SYSTEMEU is an initiative aimed at transforming European innovation ecosystems through open innovation by fostering digitalization in healthcare, energy, and mobility. It unites five regional ecosystems, fostering inclusivity and collaboration among universities, incubators, public organizations, government agencies, and innovation centers from Germany, Romania, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Spain. SYSTEMEU addresses the issue of traditional innovation efforts' limited focus on societal and environmental transformation, introducing a systemic and long-term perspective. By fostering a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment, SYSTEMEU will enable adaptable policies and stimulate economic vibrancy, enhancing societal well-being and advancing European innovation. SYSTEMEU promises to create interconnected, inclusive, and more efficient innovation ecosystems, strengthen cross-border network collaboration through six cross-regional projects in project duration and others after the project end, expand global cooperation through existing networks of European actors and ecosystems, promote gender equality, and reduce territorial inequalities in access to innovation support, aligning with EU policies and strategies. SYSTEMEU's innovative approach aims to usher Europe into a regenerative world.

The CITADELS project aims to contribute towards transforming the 7 widening countries represented in the Project into CITADELS of human-centric Industry 5.0 development. The Project brings together a consortium of 10 partners from 9 countries, including 4 large academic institutions that are highly influential within their innovation ecosystems, 3 exemplary DeepTech companies, and 1 science and technology park, where academia meets industry to make innovations happen and grow into the business. Additionally, CITADELS is supported by the 2 EU-leading partners to bring know-how in cross-sectoral collaboration, to ensure stakeholder engagement and pan-European impact (EIT Manufacturing), and to introduce a sustainable, responsible research and innovation approach (K&I). CITADELS combines the excellence of DeepTech talents and social scientists to comply with EC’s “ERA industrial technologies roadmap on human-centric research and innovation for the manufacturing sector” to ensure sustainable DeepTech careers and the progress of DeepTech. The CITADELS project seizes the opportunity presented by recent investments in advanced public R&I infrastructure and the growing demand for DeepTech expertise across Europe to combat the brain drain in widening countries. By aligning academic research excellence with industry needs, CITADELS focuses on talent circulation (20 research talents and 20 R&I support talents will be involved as a whole), creating attractive career pathways in DeepTech and building the capacity of local ecosystems to adopt cutting-edge technologies. This project will support translating research into high-value industrial applications and position widening countries as competitive players in the global DeepTech landscape. Ultimately, CITADELS will boost regional economic resilience and foster social cohesion by modernizing local industries and creating high-value jobs, driving long-term economic growth and resilience in widening countries.