Applications for the EIT Regional Innovation Booster Malta Edition 2026 closed on 22 July, attracting strong interest from Malta’s innovation ecosystem and reaffirming the country’s growing ambition to bring innovative solutions to European markets.
The programme is delivered through a partnership between the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, and Xjenza Malta. Designed to support startups and scaleups with growth ambitions, it provides financial support, expert mentoring and tailored market access services to help innovative businesses accelerate their European expansion.
The applicant pool represents a broad range of sectors, including cybersecurity, health technologies, agritech, robotics and sustainable materials, highlighting the diversity of innovation emerging from Malta.
European Growth Ambitions
Across the full applicant pool, Germany and Italy emerged as the two markets of choice, with 52% of applicants targeting Germany and 48% selecting Italy. The results reflect applicants’ strong ambitions to expand into two of Europe’s leading innovation ecosystems.
Diverse Leadership and Mature Technologies
More than half of applicant companies (52%) reported having at least one woman in a full-time equivalent management position, reflecting the diversity of leadership across the applicant pool.
The applicant pool also demonstrates a high level of technological maturity. More than half (57%) are developing solutions at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7, while the remaining applicants have reached TRL 8 or TRL 9, indicating strong market readiness across the cohort.
The cohort also represents companies at different stages of business growth, from self-funded ventures to businesses supported through seed investment, grants and Series A financing.
What Happens Next for the Selected Companies?
Following the evaluation process, 10 companies have been selected to join Stage 1 of the programme. From there, up to six will progress to Stage 2, becoming eligible for a subgrant of up to €50,000, and up to four will advance to Stage 3, becoming eligible for a further subgrant of up to €40,000. The strongest performers at Stage 3 may also gain the opportunity to access the UK market through the EIT Community UK Hub.
“The quality and diversity of applications confirm that Malta has ambitious companies with strong innovation potential. Through the EIT Regional Innovation Booster, we want to help these businesses take the next step by connecting them with expertise, partners and opportunities across Europe. We look forward to working with the selected companies as they prepare to scale into new markets.” — Adam Strzelecki, EIT RIB Coordinator Malta
“The strong response to the EIT Regional Innovation Booster demonstrates the depth and ambition of Malta’s innovation ecosystem. We are seeing companies developing solutions with the potential to compete and grow beyond our shores, and our role is to help create the right opportunities for them to do so. Through our partnership with the EIT, we are giving Maltese innovators access to expertise, networks and international markets that can support their journey from innovation to scale.” — Silvio Scerri, CEO, Xjenza Malta
The EIT Regional Innovation Booster is delivered in Malta through a partnership between Xjenza Malta and the EIT. Following its first edition in Poland in 2025, the programme is now underway in Malta, while Hungary has also joined the pilot from 2026, with a wider multi-country pilot planned through 2028, strengthening collaboration between regional innovation ecosystems and supporting companies with high international growth potential.