European Business Angels Network (EBAN) is Europe’s leading early-stage investor community gathering over 130 members across more than 50 countries globally.

As a non-for-profit trade association based in Brussels, Belgium, we are the voice of angel investing towards all EU institutions, enabling early-stage investors and business angel groups to make more and better investments. EBAN works closely with founders and investors to grow the early-stage investment ecosystem by sharing knowledge, building connections and supporting innovative start-ups in their entrepreneurial journey.
With strong expertise in education and capacity building, we strengthen investor communities, create connections with trusted counterparts worldwide, and advocate for better public policy to unleash the potential of European entrepreneurship. EBAN represents a market that invests over 13 billion Euros each year in innovative and technology-driven start-ups and SMEs.

Founded in 1992, the European Association of Development Agencies (EURADA) brings together professionals working on economic development in Europe. Through their large network of over 68 members in 23 countries of the European Union (EU) and beyond; regional development agencies (RDAs), and their economic development practitioners can network, advocate, and participate at an EU-wide level.

For the RDA, which is a designated meeting place and support for local economic actors, EURADA is their international well-established facility allowing interaction with other RDA peers across Europe and beyond. This meeting place and space created by EURADA and dependent on its members’ engagement offers RDAs opportunities. ​
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EURADA, as a network and connector, offers opportunities to all forms of economic development practitioners embedded in RDAs, business partners, and European authorities. By bringing together highly skilled professionals, who answer the specific needs of firms, EURADA plays a role in Europe’s economic growth and job creation.

The Foundation FUNDECYT Science and Technology Park of Extremadura is a non profit organisation based in Extremadura (Spain) with the aim of contributing to the social and economic exploitation of science and technology in the region, supporting and promoting scientific and technological development and better use of research and innovation outcomes.

Its board of trustees is composed of the Regional Government and the University of Extremadura.
As the Scientific and Technological Park of Extremadura, it offers the spaces and advanced services to facilitate the exchange of knowledge in the private sector by hosting more than 104 innovative companies in its facilities.

Playing the role of a Development and Innovation Agency, it provides technical assistance to the Regional Government for the design and implementation of policies, such as the Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3), the Digital Agenda of Extremadura, or the Regional Business Incubators Network, and operates as support office of enterprises, the University of Extremadura, R&D centres and other regional stakeholders for the internationalization of its R&D.

As a Research Center, Fundecyt-Pctex manages also the recently created Iberian Energy Storage Research Centre.

The experience of the organisation is the results of its activities and projects (regional, national, European and International) carried out by during the last 25 years promoting a transformation process of the region of Extremadura to a knowledge based development.

The International Consortium of Research Staff Associations (ICoRSA) provides a global voice for research staff and postdoctoral scholars, advocates on behalf of them, and informs international research policy.

The UK Research Staff Association supported by Vitae, the US National Postdoctoral Association, and the Irish Research Staff Association are currently the driving force behind ICoRSA, with increasing involvement from other national and international associations that together constitute the founding membership. The mission of ICoRSA is to expand its network among existing researcher associations, but more importantly to sow the seeds of formation of new associations in countries where RSAs do not yet exist. In emerging economies in particular, ICoRSA aims to play an ambassadorial role in developing new RSA and promoting research in general.

ICoRSA will support the development of national associations by facilitating communication across borders and sharing of best practices. We envisage that the consortium will play an important role in the global research enterprise by enhancing the productivity and experiences of research staff, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career researchers, who together are the life-blood of the global research enterprise. ICoRSA gathers 160,000 researchers worldwide via its member associations.

The RAISE project is financed by European Union through the GRANT AGREEMENT concluded with the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), under the powers delegated by the European Commission.

Project number: 101070749
Project name: Regions’ Alliances for Interconnected Startup Ecosystems Project acronym: RAISE
Call: HORIZON-EIE-2021-CONNECT-01
Topic: HORIZON-EIE-2021-CONNECT-01-01
Type of action: HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
Granting authority: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency Grant managed through EU Funding & Tenders Portal
Project starting date: June 2022
Project duration: 24 months