INNOVA, an Italian innovation and technology transfer company specializing in advancing research results into market-ready products and services, has joined HARD2SCALE, an EU-funded programme designed to accelerate the scale-up of deep-tech and digital solutions for Europe’s hard-to-abate and energy-intensive industries.
The project operates under Grant Agreement No. 101193674 and targets technologies capable of moving from pilot to industrial deployment.
With more than 32 years of experience in technology transfer, innovation management, and EU project execution, INNOVA takes on a strategic role within the initiative.
Its work focuses on industry engagement, market validation, and building cross-border innovation ecosystems that connect startups, corporates, researchers, and investors.
HARD2SCALE brings together innovators, industrial players, research organisations, and capital providers to identify technologies with the highest industrial relevance and match them with concrete operational needs.
Through regional workshops, market assessments, and ecosystem mapping, the consortium is developing a Cross-Border Action Plan intended to show how deep-tech solutions can scale across Europe rather than stall at demonstration stage.
That work lays the groundwork for a future European deep-tech accelerator dedicated to supporting startups and scale-ups as they reach industrial validation, secure market adoption, and expand across borders.
The broader objective sits squarely within Europe’s push toward climate-neutral industrial processes, where execution speed now matters as much as technical novelty.
Within the project, INNOVA leads several core activities tied to delivery rather than theory. These include identifying high-potential deep-tech technologies relevant to hard-to-abate sectors, engaging Italian industrial stakeholders and investors, validating needs through direct consultations and workshops, and co-designing the scaling strategy for the cross-border accelerator model.
INNOVA also supports communication and dissemination to widen participation across regions.
The HARD2SCALE consortium brings together eight partners spanning both emerging and established innovation ecosystems.
Coordination sits with KiNNO Innovation Intermediaries, alongside ASTR Capital, Accent Inkubator GmbH, Venture Booster, INNOVA, Merinova Technology Center, G-Force, and EurA AG.
Together, the group covers investment, acceleration, open innovation, and industrial collaboration.
INNOVA operates as the holding company of INNOVA GROUP, specialising in a competitive, fast-moving segment where applied technology drives commercial growth. The group is based at Tecnopolo Tiburtino in Rome, a technology park supported by local and regional institutions, public agencies, and large corporations.
The environment provides offices, laboratories, and incubation facilities, reinforcing INNOVA’s focus on execution-oriented innovation rather than experimentation without scale.
According to Beinsure analysts, initiatives like HARD2SCALE reflect a shift in EU innovation policy toward fewer pilots and more industrial outcomes. The emphasis now sits on validation, adoption, and capital alignment, areas where experienced ecosystem operators such as INNOVA increasingly carry weight.
