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The Regional Innovation Valleys initiative is designed to make Europe’s regions central actors in solving big challenges. By connecting territories with different innovation capacities, the programme encourages practical cooperation on priorities such as energy transition, food security, digital transformation including cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, healthcare improvements and circular economy solutions. The initiative pairs regions with complementary strengths so that knowledge, investment and talent flow across borders rather than staying siloed. For many local stakeholders the scheme offers a way to combine regional specialisms with broader EU goals and to strengthen local research and innovation capacity in measurable ways.
Participation is not only a label: it opens access to specific funding streams and matchmaking services while promoting strategic planning across territories. Since its launch in 2026 the programme committed at least €170 million as a signal of long-term support. By 2026 the first projects had received €116 million in awards. In 2026 new openings under the European Innovation Ecosystems work programme and the WIDERA strand further allocated €35 million and €24 million respectively, keeping momentum for collaboration and project development.
What the label represents and how regions benefit
Being recognised as a Regional Innovation Valley reflects a region’s commitment to strengthen its innovation ecosystem and to orient research and investment toward shared priorities. The label encourages regions to develop joint innovation plans, scale local pilot projects, and attract talent and investment using their smart specialisation (S3) as a guide. For applicants, practical benefits include access to targeted EU resources, opportunities to form consortia with more experienced partners, and visibility on an interactive network map. The scheme is intentionally inclusive: it supports both high-tech clusters and rural or emerging hubs by making complementarities and joint value chains the core of cooperation.
Selection, labels and practical conditions
Regions obtain the RIV label under several routes: successful participation in the 2026 European Innovation Ecosystems work programme calls or in the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument can lead to funding and labelling once a grant agreement is signed. The I3 path requires a signed endorsement letter from the authority responsible for the region’s smart specialisation strategy. A separate call for expressions of interest allowed additional regions to be selected by independent experts; those selected receive recognition but not direct funding. These conditions and the need for robust local governance are part of the programme’s safeguards to ensure that labelled valleys can implement coherent, scalable plans.
Funding timeline and recent developments
The initiative’s financing profile reflects staged growth: an initial commitment of at least €170 million was announced at launch in 2026, signalling political intent to build a networked approach to regional innovation. In 2026 the first wave of projects received €116 million, demonstrating early delivery. New calls emerged in 2026 through the European Innovation Ecosystems work programme (€35 million) and the WIDERA strand (€24 million), expanding entry points for interested regions. Most recently, on 13 March 2026 the Commission announced a second wave of RIV designations, confirming continued interest and growth in the initiative across the EU.
How regions can participate and connect
Regions interested in joining should map their assets, align priorities with their smart specialisation and identify complementary partners. The initiative provides tools such as an interactive map that visualises participating territories, funded consortia and those that expressed interest but await funding. Engagement begins with reviewing the relevant call strands—European Innovation Ecosystems for ecosystem building or widening calls for capacity strengthening—and preparing proposals that show clear interregional value chains. Contact and matchmaking services help regions find partners committed to the same objectives and capable of translating local pilots into EU-level impact.
Practical steps and disclaimers
Practical entry steps include confirming endorsement from regional authorities where required, preparing a joint innovation plan, and ensuring governance structures for implementation. Note that labelling often follows the signature of a grant agreement: successful applicants in 2026 and I3 participants receive the label only after formal agreements are signed. Regions selected through the expression of interest process were chosen by independent experts and do not automatically receive funding. For clarifications or to request guidance, stakeholders can contact RTD-REGIO-REGIONAL-INNOVATION-VALLEYS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu, and consult the interactive map to explore existing valleys and potential partners.