Welcome to our blog about open innovation in the European Union. If you are a forward thinker and somebody keen on disrupting the status quo in business and entrepreneurship, politics, social life, health, the environment, and other vital areas of today’s life, you have come to the right place.
Our blog is dedicated to fostering open innovation in Europe and especially the EU Open Innovations Network. We are firm believers that creating strong bonds between businesses, technology, and the EU is the way to go forward and advance the Union’s leading position among competitors.
That is why we created this blog. Our goal is to help the EU Open Innovations Network grow and develop, becoming the home to more start-ups and businesses in advanced stages that will connect with venture capitalists, regulators, and other catalysts of change to create a strong, sturdy, and highly competitive community.
To achieve the goal outlined above, we, as the authors of this blog, have focused our efforts on several areas. We carry out research and publish information on the following categories of topics:
The EU Open Innovations Network
To begin with, what is the EU Open Innovations Network, and why does it matter so much? While the concept of open innovations is not new, many Europeans remain oblivious to the existence of the EU Open Innovations Network.
The latter represents a voluntary partnership between multiple stakeholders on the local, national, regional, and pan-European levels. The participants in this alliance are widely diverse: from start-up businesses to technology giants, state and inter-state agencies, venture capitalists, scientific agents, and more. The goal is obvious: boosting innovation within the EU.
However, as we already pointed out, many EU citizens are either entirely unaware of the EU Open Innovations Network, or they are not even remotely familiar with the importance of its purpose and activities. That is why we have dedicated whole sections of this blog to explaining the significance and meaning of the Network. Our goal here is to educate more readers about why partnership in innovation within the EU is the only way to progress at the incredible speed the modern world requires.
Business Stakeholders
Businesses are the driving force behind the EU Open Innovations Network. They act as the connector between science, research, regulations, technology, and all other catalysts needed to advance innovation. That is why it is important to provide relevant and timely information to serve businesses in expanding their potential. We try to do this by publishing many articles sharing specialized knowledge and information to help all kinds of business stakeholders.
Start-ups
Talking about business stakeholders, start-ups are especially important for driving innovation forward. They hold significant disruptive power thanks to bringing new ideas and being small, fast to move, adaptive, and flexible.
At the same time, however, start-ups are also among the most vulnerable stakeholders. The reason is that most of the time they lack sufficient capital and thus rely on external funding. There is nothing sadder than witnessing a bright, groundbreaking idea die because of bad finances.
That is why we are committed to helping start-ups sprout and thrive within the EU. Not only do we publish tons of articles with practical advice and help for start-ups, but we also attempt to foster partnerships between themselves as well as with other stakeholders, and most importantly – with venture capitalists.
Venture Capital
Start-ups are not the only ones who need venture capital. The EU at large has to foster stronger relationships with venture capitalists both inside the community and on a broader international level. The reason is simple: Currently, innovation funding within the EU is very limited. Internal capital mechanisms are limited in their ability to back financially disruptive companies and joint ventures. The return on investment of such funds is also quite restricted.
That is why the greatest chance for businesses to get their innovation breakthrough and for the EU Open Innovations Network to develop is to be backed by venture capitalists. To support this process, our blog includes systemized and concrete advice on how to attract venture capital and vice versa – how venture capitalists can benefit from stepping into the EU Open Innovations Network. Venture capital is a driving force of innovation in key areas like health, social sciences, environment and sustainability, and more.