About VIVA
Building the Next Generation of European Innovation Valleys
Europe is home to world-class research, innovative businesses and strong regional expertise. Yet innovation capacity remains unevenly distributed, and many promising ideas never progress beyond the prototype stage. While technologies may be technically ready, innovators often face additional barriers related to market readiness, regulatory requirements, digital maturity, circularity, access to expertise, investment and suitable testing environments. As a result, opportunities for innovation and economic growth are not equally available across Europe’s regions.
VIVA (Vertical and Horizontal Integrating Innovation Valley Approach) is a Horizon Europe initiative designed to address these challenges by strengthening Innovation Valleys across six regions in Northern and Eastern Europe. Rather than supporting innovation in isolation, the project connects regional innovation ecosystems, enabling businesses, researchers, public authorities and innovation support organisations to collaborate, exchange knowledge and build on each other’s complementary strengths.
By combining regional cooperation with practical innovation support, VIVA helps create clearer pathways for innovators to move from promising ideas towards real-world implementation. Through cross-regional collaboration, shared infrastructure, testbeds, innovation support services and funding opportunities, the project strengthens both individual innovations and the ecosystems that enable them to grow.
At its core, VIVA is about creating stronger connections between regions, organisations and people. By working together, the participating regions aim to accelerate innovation, improve regional competitiveness and contribute to a more connected and resilient European innovation landscape.
Vision & Objectives
VIVA envisions a Europe where every region can contribute to and benefit from innovation, regardless of its current level of innovation maturity. By connecting leading and emerging innovation ecosystems, the project seeks to create stronger Innovation Valleys that enable ideas, talent, businesses and investments to flourish through collaboration rather than competition.
To achieve this vision, VIVA focuses on strengthening regional innovation ecosystems and creating opportunities for organisations to collaborate across borders. The project supports innovators throughout their innovation journey by improving access to expertise, funding, knowledge exchange, testing environments and regional networks. At the same time, it encourages closer cooperation between businesses, researchers, public authorities, innovation agencies and other ecosystem actors, helping them address common challenges and develop shared solutions.
Beyond supporting individual innovations, VIVA also aims to create lasting value for European regions. By developing practical methodologies, governance approaches and transferable resources, including the Innovation Valley Method Manual, the project seeks to help other regions strengthen their own innovation ecosystems long after the project has ended. In this way, VIVA contributes not only to regional competitiveness and sustainable growth, but also to reducing innovation disparities across Europe through long-term collaboration and knowledge exchange.
The VIVA Approach
VIVA is built around the idea that successful innovation depends on more than technological excellence alone. Bringing new solutions to market requires supportive innovation ecosystems, strong partnerships and access to the right expertise, infrastructure and resources. For this reason, VIVA combines two complementary approaches that work together to accelerate innovation while strengthening regional collaboration.
The first is vertical innovation progression, which helps innovators move from working prototypes towards real-world implementation and market uptake. Through the project’s Elevator Model, innovations are assessed across multiple readiness dimensions, including technological, business, regulatory, circular and digital readiness. This broader perspective helps innovators identify development needs and access targeted support throughout their innovation journey.
The second is horizontal ecosystem integration, which connects regions, industries and innovation actors so they can learn from one another, share knowledge, exchange resources and develop complementary value chains. Building on regional strengths and smart specialisation, VIVA encourages cross-sector and cross-regional collaboration through shared infrastructure, testbeds, knowledge exchange and structured partnerships between the participating regions.
Together, these two dimensions form the foundation of the VIVA Innovation Valley approach. Rather than viewing innovation as a linear process, VIVA recognises that technological progress and ecosystem development must advance together. By combining innovation support with regional cooperation, the project helps create stronger Innovation Valleys where ideas can progress more effectively from development to practical application while generating long-term value for both participating regions and Europe as a whole.
Expected Impact
VIVA is designed to create value at several levels: for innovators developing new solutions, for the regional ecosystems supporting them, and for Europe’s wider innovation landscape. By combining innovation support with cross-regional collaboration, the project aims to strengthen the conditions that allow knowledge, technologies and business opportunities to move more effectively between regions.
