This project is the second in the series of EC-financed parts of the Graphene Flagship. The Graphene Flagship is a 10 year research and innovation endeavour with a total project cost of 1,000,000,000 euros, funded jointly by the European Commission and member states and associated countries. The first part of the Flagship was a 30-month Collaborative Project, Coordination and Support Action (CP-CSA) under the 7th framework program (2013-2016), while this and the following parts are implemented as Core Projects under the Horizon 2020 framework. The mission of the Graphene Flagship is to take graphene and related layered materials from a state of raw potential to a point where they can revolutionise multiple industries. This will bring a new dimension to future technology – a faster, thinner, stronger, flexible, and broadband revolution. Our program will put Europe firmly at the heart of the process, with a manifold return on the EU investment, both in terms of technological innovation and economic growth. To realise this vision, we have brought together a larger European consortium with about 150 partners in 23 countries. The partners represent academia, research institutes and industries, which work closely together in 15 technical work packages and five supporting work packages covering the entire value chain from materials to components and systems. As time progresses, the centre of gravity of the Flagship moves towards applications, which is reflected in the increasing importance of the higher - system - levels of the value chain. In this first core project the main focus is on components and initial system level tasks. The first core project is divided into 4 divisions, which in turn comprise 3 to 5 work packages on related topics. A fifth, external division acts as a link to the parts of the Flagship that are funded by the member states and associated countries, or by other funding sources. This creates a collaborative framework for the entire Flagship.

This proposal describes the third stage of the EC-funded part of the Graphene Flagship. It builds upon the results achieved in the ramp-up phase (2013 - 2016) and the first core project (2016 - 2018), and covers the period April 2018 - March 2020. The progress of the flagship follows the general plans set out in the Framework Partnership Agreement, and the second core project represents an additional step towards higher technology and manufacturing readiness levels. The Flagship is built upon the concept of value chains, one of which is along the axis of materials-components-systems; the ramp-up phase placed substantial resources on the development of materials production technologies, the first core project moved to emphasise components, and the second core project will move further towards integrating components in larger systems. This evolution is manifested, e.g., in the introduction of six market-motivated spearhead projects during the Core 2 project.

ENTREPRENEDU brings together different innovation stakeholders and educational entities from 6 different European countries, 3 low/moderate innovative regions (IT, BG, EL) and 3 high innovative regions (BE, DE, IE). The project aims at creating a high replicable and scalable education model (c.d. Venture Capital Program) for both businesses and educational systems via a series of 3 Hackathons, developed at regional level, supporting developed concept and ideas to become concrete solution. At the end of the project, the program will be validated in the 3 educational entities that are part of the consortium. More specifically, ENTREPRENEDU aims at: • Enhancing the proliferation of new business model and entrepreneurial skills, directly involving 90 teams of youth (age 18 to 30 years old), in 3 different Hackathons (30 teams per Hackathons) ; • Providing a highly-replicable model to provide business know how for young Europeans, which will be validated in 3 educational institutions (IT, GR, BG) ; • Supporting the 12 most viable and promising ideas and concepts from the early stages to the commercialization of their solutions, through 5 concrete outcomes that should be reached by the end of the project (please refer to section 1.3) ; • Validating the Venture Capital Program (educational model) in 2 Universities and 1 VET entity on 90 students. The ENTREPRENEDU unique and interdisciplinary methodology will enhance entrepreneurial know-how and business skills and activities in less and moderate developed innovation regions, thus reinforcing their acceleration capacity and enabling youth to scale their concept to fully concrete solutions with strong market potential, subsequently enhancing the development and competitiveness of these regions.

SPREAD2INNO brings together different innovation stakeholders – incubators, accelerators, innovation businesses, research organizations, consultancies and networks – from crucial European innovation regions: Germany, Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy. The goal is implementing scalable, replicable and holistic 2 year program for the provision of high quality business services, and collaboration between different entities of well-connected and less connected regional innovation ecosystems, with immediate impacts on the local and EU level. In order to create a sustainable and replicable model easily adopted by the rest of EU, the consortium will implement a set of activities for enhancing capacity and competitiveness of both business acceleration entities and SMEs and start-ups, particularly: - 6 local events that will provide insight of networking and exploring opportunities across Europe that relate to scaling-up of businesses, along with training courses aimed at improving business and marketing case of businesses, including roundtables for acceleration entities for educational and practical exchange and cross-contamination; - An online platform as a single point of reference for information exchange between different innovation ecosystems about opportunities, events and funding accessible in these regions; - 2 intensive educational/training Academies as well as tailor-made feasibility studies for participants; - A one-week business case and investor training for finalists (at least 50% woman-led businesses) delivered through collaboration of developed and less developed innovation ecosystem entities. The SPREAD2INNO unique and interdisciplinary methodology will enhance business activities in less developed innovation regions, reinforce their acceleration capacity and enable entrepreneurs to scale their concept to a fully concrete solution with strong market potential, subsequently enhancing the development and competitiveness of these regions.

The BOOST project addresses the significant disparities in innovation capacity among the EU Widening Countries, primarily in Eastern Europe. Although these nations excel in academic research, they struggle to translate their achievements into commercially viable products and services. This gap negatively affects the social, financial, and environmental sustainability of these regions, limits economic growth, and exacerbates issues like brain drain and low career opportunities for researchers and innovators. BOOST aims to strengthen the R&I capabilities of Widening Countries by fostering collaboration between academic and non-academic sectors. It focuses on enhancing career opportunities and entrepreneurship by providing researchers with the skills needed to succeed in both academic and industrial settings. A key element is the creation of the BOOST Learning Environment, which will facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration among organizations across Europe, giving access to a rich database of tools, resources, and learning modules. Central to the project is the implementation of the BOOST ERA Talents Scheme, which provides 12-month mobility opportunities for 60 researchers, improving their practical skills through placements in industry settings. The scheme also includes five tailored learning modules, and each participant will receive a Personal Career Development Plan to support long-term career advancement. The project ensures that at least 30% of mobility participants will be women or individuals from underrepresented groups, addressing the imbalance that persists in R&I fields. BOOST provides broad sectoral expertise through its consortium partners. By focusing on skill development, practical training, and cross-sector collaboration, the project will create a sustainable impact that extends beyond its duration, helping Widening Countries improve their R&I capabilities and compete on the global stage.