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The Commission has appointed the 20 members of the new European Innovation Council Board. Among them there are 15 new members and 5 members from the previous EIC Board, whose appointment has been renewed.  

Led by its President, the Board brings together high-level representatives from across the innovation ecosystem, with strong experience and expertise in fields such as academia, entrepreneurship and finance. Its mission is to guide the European Innovation Council (EIC) to become Europe’s go-to instrument for breakthrough innovation and deep-tech scale-ups, maximising impact, channeling resources efficiently and promoting Europe’s strategic autonomy. The Board advises the Commission on the strategy, work programme and thematic portfolios, and may also be asked to provide input on broader innovation policy matters. 

The new members were selected among the 951 applicants who applied to the call for expression of interest, published in April 2025.  

The EIC Board members serve in a personal capacity and are appointed for a two-year term, renewable twice. The first meeting of the renewed Board will take place on 29 January 2026. 

Background  

The EIC is Europe’s flagship innovation programme to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies and game changing innovations. Established under the Horizon Europe  it has a budget of €10.1 billion to support game changing innovations throughout their lifecycle, from early-stage research to proof of concept, technology transfer, and the financing and scale up of startups and small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).  

The composition of the renewed EIC Board ensures a high level of expertise with strong diversity and balance including: 

• Innovation expertise: bringing together leading researchers, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, ecosystem builders and innovation specialists, with thematic expertise in key EIC priority areas such as digital & artificial intelligence (AI), health & biotech, and the Green Deal & energy transition.
• Gender: a balanced representation of women and men (50:50);
• Geography: new Board members represent 16 nationalities, including 7 coming from Horizon Europe widening countries.  

For more information 

EIC Board Members

EIC Board statements