Europe’s largest corporations are invited to explore a unique opportunity to solve their challenges through collaboration with the continent’s most innovative startups. The European Innovation Council (EIC) has established the ‘EIC Corporate Partnership Programme’ to connect top European corporations with a pipeline of over 6,000 pre-selected and EU-funded SMEs across diverse sectors, including health, energy, green, digital, and deep tech. This initiative is designed to foster productive partnerships and business deals.
EIC Corporate Day with Galp highlights
In July, the European Innovation Council (EIC) and Galp, the Portuguese energy giant, hosted an impactful EIC Corporate Day in Lisbon, Portugal. At Galp’s headquarters, 15 EIC-selected startups from 11 countries showcased their innovative solutions in areas that align with Galp’s interests, including hydrogen, biofuels, sustainable fuels, battery value chain, smart mobility, renewable energy, carbon capture, and energy and cost optimization. This Corporate Day featured dedicated pitching sessions followed by one-on-one meetings with high-level decision-makers from Galp.
The Corporate Day with Galp marks the beginning of a strengthened EIC Corporate Partnership Programme, aimed at enhancing collaboration between EIC-funded startups, scaleups, and SMEs, and a select group of prominent European corporations.
EIC representatives, including programme coordinator Manuel Mendigutía, attended the session.. During a roundtable with investors, universities, and entrepreneurs, Manuel discussed the future of energy through open innovation in Europe. He emphasized, “By connecting pioneering startups with industry leaders, the EIC aims to promote collaboration and accelerate business deals that contribute to leveraging the full potential of European innovation.”
Featured EIC-Funded Companies:
Discover the 15 EIC-funded companies selected by Galp:
- Alternative Energy Innovations (Spain)
- BatteryCheck (Czech Republic)
- Brite Hellas S.A. (Greece)
- DAC Sp.z.o.o. (Poland)
- Deftpower (Netherlands)
- Drage&Mate International SL (Spain)
- Dynelectro (Denmark)
- Enerpoly (Sweden)
- Fibersail (Portugal)
- Gaft (Netherlands)
- Sakowin (France)
- Solar Materials GmbH (Germany)
- SolarGaps (Ukraine)
- Spacewell Energy (DEXMA) (Spain)
- SunOyster Systems GmbH (Germany)
What’s the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme?
The EIC Corporate Day with Galp marks the inauguration of the newly reinforced EIC Corporate Partnership Programme. Since its inception in 2017, the programme has facilitated 70 initiatives, connecting more than 120 corporate partners—including industry giants like ABB, Airbus, BMW, CaixaBank, and Siemens Energy—with over 1,200 EIC-funded startups and scaleups. These connections have resulted in significant business impact, with numerous pilots, proofs of concept, and business deals realized in less than six months.
This programme is a part of the broader EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS), which are designed to ensure that financial support is just the beginning of the journey for EIC beneficiaries. BAS offers a range of tailored services to help EIC-supported startups and innovators bring their innovations to market and grow their businesses, available at any stage of their development.
Get Involved
The EIC is actively seeking large corporations that embody an open innovation spirit to join its Corporate Partnership Programme, offering access to over 6,000 EU-funded SMEs across sectors like health, energy, and digital tech. This programme allows corporations to collaborate with innovative startups, participate in exclusive events, and expand their commercial networks. Ideal partners are those with significant turnover, global reach, and a focus on innovation and Corporate Venture Capital.
Visit the EIC corporate partnership website to discover more and join the programme through this link.
Upcoming Corporate Day: Decarbonizing Building with Holcim
The next session in the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme will be organized with Holcim at the end of November, focusing on decarbonizing building. This event will provide another excellent opportunity for EIC-funded startups to present their innovative solutions to a leading corporation in the building materials industry, fostering collaboration and driving forward the agenda of sustainable construction.
