Commissioner Gabriel in the US: Europe is the place-to-be for the new generation of innovators

The European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, launched the first ever European Innovation Days in the Silicon Valley, US, to showcase the European innovation ecosystem and attract investors. Commissioner Gabriel was accompanied by a high-level delegation of over 50 EU top corporates, rectors, mayors, regions’ president, and unicorns.

“Europe is at the forefront of the fourth wave of innovation. With the new European Innovation Agenda, we are transforming these strengths into business opportunities. We have talents, strategic investments, a resilient innovation ecosystem, a favourable business environment and a strong industrial base. And today we are making those business opportunities attractive to investors and talents in the Silicon Valley", said Commissioner Gabriel.

Commissioner Gabriel underlined that there are more than 1 million researchers and more than 17.5 million people in higher education in the EU, and 20% of worldwide patents, contributing to the green and digital transitions, are European. In 2021, a record €110 billion were invested in European startups, and, in 2022, despite the difficult circumstances, investments counted up to €85 billion. Today, Europe is on equal footing with the US in the area of ground-breaking deep-tech innovations. “With the aim to create 100 regional innovation valleys, Europe is providing unprecedented opportunities to startups,” says Commissioner Gabriel. They will have access to the so-called experimentation spaces and living labs, to test and market their product more quickly.

“Talents, skills and knowledge are at the heart of the new European Innovation Agenda. Europe needs to support its talents, and become an attractive destination. To encourage innovators to develop their businesses in Europe, we have launched the new Innovation Talent Platform,” added Commissioner Gabriel. The Platform provides information about funding and career opportunities, contacts to entrepreneurs, and a toolkit for start-ups to launch businesses in the EU.

Visit the platform

“With the first European Innovation Days in the Silicon Valley, we have sent a strong message about the innovations taking place in Europe and the opportunities offered to contribute to their developments. We call on our partners to come and experience Europe first hands. Together, we can better respond to our challenges,” concluded Commissioner Gabriel.

More information

First European Innovation Agora in Silicon Valley