belgium and Ireland join forces to connect DeepTech startups with the European innovation ecosystem. RInnoValleys is an ambitious initiative set to address disparities and challenges faced by EU regions in supporting deep tech startups and accessing the European Innovation Council (EIC). The project ensures the involvement of key innovation players from government, academia, industry, and civil society, promoting inclusivity across all EU territories, including rural areas aligning regional innovation policies with the New European Innovation Agenda.
RInnoValleys partners are:
- Envolve Entrepreneurship (Greece): https://www.envolveglobal.org
- ACCIÓ – Agència per la Competitivitat de l’Empresa (Catalonia-Spain): https://www.accio.gencat.cat/
- Hungarian Innovation Agency (Hungary): https://niu.hu/
- Acceler8 Limited (Malta): https://www.acceler8.today/
- Community Enterprise Association Ireland CEAI (Ireland): https://communityenterprise.ie/
- Startup Europe Regions Network (Belgium): https://startupregions.eu/
Read more about the RInnoValleys Project: https://rinnovalleys.eu
Follow RInnoValleys on LinkedIn: htpps://linkedin.com/company/rinnovalleys
