The European Commission has included two Spaniards in the exclusive group of 22 experts who will lead the strategy of the recently created European Innovation Council (EIC). This body, which was born in 2017, has a current budget of 3 billion and aims to finance the innovations with the greatest impact in Europe.
Laura González-Estéfani, CEO of TheVentureCity and Ana Maiques, CEO of Neuroelectrics will form part of the team that will guide the selection and financing of the main high-impact business ideas in the continent, reinforcing the EC’s mission to place Europe as a pole of innovation for the world.
The work of the EIC is part of the European Union’s research and innovation program, Horizon Europe, which will be implemented from 2021 and has an indicative budget of 10 billion euros.
For Laura González-Estéfani, the appointment of this group of experts in multiple disciplines is a step so that “it is no longer necessary to be in Silicon Valley, New York or Tel Aviv to achieve advances in innovation. With this idea in mind, we can make the European Innovation Council a point of reference”.
The European Commission also published a notice to recruit the first EIC program managers. Inspired by the renowned U.S. agency DARPA, EIC program managers will be experts in their fields and will work to create ecosystems of innovation and rapid growth. Applications can be submitted until July 31, 2019 12.00 CET.