RISE project strengthens European value chains — over 100 SMEs across 20 countries advance cross-regional innovation

The European project RISE (Resilient Innovation Ecosystems for EU Value Chains), co-funded by the European Union under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument, has successfully completed its mission to bridge innovation gaps across Europe, supporting more than 100 SMEs in 20 countries.

The European project RISE (Resilient Innovation Ecosystems for EU Value Chains), funded under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument, has successfully concluded its two-year mission to bridge innovation gaps across European regions. Bringing together partners from eight EU countries — Bulgaria, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Italy, and France — the project supported 97 companies across 20 countries through dedicated coaching, and developed 30 interregional innovation investment fiches, with 15 of them maturing into market-oriented investment cases.

FROM IDEAS TO INVESTMENTS

RISE followed a clear, data-driven funnel approach — guiding ideas from early concept stage to full investment readiness. Starting with broad outreach and matchmaking, the project helped companies identify innovation opportunities, refine their business models through tailored coaching, and ultimately transform the most promising concepts into mature, investment-ready cases capable of attracting EU or private funding:

• 1,000+ stakeholders mapped and connected across Europe’s innovation ecosystems
• 41 initial project ideas gathered through roadshows and matchmaking events
• 50 targeted coaching sessions delivered to SMEs and project teams, strengthening business models and technical readiness
• over 100 from 20 countries actively engaged in RISE support activities
• 15 mature investment cases consolidated for follow-up with investors and EU programmes
• 2 funding-mix pilot cases — Parawaste (Bulgaria) and Pohjois-Suomen Biokaasu Oy (Finland) — tested hybrid public-private financing modelsThese activities also catalysed three interregional investment initiatives in areas such as sustainable construction, bio-based packaging, and the circular bioeconomy, aligned with EU Green Deal priorities and regional Smart Specialisation Strategies.

COLLABORATION AND TRUST

RISE partners emphasized that building trust between companies and regions remains key to long-term cooperation. While 89% of I3 projects succeeded in creating European value chains, many still face challenges in bringing ideas to investment maturity due to fragmented value chains and limited SME readiness. RISE addressed these gaps through tailored coaching, business model support, and cross-regional matchmaking, empowering SMEs from Less Developed Regions (LDRs) to engage in EU-level value chains and funding programmes such as Horizon Europe, LIFE, and future I3 calls.

SUCESS STORIES

The outcomes of RISE are best demonstrated through a group of 15 mature investment cases, among which 7 advanced to the highest maturity level and are now ready for follow-up under interregional funding programmes. These success stories highlight how tailored coaching, cross-regional partnerships, and hands-on mentoring helped bridge the gap between early innovation and real market opportunities.Examples include:

•    Fravizel (Portugal) — Smart quarry systems and circular manufacturing technologies
•    Parawaste (Bulgaria) — Circular waste valorisation in the building sector
•    Pohjois-Suomen Biokaasu Oy (Finland) — Bioenergy investment case integrating regional biomass and industrial residues
•    OmniOpti (Slovenia) — AI-driven logistics optimisation platform  (SELAROA project)
•    GEOSENSE (Portugal) — QuarrySense digital monitoring and automation in quarry operations
•    EcoMineral (Spain/Finland/Italy) — Sustainable mineral processing and  cross-regional raw materials valorisation
•    SoluStone (Portugal) — Eco-friendly structural materials developed from natural stone composites
Two of these cases — Parawaste and Pohjois-Suomen Biokaasu Oy — were further developed into funding-mix pilots, combining EU/national support with private co-investment.

POLICY AND FUTURE OUTOOOK

Insights from the RISE Policy Brief point to practical improvements that would accelerate cross‑regional investment readiness and long‑term SME participation:
•    Provide longer funding durations (up to 5 years) for trust‑building and project maturation
•    Strengthen cluster and SME support mechanisms for investment readiness
•    Facilitate interregional seed funds and SME travel grants to boost cooperation
•    Simplify administrative procedures and encourage quadruple helix participation
•    Deepen capacity building in Less Developed Regions through advisory hubs and targeted mentoring

“RISE has proven that cross‑regional collaboration can translate innovation potential into tangible investment opportunities — especially when SMEs receive hands‑on support, mentoring, and networking opportunities,” said Pirkka Junes (DIGIPOLIS). “The next step is ensuring that these results continue to evolve through future EU programmes and regional innovation pipelines.”

FIND OUT MORE

As RISE concludes, partners invite all stakeholders, clusters, and SMEs to explore the project’s public deliverables and results — including the Public Synthetic Note on RISE Investment Cases (D4.4), Sustainable Continuation Plan (D5.3), and Policy Brief (D5.4) — now available online.
Visit https://www.rise-project.eu/deliverables/ to access insights, case studies, and recommendations shaping the future of interregional innovation investments.
 

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor EISMEA can be held responsible for them