Vice-Presidency co-organises event dedicated to innovation and raising awareness of I3 Instrument - Communication

Vice-Presidência do Governo Regional

The Vice-Presidency of the Regional Government, through the Regional Directorate for Science, Innovation and Development (DRCID), is organising, in partnership with the I3 Support Facility, an event to raise awareness of the I3 Instrument in the Autonomous Region of the Azores at the Terceira Island Science and Technology Park on July 16.

This event aims to raise awareness of the Interregional Innovation Investment Instrument (I3) – a European Commission programme funded through ERDF – amongst members of the Regional Research Community, as well as to increase the participation of regional public and private entities in this type of funding.

The initiative will include a round-table discussion with regional partners from projects approved under the i3 Instrument: i3-4-BlueGrowth, promoting innovation and investment in the blue economy; i3-4-Biofertilizers, which supports the development of biofertiliser solutions and the circular bioeconomy; and EVEN-CLOSER, promoting the creation of a European value chain for the recovery and reuse of critical raw materials.

This will be followed by a session dedicated to the open calls under the I3 Instrument, as well as presentations on best practices for preparing successful applications and boosting the investment capacity of SMEs in an inter-regional context. 

The opening session will be chaired by the Vice-President of the Regional Government of the Azores, Artur Lima.

The event falls within the Regional Government’s strategy to strengthen the regional innovation ecosystem, enabling stakeholders within the Regional Research and Innovation Community to enhance their participation in inter-regional cooperation programmes and join European value chains.

For the Vice-President of the Regional Government, this event “demonstrates that the Azores already have a proven track record in the field of European innovation.”

Similarly, “it demonstrates that there is growth potential that must be harnessed and supported,” he emphasised.

In this context, “it is important to build on the initiative developed in the Region and promote its growth potential. This event has been organised precisely for that purpose,” emphasised Artur Lima.

The I3 Support Facility aims to foster collaboration among European regions by strengthening their innovation ecosystems and promoting inter-regional investment.