Vanguard Initiative has published a new brief “I3 Instrument Smart specialisation at work across Europe’s regions” setting out the case for maintaining I3 as a distinct and adequately resourced instrument in the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework.
The brief looks at what the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument has delivered since 2021 and why the next EU budget is an opportunity to build on it. It presents four I3-funded projects drawn from across our thematic Pilots — InnoMedCatalyst (Smart Health), I3FLOAT (Advanced Manufacturing for Energy), BATMASS (Advanced Materials) and 3DOP (3D Printing) — each showing how interregional collaboration turns regional specialisation into cross-border industrial capacity.
It also sets out Vanguard Initiative’s own role in the instrument: €60.9 million in I3 funding secured by projects involving VI regions, across 11 projects.