On 27 May 2025, the EIC Scaling Club hosted a dedicated webinar to present the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme (CPP) – a strategic initiative connecting Europe’s most innovative scale-ups with leading corporates across sectors. The webinar highlighted how structured collaboration can accelerate innovation, open new markets, and foster mutual growth between agile startups and established industry players.

The programme aims to support Europe’s digital and green transition while reinforcing its position as a global leader in technology and deep-tech solutions. Over the past years, the CPP has become a central mechanism for aligning the needs of large corporations with the capabilities of highly innovative startups. Backed by the European Commission, the programme uses its extensive network to bring these two worlds together and unlock opportunities that would otherwise remain out of reach.

Since its inception, the programme has facilitated over 100 matchmaking events, engaging more than 120 corporate partners and resulting in more than 100 business collaborations – including pilot projects, licensing agreements, venture clienting, and strategic investments. These outcomes reflect the programme’s focus on measurable, high-value impact.

How does the CPP program work?

Unlike open-ended matchmaking formats, the CPP is highly curated. Corporations define specific innovation challenges, and startups are invited to respond to open calls published on the EIC Community Platform. Applicants are asked to explain how their solution addresses the challenge, what stage of development they’re in, their fundraising status, and what kind of engagement they seek. A pitch deck is also required.

Once the open call closes, the corporate partner leads the selection process, ensuring that participating startups are highly relevant to their strategic objectives.

The preparation is structured around three key steps:

1. A preparatory workshop where corporates present their expectations (“reverse pitch”) and engage directly with the selected startups.
2. A one-to-one coaching session with an industry expert, aimed at fine-tuning the startup’s pitch to the specific needs of the corporate.
3. A dry run with feedback from the corporate's innovation lead, providing final adjustments before the main event.

This process ensures that by the time the in-person Corporate Day happens, both startups and corporates are aligned, expectations are clear, and the focus is firmly on exploring concrete collaboration – whether through pilots, partnerships, or investments. The webinar also showcased real-life success stories of startups that secured significant business outcomes through the programme.

Looking ahead, the programme’s roadmap includes upcoming Corporate Days across Europe and beyond, covering themes such as:

• Sustainable packaging and ingredient innovation,
• Smart medical devices and digital health,
• AgriTech and regenerative agriculture,
• Circular economy and carbon reduction,
• Cross-border innovation with partners in Japan.

The CPP is a targeted growth mechanism. By combining challenge-led calls, expert preparation, and access to corporate decision-makers, the programme helps startups break through corporate silos and engage in partnerships that lead to real-world results.

Watch the webinar recording here:

Future opportunities

An exciting opportunity currently available is the open call to the EIC Multi-Corporate Day with five of the largest Japanese corporations and partners: AGC Inc., ITOCHU Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., and Sumitomo Corporation. This call targets EIC companies working on innovative solutions in various fields, offering a unique chance to scale their business in Japan. You can find more details and apply through the EIC Community here.

Looking further ahead, mark your calendars for upcoming EIC Corporate Days in September, including the EIC Corporate Day with B. Braun in Germany and the EIC Corporate Day with Zurich Insurance. Calls for applications for these events will be opened soon, so stay tuned to the EIC Community for your chance to participate.

About the EIC Scaling Club

The EIC Scaling Club is a curated community where 120+ European deep tech scale-ups with the potential to build world-class businesses and solve major global challenges come together with investors, corporate innovators and other industry stakeholders to spur growth.

The top 120+ European deep tech companies will be carefully selected from a pool of high-growth scale-ups that have benefitted from EIC financial schemes, other European and national innovation programmes, and beyond.

The EIC Scaling Club is an EIC-funded initiative run in partnership by Tech Tour, Bpifrance (EuroQuity), Hello Tomorrow, Tech.eu (Webrazzi), EurA and IESE Business School.

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