Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument

The European Commission has adopted the new Work Programme for the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument for 2025-2027, allocating €176 million. The next calls are planned to open in May and October 2025.

The I3 Instrument’s new three-year Work Programme will focus on scaling innovation, strengthening regional innovation ecosystems, and supporting interregional collaboration. With a budget of over €176 million, it will help innovation actors turn ideas into investment-ready projects. The I3 Instrument strengthens the EU’s innovation ecosystems and promotes smart specialisation by helping regions develop innovation capacity and better integrate less developed regions into European value chains. It supports consortia of researchers, businesses, public administrations, and civil society, with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as key beneficiaries. Currently, 53 projects are in implementation, and more will be contracted in the coming months from the 2024 calls. Lessons learnt will be shared through the I3 Support Facility, which provides guidance and networking opportunities to stakeholders developing joint interregional investments.