Welcome to RISE – Accelerate Innovation and Sustainable Investments!
The overall objective of the Project RISE is to accelerate the deployment of innovation, promoting the drivers and investment needed for sustainable and successful interregional cooperation.
RISE will increase the capacity of less developed regions through successful interregional cooperations. The project supports the birth and development of innovative and resilient projects in 3 less developed regions: Bulgaria, Slovenia and Portugal.
RISE envisions achieving the following objectives:
- Conducting a comprehensive assessment of local innovation ecosystems in underdeveloped regions, benchmarking them against European standards. This involves identifying opportunities for development and the implementation of diverse innovations, accompanied by insightful recommendations for enhancement.
- Crafting localized roadmaps that facilitate the interconnection of companies, fostering collaboration between local and regional businesses and international/European stakeholders.
- Hosting a dynamic event where Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from diverse regions converge, providing an invaluable platform for networking and collaboration.
- Establishing consortia comprising various companies to present innovative ideas, encouraging a collaborative approach to problem-solving.
- Meticulously selecting projects poised for financing, coupled with strategic investment planning.
- Developing a comprehensive plan and roadmap for financing, complete with a sophisticated model for mixed financing approaches.
- Facilitating a seminar to discuss project outcomes, proposing policy measures, with special considerations for less developed regions.
The 5 main pillars of RISE:
Focus on innovation for less developed regions
Providing support in key DOMAINS
Identification of shared S3 areas
SMEs IN THE CENTRE OF ACTIVITIES
DEVELOPING A PIPELINE OF RELEVANT PROJECTS
Stakeholder participation
RISE invites SMEs, startups, big companies, regional/local authorities, universities, research organizations, clusters, technology parks, chambers of commerce, non-profit organizations, and NGOs to participate.
Eligible applicants must be from less developed regions (LDR), with transition (TR) and more developed regions (MDR) participating as application partners. RISE focuses on TRL6 solutions and categorizes applications based on strategic investors, financial investors, mixed approaches, and partners for interregional cooperation.