European Innovation Council Info Day Comes to Sofia: Discover EU Funding Opportunities for Deep-Tech Innovators
Start-ups, scale-ups and researchers will have the opportunity to explore European innovation funding, learn from successful beneficiaries and connect with investors and programme experts at the EIC Info Day in Sofia on 29 October 2026.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) is bringing its Info Day to Sofia, Bulgaria, as part of Crossroads by StartUp Bulgaria. The event will take place on 29 October 2026 at the Bulgarian Army Stadium, bringing together innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors and representatives of European and national innovation institutions.
Organised by the EIC in collaboration with GIS – Transfer Center Foundation, Innovation Starter, the National Innovation Fund and Endeavor, the event will provide practical insights into the current EIC Work Programme and its funding opportunities.
For organisations developing breakthrough technologies, the Info Day offers an opportunity to better understand the support available at different stages of innovation, from early-stage research to commercialisation and business growth.
What is on the agenda?
The programme runs from 10:30 to 16:10 EET and combines policy discussions, practical presentations, beneficiary experiences and networking opportunities.
10:30–11:10 | Registration and opening
The day begins with registration and welcome coffee, followed by opening remarks from Momchil Sabev, Director of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), and Ivan Vasilev, Bulgaria’s Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation.
11:10–12:20 | The impact of the EIC and a conversation with European leadership
A panel discussion will examine the EIC's impact on innovation and investment, featuring representatives from the venture capital community, the EIC Fund and successful innovation businesses. A fireside chat with Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, and Minister Ivan Vasilev will explore the wider innovation landscape.
12:20–13:00 | Understanding the EIC journey
Participants will receive an overview of the EIC support pathway and how different funding instruments can support research, technology development and business expansion. The session will be delivered by Isidro Laso of the European Commission and Boyan Zhekov, Bulgaria’s National Coordinator for Horizon Europe.
13:00–14:00 | Networking lunch
Attendees can connect with fellow innovators, researchers, investors and representatives of the innovation support ecosystem.
14:00–16:00 | Two parallel sessions for different innovation needs
Participants can choose between two specialised tracks.
For deep-tech start-ups and scale-ups: The programme covers the EIC Accelerator, EIC Fund and STEP, followed by discussions with successful beneficiaries, including representatives of Lam’on and Dronamics. A panel will explore how science-based start-ups can secure long-term investment to scale their businesses.
For deep-tech researchers: Sessions will explain EIC support for researchers, share experiences from EIC Pathfinder projects and explore technology transfer strategies that help bring scientific results closer to market applications.
The event concludes with closing remarks at 16:00–16:10.
The full agenda is available on the official EIC event page.
Who should attend?
The event is particularly relevant for:
Start-ups developing breakthrough technologies with strong commercial potential.
Scale-ups seeking funding and investment to accelerate growth.
Researchers and universities working on advanced scientific and technological solutions.
Technology transfer offices and organisations connecting research with industry.
Investors, innovation intermediaries and other stakeholders supporting the European innovation ecosystem.
For agricultural technology developers, agri-food innovators and research teams working on areas such as precision agriculture, robotics, biotechnology, climate resilience and advanced food systems, the event may provide useful insights into the wider European deep-tech funding landscape.
How to register
Important: Registration status has changed. The EIC's official event page currently states that registrations are closed. The event is scheduled as an in-person event only, is free to attend, and will be conducted in English.
Interested participants should consult the official EIC event page for the latest updates or contact the organisers to ask whether any additional places may become available. Attendance should not be assumed without confirmation.
Event details
Date: 29 October 2026
Time: 10:30–16:10 EET
Location: Bulgarian Army Stadium, Borisova Gradina, 3 Dragan Tsankov Boulevard, Sofia, Bulgaria
Format: In person
Language: English
Cost: Free
Connecting innovation with European opportunities
The EIC Info Day represents an opportunity to strengthen connections between European funding instruments, scientific research and business development. By bringing programme representatives and innovation practitioners together, it aims to help participants understand where their projects fit within the European innovation support landscape.
