ICLEI helps connect market parties to public buyers
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As part of its work on sustainable public procurement ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainabilty has (co-)organised a number of market engagement activities, including three Pitching to Procurers sessions within the context of the European Innovation Council (EIC). ICLEI contributes to the recruitment of public buyers interested in engaging with EIC companies, helps prepare the challenge descriptions for these sessions to make them attractive to companies, and reviews the applications of companies applying for the session.
The first Pitching to Procurers session was organised on 9 June 2021, together with Vienna’s public transport operator Wiener Linien and Austria’s competence centre for innovation procurement, IÖB Servicestelle. The session was held online and gave EIC beneficiaries the opportunity to pitch their company and their innovations in the field of transportation to the Austrian public procurers, who were looking for innovative solutions to increase the level of passenger safety. From all the applications received, five EIC-beneficiaries from five different countries were selected
A next Pitching to Procurers session was organised on 22 July 2021, together with the Network Of practitioners For Emergency medicAl systems and cRitical care (NO-FEAR). This time companies had the opportunity to pitch innovative solutions in the related to the NO-FEAR consortium’s needs in medical care. 10 EIC-funded start-ups and scaleups from seven different countries pitched their innovations in the field of emergency medical services on a disaster/crisis scene and hospitals and nursing homes.
Finally, on 30 September 2021 Parkering Malmö partnered up with the EIC to focus on how parking can become more sustainable for the good of the city. To achieve this, the organisation needs better data on the availability on each parking spot. This led to eight EIC-backed SMEs presenting their innovative solutions while focusing on smart, efficient, and sustainable parking solutions for both today’s needs and potential challenges of the future.
These pitching events help the public authorities get a better understanding of the market and of the potentially available solutions that could address their main challenges, while the EIC companies gain visibility and access to organizations that could be interested in their products and services. Furthermore the EIC funding allows companies to get more resources for development, dissemination and exploitation.
ICLEI is not just organising market dialogues within the context of the EIC. As part of the Big Buyers for Climate & Environment initiative, for example, a Market Dialogue with Volvo was organised on 27 September 2021 where participants had the chance to hear from Volvo about the available and upcoming emission free construction machinery they manufacture. Following Volvo's presentation, participants engaged in a lively discussion and exchange about performance specifications, price points and implications of use of Volvo’s emission-free machinery on public construction sites.
The next Big Buyers market dialogue will take place on 1 December in Oslo (Norway). It will focus on innovative solutions to reduce/ eliminate emissions from construction works and will convene market representatives from the Machinery, Contracting and Energy & technology sectors. More information to follow on the Big Buyers website.