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EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy is a policy and funding initiative from the European Commission that supports startups and scaleups across EU member states to grow technology-driven innovative companies. The strategy includes legislative, policy, and financial support measures addressing innovation-friendly regulation, access to finance, market expansion, talent retention, and infrastructure access.
Key initiatives include the EU Inc. company law framework and the Scaleup Europe Fund, a multi-billion privately managed fund targeting deep tech investment in European companies. The strategy is linked to the Competitiveness Compass including the Savings and Investments Union and the Single Market Strategy. Eligible beneficiaries are startups and scaleups in EU member states.
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EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy - Research and innovation EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy The Commission's Startup and Scaleup Strategy, why it's needed, how to contribute, news and events.
What the Commission is doing The Commission has put startups, research and innovation among the key priorities of its mandate, with the goals of closing the innovation divide between the EU and its global competitors and boosting competitiveness, bearing in mind the Letta Report on the future of the Single Market and the Draghi Report on European competitiveness.
The Strategy proposes a comprehensive set of actions to make the EU the best place in the world to launch and grow technology-driven innovative companies . It focuses on helping innovators, founders and investors to Choose Europe by improving the conditions for startups and scaleups, enabling them to capitalise on new geopolitical opportunities and reducing the reasons to relocate outside the EU.
It sets out legislative, policy and financial support measures, at both EU and Member States level, to address the needs of innovative companies throughout their development . Key actions are focused on fostering innovation-friendly regulation, improving access to finance, accelerating market uptake and expansion, attracting and retaining the best talent and facilitating access to infrastructure, networks and services.
The Startup and Scaleup Strategy will be closely linked to other flagship actions of the Competitiveness Compass, such as the "Savings and Investments Union", the "Single Market Strategy" or the "Union of Skills".
Open for startups & scaleups: EU startup and scaleup strategy making Europe a startup powerhouse The EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy aims to make Europe a great place to launch and grow global technology-driven, innovative companies. EU Inc. and definitions of innovative enterprise, innovative startups and innovative scaleups On 18 March 2026, the Commission adopted two of the deliverables promised in the Strategy: the EU Inc .
(“28 th regime”) and the Recommendation on the definitions of innovative enterprises, innovative startups and innovative scaleups. Following the adoption of these two initiatives, companies, including innovative startups and innovative scaleups, will benefit from a single set of company law rules across the EU and from common EU definitions helping them to get targeted regulatory or financial support.
Recommendation 18 March 2026 Commission recommendation on the definition of innovative enterprises, innovative startups and innovative scaleups Commission recommendation on the definition of innovative enterprises, innovative startups and innovative scaleups EU recommendation: defining innovative enterprises,startups & scaleups Clear, practical EU-wide definitions. Because real game-changers deserve real targeted support.
On 28 October 2025, the Commission brought together top-tier private investors from across Europe to jointly express their intention to establish the Scaleup Europe Fund , a new, multi-billion fund to invest in the most promising European companies in strategic deep tech areas.
By joining forces with these potential founding investors, the Commission moves ahead on the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy aimed at building a dynamic and competitive startup and scaleup ecosystem across Europe. The Scaleup Europe Fund will operate as a market-based, privately managed and privately co-financed growth fund to lead major European investment rounds.
The Commission, together with the other founding investors, will select and appoint a world-class management company to implement the Fund. A public call for the management company will be published soon, with the aim that the Scaleup Europe Fund can start first investments in Spring 2026.
Why the strategy is needed Startups and scaleups are amongst the key drivers of innovation, as they often develop and introduce breakthrough innovative products and solutions to the market. A thriving startup and scaleups ecosystem plays a key role in economic growth and market evolution by driving productivity, incentivising investments and creating quality jobs.
EU innovative startups and innovative scaleups have the potential to create new markets in which the EU can take global leadership, while increasing the EU’s competitiveness by closing the innovation gap with its main global competitors. A Startup and Scaleup Initiative was adopted in 2016 aiming to remove barriers for startups to scaleup in the Single Market.
The European Innovation Council was launched in 2018, as Europe’s flagship innovation programme to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies and game changing innovations. However, the regulatory and business environment in the EU is still not sufficiently conducive for bringing innovative products, services and solutions to users at the necessary scale.
As a result, many innovative companies end up seeking venture capital and expanding opportunities outside Europe: around 60% of all global scaleups are based in North America, in contrast with only 8% in the EU. The share of the EU in the global share of venture capital raised is only 5%, compared to 52% in the United States, or 40% in China.
It has now become urgent to address the financial, regulatory and administrative obstacles that limit or slow down startups from scaling up into mature, profitable companies in the Single Market and to incentivise them not to relocate out of the EU.
Drivers of relocation by innovative EU Startups and Scaleups The objective of this study is to gain firsthand information directly from founders and executives, to better understand what drove their decision to relocate and to identify potential ways to improve the conditions for startups and scaleups within the European Union.
Staff working document 28 May 2025 EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy Questions and answers on the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy Commission presents proposal for EU Inc. - unlocking the full potential of the Single Market for Europe's entrepreneurs Today, the European Commission presented its proposal for EU Inc., a new single set of corporate rules, building the cornerstone and starting point for the EU's 28th regime.
EU Inc. is an optional, digital-by-default European corporate framework. EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy – progress so far and challenges ahead Research and innovation news alert: Eight months after the adoption of the Strategy, the European Startup and Scaleup Forum provided an opportunity to take stock of implementation progress, assess early impact and identify priorities for the months ahead.
Why innovative startups and scaleups relocate from the EU A new study analyses the drivers of relocation of innovative startups and scaleups from the EU. At the initiative of the Commission, public authorities, organisations private entities, various events, meetings and fora are being organised to gather the views of stakeholders.
European Startup and Scaleup Forum As announced by Commissioner Zaharieva in her hearings at the European Parliament , a series of meetings with founders, CEOs and other stakeholders the European Startups and Scaleup Forum will be organised in 2025, to support the Commission in developing the Startup and Scaleup Strategy.
This exercise brings in the process the experience and voices of innovation stakeholders, that together with other forms of consultation will usefully contribute to develop the strategy, from inception to implementation. The first meeting took place on 17 February, followed by a second meeting on 25 April . Additional meetings will take place over the course of the year.
European Innovation Council Summit European Startup and Scaleup Hubs Pilot call Thursday 11 December 2025, 14:00 - 15:00 (CET) From knowledge to impact: Shaping Europe’s next innovation wave Thursday 13 November 2025, 09:30 - 15:30 (CET) Sustainable Mobility e-pitch - organized by EIT Urban Mobility and the European Commission Horizon Results Platform Tuesday 30 September 2025, 10:00 - 11:00 (CEST) Savings and Investments Union: call for evidence The single market strategy The New European Innovation Agenda European Innovation Council European Institute of Innovation and Technology
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Startups and scaleups in EU member states. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy is funded by European Commission. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.