Provides advisory and financial support to innovation projects in joint smart specialisation areas on the road towards commercialisation and scale-up
Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument
The Interregional innovation investments instrument as part of the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF) aims at supporting interregional innovation projects in their commercialisation and scale-up phases giving them the tools to overcome regulatory and other barriers and bring their project to investment level.
The agency will implement two call strands:
- Financial and advisory support for investments in interregional innovation projects;
- Financial and advisory support to the development of value chains in less developed regions.
What we do and what are we looking for
Learn more about the three dimensions of the Interregional Innovation InvestmentsInstrument: what we are looking for & what is is is there for you.
Funding opportunities
The I3 Instrument work programme aims at promoting innovation through Smart Specialisation and interregional collaboration. The I3 Instrument supports stronger interregional cooperation in investments and makes sustainable connections by linking regional ecosystems in shared smart specialisation areas vital to accelerate market uptake of research results and stimulate innovation. Therefore its focus is on:
Strand 1 - Financial and advisory support for investments in interregional innovation projects
Strand 1 targets mature partnerships to help them accelerate market uptake and scale-up of innovative solutions in shared smart specialisation priority areas, as well as to develop a portfolio of investment projects.
Strand 2a - Financial and advisory support to the development of value chains in less developed regions
Strand 2a focuses on increasing the capacity of regional innovation ecosystems in less developed regions to participate in global value chains, as well as the capacity to participate in partnerships with other regions.
Budget (both strands)
- 2021: EUR 75 800 571
- 2022: EUR 77 316 583
- 2023: EUR 78 862 915
- 2024: EUR 80 440 173.
Calls
Regional Innovation Valleys calls for proposal
In the context of the New European Innovation Agenda, the Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) aim to create connected regional innovation valleys across the European Union (EU), involving regions with lower innovation performances, by building on strategic areas of regional strength and specialisation (defined in their smart specialisation strategies), in support of key EU priorities.
The European Commission dedicated EUR 122 million under Horizon Europe (European Innovation Ecosystems) and under the European Regional Development Fund (Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument).
You can submit your proposal until 17 October 2023, 17:00 CET.
For further information, you can consult the documents below:
- Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 1 call document
- Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 2a call document
- Endorsement letter
Apply for Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 1
Apply for Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 2a
For further information about the European Innovation Ecosystems call, please visit this webpage and for further information on the similarities and differences between the EIE and I3 calls, please consult this guideline.
Guidelines for applicants
General FAQ
Consult the FAQ of the Funding & tender opportunites portal
Regional Innovation Valleys - Call for proposals Informative Session - 25 May 2023
On 25 May 2023 the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) organised an informative webinar to learn more about the Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) calls for proposals.
The Power Point Presentation of the event is available below along with the recording.
Information day - 23 June 2022
On 23 June 2022, a second Info Day about the funding opportunities under the Interregional Innovation Investment (I3) Instrument call (deadline 18 October 2022) was held. Did you miss it? No problem - the recording and the presentation are available now.
For beneficiaries

Communication toolkit
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Funded projects
11 projects were selected under the first I3 Instrument cut-off. They will receive about EUR 70.5 million of EU funding coming from the European Regional Development Fund, and at least 70% of the funding will be directly invested into companies.
The average funding for a project is EUR 6.4 million and will be shared among 255 beneficiaries from 22 EU Member States. The successful projects where selected from 28 applications.
I3 under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
The Interregional Innovation Investment Instrument (I3) financed from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF represents an opportunity to support interregional portfolios of companies’ investments bringing innovation to the market at high technology readiness levels (TRL 6-9) and reshaping EU interregional value chains.
It funds interregional innovation investments projects under shared smart specialisation priorities (S3) in the following thematic areas: green transition, digital transition and smart manufacturing which take place in the S3 participating regions. It aims to use the untapped potential of investments in innovation where the public and private sectors, as well as research and business from different countries and regions, can work together.
Policy background documents
News
- News article
New Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument calls published
Two new calls published. Apply by 17 October

- News article
Regional Innovation Valleys calls for proposals are now open
The European Commission has launched today complementary calls for proposals under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument and the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) part of Horizon Europe

- News article
Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument Work Programme 2023-2024 is out
Check the 2023 - 2024 I3 Instrument Work Programme

- News article
Interregional Innovation Investment (I3) Instrument: first project launched
The European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) have signed the very first project (DIGIT-PRE) funded under the Interregional Innovation Investment (I3) Instrument.

- News article
Corrigendum - Interregional Innovation Investment (I3) Instrument calls for proposals
Corrigendum to the call has been published.