On 22 November, the revamped and renamed Booster was officially launched at an exciting and fact-filled online event, hosted by the European Commission.
The event both spotlighted Booster’s central role in advancing the EU’s innovation strategy and global competitiveness, while also providing potential and existing beneficiaries with insights from top-level speakers and in-depth discussions on its features and services.
Joanna Drake, Deputy Director General at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, kicked off the event alongside Nikolaos Mitrakis, Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission. Together they provided an overview of Booster’s relevance within the broader context of European research and innovation. Their remarks highlighted the initiative’s timeliness against the backdrop of the publication of the Draghi report and mounting calls to bolster EU competitiveness on the global stage. Drake emphasised Booster’s unique position as a critical cog in Europe’s knowledge and innovation valorisation ecosystem, bridging the gap between research and impactful real-world applications.
Alessia Melasecche Germini, CEO of META Group and leading partner of the initiative, delivered a detailed presentation on Booster’s operational framework and its transformative potential for EU projects, researchers, and innovators. She broke down Booster’s core offerings, emphasising its pillars of dissemination and exploitation, alongside add-on services. She described Booster as a source of trustworthy coaching, expert support as well as its role as a collaborative and support-driven learning experience – ultimately helping researchers unlock their own potential.
Launched at the European Innovation Council (EIC) Summit on 3 June, the EU Innovation Platform is the new single access point supporting researchers in turning research into real-world impact. Developed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, it is designed to support innovators and startups across Europe while also allowing them to meet the right partners, and connect with relevant services, events, and opportunities.
Ensuring that research results move beyond the lab remains a key challenge for many EU-funded projects. That is why Booster mentors and supports EU-funded project researchers by providing them with the competencies and tools for them to create real-world solutions and generate impact. Through a hands-on and co-creative process, Booster experts provide tailored advice and tools, while ensuring that beneficiaries remain at the heart of the journey.
The recent Booster Info Session offered a comprehensive overview of the services available to EU-funded projects, how and why to apply and featured a testimony by an EU-funded project benefitting from the services. For those who attended (and those who couldn’t), here are eight key takeaways we've selected from the event.
Booster was recently featured in the 2025 edition of the Projects to Policy Seminar, one of the European Commission’s Directorate General HOME’s flagship events, held earlier this month, offering a valuable opportunity for EU-funded projects to learn more about the tailored and free-of-charge support services that Booster offers.
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