For businesses, start-ups and other innovation actors, VIVA will provide access to funding, expertise, testbeds, regional networks and structured support for moving solutions towards implementation and market uptake. This broader support model considers not only technological performance, but also market, regulatory, circular and digital readiness—helping innovators identify and address the barriers that often prevent promising ideas from progressing.
At regional level, VIVA aims to build stronger connections between businesses, research organisations, public authorities, innovation agencies, investors and civil society. These relationships will support knowledge exchange, shared infrastructure, more connected value chains and new forms of innovation collaboration across sectors and borders. The project targets a 45% increase in innovation density across the participating ecosystems, reflecting its ambition to create more active and interconnected regional innovation environments.
Sustainability and circularity are embedded throughout the project. VIVA will develop assessment and monitoring tools to support more efficient use of materials, energy and other resources across the Innovation Valleys. The project targets a 30% reduction in resource consumption, alongside measurable carbon and resource-cost savings generated through circular innovation, renewable energy and industrial symbiosis.
VIVA also aims to strengthen the investment conditions surrounding regional innovation. By improving readiness, demonstrating solutions in real environments and connecting innovators with partners and markets, the project expects to help mobilise more than €100 million in private investment. These figures represent project targets and will be monitored as implementation progresses.
The project’s impact is intended to extend well beyond its six participating regions. The open Innovation Valley Method Manual, governance resources, circularity tools and lessons generated through regional implementation will provide other European regions with practical guidance for developing and adapting their own Innovation Valley approaches. In this way, VIVA aims to contribute to stronger regional competitiveness, more inclusive innovation ecosystems and a more connected European innovation landscape.
Regions at a Glance
VIVA brings together six regions with different innovation profiles, sectoral strengths and development needs. Three are located in the Nordic countries and three in Eastern Europe. Together, they form a network of European Innovation Valleys built around complementary regional specialisations and mutual knowledge exchange.
Each region leads a flagship area that reflects its existing expertise and smart-specialisation priorities. These activities provide real environments in which the VIVA approach can be tested, adapted and improved.
Østfold, Norway
Human-centric robotics and sustainable manufacturing
Østfold contributes expertise in robotics and advanced manufacturing, with a focus on technologies that enable people and robots to work safely and effectively together. Its VIVA activities will explore how human-centric robotics can support more sustainable, flexible and competitive manufacturing.
Västra Götaland, Sweden
Circular textiles, smart automation and material optimisation
Västra Götaland brings a strong textile and manufacturing innovation ecosystem to VIVA. Its activities focus on extending the life and value of textile materials through circular production, flexible automation and improved use of data and artificial intelligence.
Ostrobothnia, Finland
Renewable energy and industrial symbiosis
Ostrobothnia contributes expertise in renewable energy, energy technologies and industrial cooperation. Its work will explore how companies and regional actors can share energy, resources and infrastructure to improve efficiency and create new opportunities through industrial symbiosis.
Alba Iulia, Romania
Digital transformation and smart manufacturing
Alba Iulia provides a real-world environment for testing digital solutions and artificial intelligence. Its activities focus on applying digital tools and infrastructure to support smarter manufacturing, stronger public–private collaboration and improved regional innovation capacity.
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Circular bioeconomy and agricultural resource valorisation
Plovdiv contributes expertise in agriculture, food production and the bioeconomy. Its VIVA activities will explore how agricultural resources and side streams can be transformed into sustainable bio-based products, creating additional value while supporting more circular regional production systems.
Central Transdanubia, Hungary
Digital and sustainable agri-food innovation
Central Transdanubia focuses on improving agri-food production through digitalisation, sensor-based optimisation and more efficient use of resources. Its activities will support the development and application of solutions that make food production smarter, more sustainable and better connected to regional innovation support.
The six flagship areas are not separate pilot projects. They are connected through shared knowledge, testbeds, digital infrastructure and structured regional partnerships. VIVA organises this cooperation through a Nordic Innovation Nexus and an Eastern European Innovation Nexus, alongside sister-region partnerships linking regions with complementary strengths. This allows solutions, experience and expertise developed in one location to create value in another.