PRECISEU is a Regional Innovation Valley (RIV) flagship on Personalised Medicine, a pioneer among the Horizon Europe’s RIVs: first to be granted and first in number of Scaleups.
PRECISEU is more than a cohesion tool, it is part of the EU’s geopolitical response to emerging global power dynamics. Figures 1 and 2 reflect the position of PRECISEU regions in the Innovation Ecosystems Life Cycle by Mind the Bridge and ICC. To read the figure, let’s focus on the position of the ecosystems in the scaleup growth curve (fig 1), and the power in term of scaleups of the sum of its parts (figure 2), both in PRECISEU and in the sum of the 5 RIVs.
Figure 1: Position of PRECISEU regional ecosystems in the standup à star growth curve by ICC&Mind the Bridge Startup Ecosystem stars report 2024.
In today’s increasingly complex global landscape, innovation is a critical asset for economic resilience and geopolitical influence. As it is far from being evenly distributed across Europe (it is concentrated in a handful of high-performing regions that boast dense networks of scaleups, international R&D partnerships, abundant venture capital, and deep talent pools), RIVs are in the position to be a powerful instrument for EU’s competitiveness and a performance booster for many regions.
Proof that the sum is greater than the parts, and that this initiative is a bold step into closing the innovation gap and reasserting Europe’s competitive position on the world stage, PRECISEU consortium outnumbers in scaleups ecosystems like San Diego or Chicago. This is about European Competitiveness and not lagging behind.
Figure 2.: Adding the 5 RIVS supported from HEU European Innovation Ecosystems program, the sum of scaleups outnumber ecosystems like Los Angeles.
The RIVs, flagship projects addressing the main challenges targeted in the New European Innovation Agenda, connect “fast movers” (which are not only innovation leaders but also strategic players) to other EU regions, facilitating the transfer of practices to scale rapidly and forge global connections driving technological change and contributing to Europe’s economic and technological sovereignty
Indeed, Innovation has become a key instrument of strategic autonomy. As knowledge and capital concentrate in key urban areas, entire countries risk falling behind. Through RIVs, the EU is actively working to reduce dependence on non-EU actors, enhance regional resilience, and establish sovereign capabilities in critical sectors—from AI and cybersecurity to health tech and the green transition. RIVs can actionably target the drivers of ecosystem growth displayed in Fig 3.
Figure 3: Drivers of Ecosystem’s growth. Source: ICC & Mind the Bridge. Figure from Mind the Bridge’s report “Innovation or isolation: the future of regional ecosystems” 2024.
RIVs appear mentioned in several EC’s policy recommendations and strategic notes, as instruments to empower regions with diverse innovation capabilities to work together, pool their strengths, and engage in shared innovation strategies. As of April 2025, 146 regions across the EU have been granted the RIV label, signaling their commitment to:
- Strengthening their regional research and innovation (R&I) ecosystems.
- Aligning their R&I investments with EU strategic priorities such as health, digitalisation, and sustainability.
- Collaborating across borders – especially between less and more advanced regions- to drive synergies based on complementary smart specialisations.
33 of these regions have committed to a Horizon Europe European Innovation Ecosystems 50% cofounding scheme (some of them in more than one project) to break from traditional silos and prioritise ecosystem-wide collaboration, a model that’s gaining traction among innovation leaders worldwide. This focus directly echoes the recommendations of Mario Draghi’s report and the EU Competitiveness Compass, which outline three transformational imperatives for Europe:
- Close the innovation gap;
- Transition to a competitive, decarbonised economy;
- Reduce strategic dependencies.
To support regional actors, the European Commission has launched an interactive RIV map to explore selected innovation valleys. The map allows to explore matchmaking opportunities, helping regions identify and connect with potential RIV partners. With this map we discover interconnected valleys funded via European Innovation Ecosystems Work Programme 2023 (PRECISEU is one of the 5 funded), as well as regions which endorsed Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument applications, and regions which have not yet received funding but expressed their interest in the future calls. Find the official factsheet here: RIV Factsheet – data.europa.eu.
Figure 4. PRECISEU regions appear highligted in the EC’s Interactive map.
PRECISEU, and the RIV flagship in general, offer a new model for European competitiveness, one that is inclusive, networked, and strategically aligned with geopolitical realities. By bridging divides, sharing resources, and investing in concrete collaborative projects, Europe is not only strengthening its internal market but also enhancing its role on the global innovation stage.
We believe that in an era where knowledge is power and innovation is influence, the EU’s future will be written in its regions.
PRECISEU Coordination Team, April 2025