{"id":44198,"date":"2026-06-05T11:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T11:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nexuswelt.com\/?p=44198"},"modified":"2026-08-13T13:15:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T11:15:51","slug":"eic-summit-2026-future-eic-scaleup-europe-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nexuswelt.com\/de\/eic-summit-2026-future-eic-scaleup-europe-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"EIC Summit 2026: From EU Innovation Funding to European Scaleup Financing"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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EIC Summit 2026: what the future of European innovation funding means for startups, scaleups and deep-tech companies<\/span><\/h2>

The EIC Summit 2026 in Brussels sent a very clear signal to Europe\u2019s innovation ecosystem: the next phase of European competitiveness will not be decided only by how many startups Europe can create. It will be decided by how effectively Europe can finance, scale and keep its most promising breakthrough companies in Europe.<\/span><\/p>

For Nexuswelt, the Summit was especially relevant because the discussions connected three topics that increasingly define the future of EU innovation funding: the future of the European Innovation Council after 2028, the launch of the Scaleup Europe Fund, and the mobilisation of institutional capital through the Savings and Investments Union.<\/span><\/p>

Official Summit information is available on the <\/span>EIC Summit 2026 page<\/u><\/span><\/a>. The Summit brought together leading voices from European policy, finance, research, startups, scaleups, corporates and investment, with a strong focus on networking, investment readiness, technology transfer and scaleup growth.<\/span><\/p>

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Why this Summit matters now<\/span><\/h2>

The timing of the discussions is important. The next Multiannual Financial Framework will start after 2027, and the European Commission, the European Parliament and the wider innovation ecosystem are already discussing what the next generation of EU innovation instruments should look like.<\/span><\/p>

The key question is no longer whether Europe should support breakthrough innovation. That has already been accepted. The more strategic question is how Europe can build a full growth pathway from research excellence to commercialisation, scaleup financing, industrial deployment and global competitiveness.<\/span><\/p>

This is where the EIC becomes more than a funding programme. It is increasingly positioned as a strategic European instrument for high-risk, high-potential innovation, especially in areas where private investors may not yet be ready to carry the full risk alone.<\/span><\/p>

Core outcome: Europe is moving from funding innovation to scaling innovation<\/span><\/h2>

One of the strongest outcomes from the Summit is the shift in language and priorities. Europe is no longer discussing only how to fund innovation projects. It is discussing how to turn innovation into companies, markets, industrial leadership and technological sovereignty.<\/span><\/p>

This distinction is important for startups, SMEs and research-driven companies. A grant can support one stage of development, but it cannot by itself create a global leader. Companies need a sequence of instruments and partnerships: research funding, validation funding, market-entry support, investment readiness, equity, follow-on investment, industrial customers, growth capital and access to integrated capital markets.<\/span><\/p>

For companies preparing their future funding strategies, the EIC should therefore be understood not only as an application opportunity, but as part of a broader European growth roadmap.<\/span><\/p>

Key speaker insights from the EIC Summit discussions<\/span><\/h2>

The following points summarise the most relevant insights from the two discussions covered in Nexuswelt\u2019s conference notes: the future of the EIC and the financing of Europe\u2019s scaleup ecosystem.<\/span><\/p>

Christian Ehler: Europe must be ready to take strategic risk<\/span><\/h3>

Christian Ehler, Member of the European Parliament, strongly framed the EIC as a market-facing instrument that needs political backing, operational independence and a higher tolerance for risk. His intervention was especially relevant because it addressed one of the core tensions in public innovation finance: public money must be accountable, but breakthrough innovation cannot be managed with a zero-failure mindset.<\/span><\/p>

The strategic takeaway is clear: if Europe wants leaders in quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotech, medical technologies, clean technologies, space and advanced manufacturing, it must accept that not every supported company will succeed. Portfolio logic is normal in innovation finance. The question is whether the successful companies create enough technological, economic and strategic value for Europe.<\/span><\/p>

Marc Lema\u00eetre: the EIC must scale without becoming bureaucratic<\/span><\/h3>

Marc Lema\u00eetre, Director-General of DG Research and Innovation, highlighted the importance of improving speed, decision-making and the way the best companies are selected. One of the central concerns was avoiding bureaucratisation as the EIC grows.<\/span><\/p>

This is a crucial point. If the EIC receives a larger future budget, it cannot simply become a bigger version of the same administrative model. The future EIC will need stronger operational capacity, market orientation, commercialisation expertise and the ability to act faster in areas where global competition is moving quickly.<\/span><\/p>

Anita Krohn: the EIC has proven the need and now enters its own scaleup phase<\/span><\/h3>

Anita Krohn, EIC Board Member and CEO of DSD AS Group, framed the EIC almost like a startup entering its own scaleup phase. The pilot phase proved that a real gap existed. The current Horizon Europe phase has built momentum. The next phase must be about scaling the EIC\u2019s operations, impact and ability to support companies through the difficult journey from technology to market.<\/span><\/p>

