KEYNOTE LECTURE

Ivan Stefanic

EIC Ambassador

The European Innovation Council is far more than a funding programme — it is a launchpad for bold innovators who want to transform breakthrough ideas into real-world impact. For agri-food startups and scale-ups, the EIC has created a powerful continuum of support, accompanying innovators from the earliest scientific insight to global market expansion.

Whether you are validating a new concept through EIC Pathfinder, turning research into a market-ready solution with EIC Transition, scaling a disruptive company through the EIC Accelerator, or pursuing major growth ambitions with EIC STEP, there is an instrument designed for your stage of development. Open and challenge-based calls provide opportunities for both visionary frontier ideas and solutions addressing Europe’s most urgent priorities.

What makes the EIC exceptional is the ecosystem surrounding the funding. Beneficiaries gain access to Booster Grants, Tech2Market services, Business Acceleration Services, Access+, the Service Catalogue, the Scaling Club, public procurement support, the Trusted Investor Network, the Women Leadership Programme, and many other initiatives that connect innovators with investors, corporates, experts, and international partners.

The EIC landscape evolves every year, and choosing the right call can feel demanding. Evaluation is rigorous because it looks beyond technology to the business, market, and societal dimensions of innovation. In agriculture and food systems, success rarely depends on technology alone; it depends on integrating science, economics, infrastructure, regulation, and human behavior into a scalable solution.

For future applicants, the most important message is this: do not let an initial rejection define your journey. Many outstanding projects succeed only after refining and resubmitting their ideas. The EIC rewards not only excellence and ambition, but also resilience, learning, and perseverance.

Ivan Stefanic is a business development and technology transfer specialist with more than 35 years of international experience in research and business. Ivan is also a Full Professor in economics and entrepreneurship in agribusiness. He is passionate about DeepTech and disruptive innovations, gamification of learning experiences, mentoring students and young entrepreneurs, and enterprising universities.
As an EIC Program Manager for Food Chain Technologies and Novel and Sustainable Food, he brought the Agrifood sector into the EIC's spotlight. His 8 Agrifood-related Pathfinder and Accelerator challenges offer innovation support for the sector and provide a solid foundation for the future of the food supply chain.