Hy2Market Featured at I3 Support Facility Virtual Event #10 on Interregional Innovation Project Management

On 17 September 2025, Hy2Market had the pleasure of being featured in the 10th I3 Support Facility Virtual Event, organized by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). This event focused on practical strategies for managing Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) projects, providing an opportunity to share lessons learned and best practices with a wide European audience.

About EISMEA and the I3 Instrument

EISMEA, established in 2021, supports European innovators, researchers, and businesses while promoting competitiveness, sustainability, and inclusivity across the EU. Among its programmes, the I3 Instrument, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), aims to strengthen economic cohesion by facilitating interregional cooperation and accelerating the scaling of innovation across EU regions.

The Virtual Event: Key Themes

The virtual session highlighted the challenges and opportunities of interregional project management, including aligning priorities across territories, engaging diverse stakeholders, navigating funding requirements, and sustaining cross-border value chains. Through interactive tools such as Slido polls and open discussions, participants exchanged insights on governance models, resource planning, risk mitigation, and performance monitoring.

Hy2Market’s Contribution

Hy2Market’s case study, presented by Project Manager Dirk Koppert, showcased practical project management strategies for advancing hydrogen deployment across regions. Key takeaways included:

• Effective interregional coordination is best achieved by building good relationship with regional points of contact to ensure smooth collaboration between multiple partners.
• Invest time in your stakeholder engagement approaches. Both on partner level through regular meetings and in-person consortium events, as with other stakeholders such as the EU Project Officer and international knowledge exchange meetings, to secure buy-in from public authorities, industry actors, and research organisations.
• Invest time in advising, supporting, and translating Grant Agreement details into the day-to-day operational practice of innovative SMEs, industrials and other partners.

By sharing these best practices, Hy2Market contributed to the event’s goal of fostering peer learning and operational excellence in I3 projects, offering inspiration to both current and prospective project coordinators.

Looking Ahead

Hy2Market continues to leverage interregional collaboration to accelerate hydrogen market deployment, demonstrating how EU-funded initiatives can effectively combine innovation, sustainability, and cross-border cooperation.

For more information about the I3 Instrument and upcoming virtual events, visit the I3 Support Facility website.