How CONNECT-02 can strengthen Europe’s innovation ecosystems
Europe’s innovation landscape is shifting quickly. Many regions are making real progress, but fragmentation and uneven access to support are still holding people back. The Horizon Europe CONNECT-02 call offers a practical opportunity to link ecosystems more effectively, widen participation, and support cross-border investment for social enterprises and startups. This short note sets out why it matters and what organisations might do with it.
Why this matters now
The European Innovation Agenda puts the spotlight on green and digital transitions, territorial cohesion, and greater strategic autonomy. In reality, though, a lot of moderate and emerging regions don’t yet have the investment pipelines or support structures they need. CONNECT-02 is essentially an attempt to close that gap. It encourages cross-border collaboration, reduces barriers to entry, and supports a more inclusive innovation environment across Europe.
What is CONNECT-02?
CONNECT-02 is a Horizon Europe call focused on improving cooperation between innovation ecosystems. The ambition is straightforward: help regions work together rather than operate in isolation. That means more attention to inclusion, practical investment readiness, and the conditions that allow organisations to scale. Funding is one piece of the puzzle, but the real value lies in building trust and improving coordination between actors that don’t usually work together.
Programme: Horizon Europe – European Innovation Ecosystems
Type: Coordination and Support Action (CSA)
Budget: around €1 million per project (total budget €4 million)
Focus: interconnected ecosystems, inclusion, co-investment
Expected impacts:
- stronger cross-border collaboration
- more co-investment opportunities
- better policy alignment
- increased investor confidence and visibility
Call requirements: activities and challenges
Proposals are expected to take a clear, structured approach. Most will begin with a mapping exercise and a gap analysis of regional investment ecosystems. From there, projects should offer training on regulatory awareness, investment readiness, and procurement. Cross-border work is essential, with matchmaking, investor roadshows, and peer learning expected to feature heavily. Policy briefs for national and EU authorities are also expected, as well as links to platforms such as EIC, EIT, and the Enterprise Europe Network. Communication and dissemination are not an afterthought; webinars, toolkits, and a final EU-level event are part of the call. A monitoring and evaluation framework with clear KPIs is required, along with practical playbooks on procurement and scaling.
The challenges underneath all of this are familiar. Organisations still struggle with complex regulatory frameworks. Patient capital remains scarce. Markets are small and often fragmented, which limits how far early-stage work can travel. Collaboration is uneven, and in several parts of Europe social innovation ecosystems are only just beginning to form.
CONNECT-02 therefore expects to see:
→ mapping and gap analysis
→ training on regulation, investment readiness, procurement
→ matchmaking and investor roadshows
→ peer learning between ecosystems
→ policy briefs and recommendations
→ links to EIC, EIT, and EEN
→ dissemination activities (webinars, toolkits, EU-level event)
→ monitoring and evaluation with KPIs
→ procurement and scaling playbooks
The five main challenges highlighted by stakeholders are:
→ regulatory complexity
→ lack of patient and impact-first finance
→ fragmented markets
→ limited collaboration
→ underdeveloped social innovation ecosystems
Voices from the community
During our webinar, we asked the participants what they associate with “cross-border investment ecosystems.” The responses were direct and fairly consistent: “collaboration”, “joining forces”, “matchmaking”, “scale-up”, and “patient money needed.” When asked about the relevance of CONNECT-02 to their work, answers fell into three groups:
Fits directly with our focus: 3
Overlaps partly with our work: 5
Curious, still exploring: 8
How to get Involved
The next steps are simple. Complete the Expression of Interest form and connect with organisations that may want to form a consortium. If there’s interest, early conversations can start quickly.
