The European Commission has announced a second wave of Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs), bringing additional regions into the initiative and underlining its increasing uptake across the EU. As a key action of the New European Innovation Agenda, RIVs aim to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems, promote economic cohesion, and support inclusive growth by reducing disparities and unlocking innovation potential across Europe.
The latest expansion follows the 2025 calls under the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) and WIDERA Work Programmes, supported by nearly €43 million in Horizon Europe funding. This brings the total EU investment in the initiative to close to €160 million.
Six new projects will begin implementation in 2025, addressing five major EU priorities: accelerating the green transition and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, enhancing global food security, strengthening digital sovereignty with a focus on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, advancing healthcare innovation, and fostering circular economy solutions.
These projects involve nearly 100 organisations from 16 EU Member States and five Associated Countries, demonstrating strong cross-border collaboration. The European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) will now proceed with the grant agreements, while the newly selected regions will be added to the official RIV map, further expanding Europe’s innovation network.