The 2020 EU|BIC Impact and Activity Study, one of Europe’s most comprehensive research on business support and innovation ecosystems, has been published by EBN.

EBN, a non-profit organisation serving a pan-European community of people that use innovative business as a driver for regional (economic) development, has created the study in partnership with 100 certified business innovation centres (recognised by the European Commission) across Europe. The study provides insights on:

– The impact of regional innovation ecosystems on the EU economy and society

– The contribution of business support organisations

– Characteristics and role of capital

– Internationalisation trends

VVA Brussels has been a member of the EBN network for over 7 years, with Managing Director Monica Pesce currently holding the position of an EBN Board Member. As a representative of EU|BIC Associate Members, this year she had a chance to offer a small testimonial to the study, highlighting the importance of collaboration with the EU|BICs from a VVA perspective.

In Monica’s words:

“As members of EBN we are able to learn from EU|BICs, keeping our skills and knowledge at the forefront of innovation,

and bring our expertise as consultants and advisors to the benefit of the members and their start-ups.”

Last year, EU|BICs helped close to 21,000 companies get a head start in the race to get and expand their innovation on the market. Companies supported by EU|BICs outperform other European startups in first-year survival rates: 94% vs 83% EU average. Each EU|BIC client company created on average 4.6 jobs. From 2017-2019, the EU|BIC community supported the creation of more than 56,000 high-quality jobs in Europe. In 2019, EU|BICs raised over € 609 million of funding for over 5,200 companies, with the majority sourced from private investors (75%). Over 4,790 companies received support to internationalise their operations, with the EU (72%), USA (30%) and Asia (21%) as preferred markets for expansion. Our global network counts over 130 quality-certified EU|BICs and 46 Associate Members.

You can read and download the full study here