INNOVA EUROPE
A Coalition Powered by Impact
INNOVA Europe is a pan-European academic competition designed to showcase and support impact-driven projects developed by students and alumni from leading universities and incubators.
We believe there are audacious talents in Europe capable of creating and implementing solutions that will transform tomorrow’s world for the better.
Our purpose is clear: connect talent, innovation, and purpose across Europe through bold, collaborative, and meaningful entrepreneurship.
Our Strategic Themes
Environmental Transition – innovations driving climate action, clean energy, and responsible resource use
Empowerment & Inclusion – solutions tackling inequality, education, and equal opportunity
Healthy Living – ideas that improve well-being and access to healthcare
How it Started
INNOVA Europe was founded by three leading European business schools, ESMT Berlin, EDHEC Paris, and Politecnico die Milano, united by the belief that the future belongs to those who lead with purpose.
From the start, the goal wasn’t just to host a competition, it was to create an ecosystem that prepares, mentors, and empowers students to launch projects that make a measurable difference.
By partnering across borders, INNOVA Europe brings together Europe’s brightest innovators in an environment where collaboration fuels possibility.
This shared mission gives participants more than an award—it gives them a platform, a network, and a sense of belonging.
And it sends a clear message: if we want sustainable startups to shape the future economy, we must support them from the very beginning.
At INNOVA Europe, our work is powered by three guiding principles:
BOLDNESS – Dare to challenge, dare to act, dare to leave your mark. We encourage creativity and the courage to disrupt the status quo, pushing sustainable innovation forward.
INTEGRITY – Build trust through transparency, responsibility, and commitment. We believe meaningful change is grounded in principles that endure.
COMMUNITY – We rise together. Through unity, mentorship, and shared purpose, we create an ecosystem where innovators can thrive and achieve impact at scale
Our Impact so far
Connected hundreds of students and alumni from across Europe’s top institutions
Launched dozens of sustainable startup ideas now progressing towards market readiness
Provided mentorship from leading academics, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders
Hosted 3 INNOVA Europe Grand Finals in Milan, Paris, and Berlin, with the competition growing every year
Aligned projects with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to ensure relevance and global impact
"The idea is for us to prepare, foster, mentor students to develop their projects to have a positive impact on society."
— Ludovic Cailluet, Associate Dean, Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship at EDHEC Business School (Founding Partner)
"This is the perfect opportunity to show that if we believe that sustainable startups can be a part of the economy in the future, we need to support them from the get go."
— Apurva Ganoo, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Aalto University (Partner University)
"The idea of partnering with other excellent business schools across Europe means that the impact of that kind of partnership can be so substantial and inspiring for students to be part of. It gives a sense of hope of what we can achieve together more so than against each other."
— Orla Byrne, Assistant Professor Entrepreneurship, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School (Partner University)
"We have a mission: To make a step forward. And the step forward is to show our students how they can actually use their energy, and fantasy, and enthusiasm, to create more and more startups in sustainability."
— Tommaso Agasisti, Associate Dean at PoliMi GSOM Graduate School of Management (Founding Partner)
MANIFESTO
The world is faced with compelling challenges, but there is hope for solutions that lead us towards a brighter, more sustainable future.
In the pursuit of this noble quest, we gather the summit of European academic and incubators ecosystems to catalyze hope into impactful action for transformation.
Through innovative project ideas, we embrace the boldness, creativity, and collaboration of our talented students and alumni.
We believe they are the beacon of hope, the architects of tomorrow. And together, we aspire to defy the status quo, push the boundaries of innovation, and enrich society as a whole.
INNOVA Europe stands as the ultimate gateway for those who dare to excel, scale, and blaze the way forward.
Become
a part of
innova
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt.
Join the
Coalition
as a startup, as a student, as a university, as a sponsor, as a fan
