The European Union is seeking to scale innovation with a deep tech fund and digital identity as EU Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva hosted the third European Startup and Scaleup Forum.
The event in Brussels on Monday brought together founders, investors and other industry leaders from across Europe, the European Commission announced in a release.
The meeting took place eight months after the EU adopted its Startup and Scaleup Strategy in May 2025, and focused on progress in putting the plan into practice.
Zaharieva said trust in Europe’s ability to deliver for startups and scaleups “was fragile” when the forum met last year, adding that her focus since then had been “to act, to deliver, and to turn ambition into results.”
Among measures discussed was the launch of a European Business Wallet in November 2025, which provides a single digital identity intended to simplify doing business across borders.
The European Commission’s proposal for the next long-term EU budget includes a tripling of the European Innovation Council budget, it added — the council is the EU body that backs high-risk innovation through grants and investment.
Forthcoming initiatives
A call for proposals has also been issued to set up a network of European Startup & Scaleup Hubs, with the winning consortium due to be announced at the European Innovation Council Summit in June 2026, according to the statement.
Upcoming initiatives presented at the forum included work on a European Innovation Act and a “28th regime”, described as a plan to make it easier to start and scale companies across Europe.
The Commission also plans to launch a Scaleup Europe Fund, described as a new multi-billion deep tech fund to invest in European companies in strategic deep tech areas, and to develop a European Innovation Investment Pact with institutional investors.
An Action Plan for Women in Research, Innovation and Startups will also be developed to address gender disparities in research and innovation.
