The EU must act decisively to close the innovation gap with other world regions by enabling more commercial successes based on its scientific excellence. While Europe generates world-class research, European deep tech startups often struggle to scale into global champions. The European Startup & Scaleup Hubs (ESSH) pilot will address this structural weakness by creating a connected network of Europe’s leading and emerging startup supporting structures, embedded in innovation ecosystems that bring together universities, research and higher education institutions, research and technology organisations, corporates, entrepreneurs and investors, while also encouraging these hubs to expand their activities.

The action aims to pilot a network of around 10-18 ESSHs — highly capable startup and scaleup hubs deeply integrated with leading research, technology and higher education institutions and strong track records in venture building, scaling, and investment attraction as well as providing entrepreneurial education. These hubs shall collaborate across borders to:

• Open their ecosystems to non-local startups, enabling scaling through access to talent, corporates, capital, infrastructure, facilities and mentoring.
• Foster shared infrastructure and expertise, including access to labs, facilities, research departments, and innovation services.
• Support pan-European startup development, for both local and network-partner startups, including EIC-supported ventures, by connecting startups to relevant services of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), EU industry cluster organisations, European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH), Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the European Institute of Innovation and technology (EIT) and other EU, national, regional or local instruments.
• Bridge regional gaps by integrating less-connected hubs into the network via mentoring, shared services, and capacity building.

Particular attention should be paid to enable deep tech spinoffs, startups and scaleups accessing resources, services and contacts not directly available in their local innovation hubs to facilitate the expansion of their operations in the single market.

The selected pilot ESSHs will form a “Champions League of startup hubs”, committed to supporting each other’s startups including EIC supported ventures and Seal of Excellence holders, thus catalysing a new norm of intra-European scaling. ESSHs will serve as role model for emerging hubs in Europe and share best practices. The selected pilot ESSHs should organise one of their yearly meetings at the margins of the EIC summit and will be invited to participate actively in the yearly EIC summit meeting.

The indicative project duration is two years.

Selection criteria for ESSHs should include:

• Proven track record in startup creation, scaleup success, venture capital mobilisation, and entrepreneurial education.
• Strong integration of at least one local university, research and higher education institution and research and technology organisation, recognised for its research excellence in deep tech areas, in each hub represented in the consortium.
• Sectoral strength in deep tech areas with relevance for European strategic sectors such as, for example, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, advanced semiconductors, medical technology, biotechnology, bioeconomy applications, cleantech and energy (including nuclear technology), water and blue tech, security, defence, space, robotics and advanced materials.
• Demonstrated ability to federate the relevant actors of the local innovation ecosystem (research and higher education institutions, corporates, capital providers, entrepreneurs and public authorities) and cross-border collaboration capabilities.
• Access to research and technology infrastructures, facilities and services, including legal and regulatory advice, and commitment to opening them to startups and scaleups from other hubs.
• Strong commitment and strategy on how to link up the activities of the ESSHs closely with the activities of the EIC.

KPIs during pilot phase:

• Number of newly supported startups (i.e. from the beginning of the project) at network level during the project (Target: Minimum 100).
• Number of supported startups that raised seed financing or venture capital by the end of the project (Target: Minimum 50%).
• Number of newly supported startups (i.e. from the beginning of the project) by a hub outside of the startups’ local innovation ecosystem during the project (Target: Minimum 50).

The ESSHs should facilitate access of deep tech spinoffs, startups and scaleups to all the relevant dedicated services, structures and funding opportunities available in Europe. This encompasses for instance the services offered by EEN and EDIH, activities supported by the EIT as well as opportunities offered by the EIC and the EIC Scaling Club initiative (EIC Scaling Club). For this purpose, the startup hubs are encouraged to liaise with experts from the EEN, EDIH, EIT, EIT KICs and the EIC. Cooperation could also be established with Regional Innovation Valleys, Excellence Hubs, Hubs for Circularity, and Industry 5.0 System Innovation Hubs. ESSHs are also encouraged to leverage the EIC ecosystems programme and open up to EIC-supported ventures from outside their established partner network that would benefit their local ecosystems.

The action may be implemented through financial support to third parties or directly by the consortium partners to allow companies to best benefit from the services described above. For consortia opting for the financial support to third parties scheme, the monitoring of the support to third parties provided for each action, as well as the management of the financial support to third parties, will be ensured by the coordinator.