This is a very useful way for companies to understand the moment. The EIC is no longer experimental. It has shown that Europe needs a dedicated mechanism for breakthrough innovation. The next challenge is whether the instrument itself can grow fast enough to support the companies it helped create.<\/span><\/p>

Andreas Schwarz: the future of the EIC is already part of the next EU budget discussion<\/span><\/h3>

Andreas Schwarz, Head of Cabinet for Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, moderated and framed the future EIC discussion in the context of the next financial framework. This matters because the future shape of the EIC after 2028 will not only be a technical question. It will be a strategic political and budgetary question about Europe\u2019s innovation ambitions.<\/span><\/p>

For startups and scaleups, this means that the coming years will be important for monitoring how EIC instruments evolve and how future funding, equity and scaleup financing pathways are structured.<\/span><\/p>

Ekaterina Zaharieva: scaling European innovation is a competitiveness issue<\/span><\/h3>

Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, placed the scaleup challenge in the wider context of European competitiveness. The message from the financing discussion was that Europe has strong science, strong talent and strong industrial capacities, but these strengths must be connected with long-term capital and market growth.<\/span><\/p>

This is highly relevant for deep-tech companies because their growth is often linked to strategic sectors where Europe wants to reduce dependency, build industrial strength and keep technological value in Europe.<\/span><\/p>

Maria Lu\u00eds Albuquerque: Europe has savings, but they must flow into productive investment<\/span><\/h3>

Maria Lu\u00eds Albuquerque, European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, connected innovation finance with the broader challenge of fragmented European capital markets. The Savings and Investments Union is designed to help channel European savings into productive investment and improve the financing ecosystem for companies.<\/span><\/p>

The European Commission describes the Savings and Investments Union as a policy agenda to connect savings and productive investments, while also supporting competitiveness. More information is available on the official <\/span>Savings and Investments Union page<\/u><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

Eva Maydell: European institutions also need to become more outcome-oriented<\/span><\/h3>

Eva Maydell, Member of the European Parliament, brought an important institutional perspective. A key message was that Europe should measure success less by the number of files adopted and more by outcomes delivered. For companies, this matters because administrative processes, fragmented rules and slow implementation can directly influence whether a startup stays in Europe or looks elsewhere for growth.<\/span><\/p>

The practical implication is that future EU innovation policy must be evaluated by its real-world impact: more companies scaling, more private capital mobilised, more technologies reaching the market and more value remaining in Europe.<\/span><\/p>

Karl Nehammer: the EIB Group can help turn ambition into action<\/span><\/h3>

Karl Nehammer, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, positioned the EIB Group as a key implementation partner for European competitiveness. The EIB and EIF can play a strategic role in crowding in private capital, supporting deployment and helping policy priorities become investment reality.<\/span><\/p>

For companies, this confirms that future EU innovation finance will not rely only on grants. It will increasingly combine public instruments, investment structures, EIB\/EIF mechanisms and private capital.<\/span><\/p>

Ronald Wuijster: institutional investors can support innovation if structures are credible<\/span><\/h3>

Ronald Wuijster, former Executive Board Member at APG Group and former CEO of APG Asset Management, brought a practical institutional investor perspective. Pension funds and institutional investors have fiduciary duties and cannot behave like ordinary venture funds. However, they can participate in innovation finance through professional vehicles, diversified portfolios, strong fund managers and well-designed risk-sharing structures.<\/span><\/p>

This message is important because institutional capital is one of the missing pieces in European scaleup financing. If pension funds, insurance companies and long-term investors become more active, the scaleup gap can be addressed more seriously.<\/span><\/p>

Christian Sinding and EQT: the Scaleup Europe Fund should become more than capital<\/span><\/h3>

The Scaleup Europe Fund was another major point of attention. EQT has been selected as preferred investment adviser and fund manager for the Fund. According to EQT\u2019s announcement, Ted Persson and Victor Englesson are proposed as Co-Heads of the Scaleup Europe Fund Advisory Team, while Christian Sinding, Institutional Partner at EQT, is proposed as Chair of the Investment Committee. The strategy will focus on privately owned European technology companies from Series B onward and will draw on EQT\u2019s broader platform, including AI-driven sourcing, corporate offtake partnerships and industrial advisors. See EQT\u2019s announcement here: <\/span>EQT selected to lead the Scaleup Europe Fund<\/u><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

For companies, this is strategically important because the Fund is not only about additional capital. It is designed to strengthen a broader growth ecosystem around European technology scaleups, including corporate partnerships, talent networks and public-private collaboration.<\/span><\/p>

The future of the EIC after 2028: what could change?<\/span><\/h2>

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The discussion on the future of the EIC pointed to several directions that companies should follow closely.<\/span><\/p>