For the AgriVentures community, keeping track of these opportunities is an important step towards helping agricultural and agri-food innovators identify relevant funding pathways, develop partnerships and bring new solutions to market.
Explore more European funding opportunities and innovation initiatives through AgriVentures.
Check out our guides for funding opportunities
https://projects.agriventures.co/resources
Agriventures Connect 3.0 is coming on 20th of April 2027 in Sofia, Bulgaria
https://connect.agriventures.co/
The role of Agriventures in supporting agrifood innovation
As the agritech startup ecosystem grows across Europe, initiatives such as Agriventures are helping connect entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and policymakers working in agriculture and food innovation.
Agriventures focuses on supporting agrifood startups, biotechnology innovation, and access to European funding for agriculture, while also helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex landscape of startup financing, venture capital, and research commercialization.
By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems.
Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets.
Tags
Related Articles
Continue reading our latest insights and updates from the AgriVentures ecosystem.
🌱 SYSARM Project: Join Our Regional Learning Alliances!
The SYSARM (Systems Thinking for Agricultural Risk Management) project is entering an important phase: the development of Regional Learning Alliances (RLAs) that bring together key stakeholders to improve agricultural risk management through systems thinking, collaboration, and knowledge exchange. 🤝 Why join a SYSARM Regional Learning Alliance? By participating, your organisation can: ✅ Share your expertise and needs — contribute your practical experience and help identify the key...
World Food Day 2026: 50 Funding Opportunities for Food Security and Sustainable Food Systems
To mark World Food Day, Agriventures has published a free guide to 50 funding calls, prizes and programmes for food security and sustainable food systems, each with a direct link to the official call page. World Food Day falls on 16 October, the date FAO was founded in 1945. This year's message, “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.”, puts innovation at the centre: not only data, AI and robots, but also traditional knowledge, existing solutions used in new ways, and better methods to produce...
Biotechnology, Agri-Inputs and Biosecurity: Why the Future of Farming Needs a Wider Conversation in Sofia
Agriculture is undergoing a quiet transformation. Genomic tools, precision biological solutions, and new generations of crop protection and plant nutrition products are changing what is possible in the field and along the whole food chain. At the same time, the same advances raise questions that the sector is only beginning to ask. Who controls the genetic resources and seeds we depend on? How do we manage biosecurity when biological agents and genomic technologies can be used for more than...
Where Agrifood Biotech and Research Funding Is Actually Going in 2026
Basic research doesn't fund itself, and in agrifood, the gap between a promising lab result and a fundable project often comes down to knowing which of a dozen overlapping EU programmes to approach first. Food safety science, biotech platforms, and multi-country research consortia each follow their own funding logic, and 2026 has brought fresh calls across all three. Two Live Examples Worth Studying Safe-Agri, one of AgriVentures' active projects, is reinforcing the security assessment...
VerAgro launches a free self-assessment to help farms measure - and improve - their sustainability
"How sustainable is your farm?" It's a question most producers can answer instinctively, but rarely with hard numbers. A new Bulgarian startup wants to change that. VerAgro, a Bulgaria-based agtech startup, has launched a free online self-assessment that gives farms and processors a clear, structured picture of where they stand on sustainability — and what to do next. A 20-minute check-up for your farm The tool works like a health check-up for your operation. Farmers and processors answer 57...
A New Door Is Opening for Bulgarian Farmers and Agri-Innovators - And It's Fully Funded
For years, the biggest barrier between Bulgarian agriculture and Europe's most advanced farms hasn't been ambition. It's been access — to the right rooms, the right people, and the budget to get there. AgriVentures' new Missions program was built to remove exactly that barrier, and it does it in a way few programs in the region ever have: by covering the full cost of getting Bulgarian farmers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and companies in front of Europe's leading agri-food innovators. If you...
Never Miss an Update
Join our community to receive the latest insights, funding opportunities, and industry news from AgriVentures.