The STARRISE project, an initiative under the EU’s Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) programme, has concluded its dynamic two-year journey. Its final milestone — the STARRISE Touchdown Event, held on Friday, 31 October 2025, at JOIST Innovation Park in Larissa, Greece, was a true celebration of collaborative innovation.
Bringing together over 200 participants, including SMEs, clusters, regional policymakers, and innovation stakeholders from across Europe, the event highlighted the project’s legacy in fostering cross-border cooperation, capacity-building, and investment readiness.
STARRISE Innovation Sprint: From Market Challenges to Actionable Ideas
The event kicked off with the STARRISE Journey Innovation Sprint, a hands-on co-creation workshop engaging more than 60 participants from the agri-food and logistics sectors.
Facilitated by the STARRISE partnership, the workshop applied the project’s Value Hack methodology, helping SMEs transform real market challenges into actionable collaboration ideas. Through short pitches, team formation, and hands-on teamwork using the Opportunity-to-Action Canvas, participants co-developed cross-border value-chain projects, demonstrating the tangible legacy of STARRISE’s capacity-building actions. The interactive format and strong collaborative spirit earned exceptional feedback from all attendees.
Empowering SMEs to Access Innovation Funding
Another key moment of the event was the “Unlocking EU Opportunities: How to Secure Innovation Funding” session, coordinated by iED, which provided participants with practical insights into European funding instruments, including I3 Calls. Speakers offered guidance on how SMEs can access EU funding, prepare strong proposals, and align their innovation ideas with policy priorities – extending STARRISE’s mission to empower regions and entrepreneurs towards investment readiness.
How I3 Supports Regional Innovation
A high-level policy dialogue followed under the title “Beyond Borders: How I3 & Regional Funding Mechanisms Empower Innovators,” moderated by Maria Pournari (iED) and featuring Ms. Maja Ferlinc, Project Officer at EISMEA, alongside representatives of RIS3 Thessaly, IMP³ROVE – KEARNEY, and the Region of Thessaly.
Ms. Ferlinc’s presence at both the final consortium meeting and the Touchdown Event honoured the consortium, recognising STARRISE as a model I3 initiative that successfully connected outermost and continental regions to build resilient innovation ecosystems.
International Collaboration: Bridging Europe’s Regions
We were also delighted to welcome our partners and SME representatives from Latvia (LTC), the Canary Islands (ITC), Martinique (CCI Martinique), Romania (ADR Nord-Vest Romania), Portugal (INOVA+), and Germany (IMP³ROVE) for the final project meeting, study visits, and closing event in Larissa. Our sincere thanks go to the local companies that opened their doors and shared their inspiring innovation journeys – FoodOxys, OLYMPUS Dairy Products, and Domaine D. Migas – showcasing how regional innovation and interregional collaboration can create tangible value for local economies.
iED’s Role in Driving Impact
We, at the Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (iED), were proud to lead several activities of the STARRISE project, coordinating the Innovation Investment Support Programme, the training modules, and the final event in Greece. Our role focused on ensuring that the project’s outcomes, methodologies, and success stories reached SMEs and regional actors, turning knowledge into investment-ready innovation actions.
STARRISE Beyond 2025
Finally, special recognition goes to our coordinator, Ints Viksna (LTC), for his exemplary coordination and leadership, ensuring seamless implementation, collaboration, and meaningful results.
The STARRISE journey may have come to an end, but the partnerships, knowledge, and inspiration it created will continue to grow, driving new innovation investments and interregional cooperation across Europe.
