#16 Innovation Ecosystem Management for Better I3 Instrument Implementation
The I3 Instrument supports interregional collaboration by strengthening regional innovation ecosystems and enabling innovation-driven industrial transition across Europe. Virtual event #16 explored how effective I3 implementation depends not only on funding and partnerships, but also on the ability of regions to orchestrate their innovation ecosystems in a coordinated, strategic, and delivery-oriented way.
Building on the work of the I3 Policy Discussion Group on Innovation Ecosystem Management, the webinar convened policymakers, Managing Authorities, I3 project stakeholders and ecosystem intermediaries to exchange experiences and reflect on practical conditions for successful participation in I3. The discussion underlined that “ecosystem readiness” is not a single factor, but a combination of governance capacity, coordination mechanisms, stakeholder alignment and the ability to mobilise a pipeline of interregional investment cases aligned with S3 priorities.
The agenda was structured around two complementary sessions:
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Session 1: Ecosystem readiness and enabling conditions for I3 participation. Participants discussed what it means for an ecosystem to be “ready” for I3 in practice, including ways to assess ecosystem maturity and identify gaps that may limit participation (e.g., fragmented governance, weak brokerage capacity, limited absorption capacity among SMEs, or insufficient cross-regional connectivity). The session also emphasised the importance of clear roles among regional actors and an operational approach to turning S3 priorities into implementable innovation and investment initiatives.
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Session 2: From fragmentation to synergy - coordination challenges and practical mechanisms. The second part focused on how regions can strengthen coordination within and between ecosystems to support I3 partnerships. Participants reflected on policy and organisational mechanisms that can improve alignment across public authorities, clusters, universities, incubators and other intermediaries—particularly around partner search, project development, and supporting SMEs to engage in interregional value chains.
Overall, the virtual event highlighted that strong ecosystem management is a key success factor for I3: it helps regions coordinate stakeholders, build credible investment narratives, and translate strategic priorities into interregional partnerships and implementable projects.
The report summarising the main outcomes can be downloaded below.