FI4INN held its Second Transnational Conference in Vienna on 18–19 May 2026, as part of Impact Days 2026, hosted at Vienna City Hall.
Impact Days is a movement-driven conference that brings together impact-makers, investors, practitioners, and changemakers to explore how collaboration can contribute to more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive futures. It is a space where bold ideas meet the right people, where funding is driven by purpose, and where conversations can turn into partnerships for lasting change.
For FI4INN, this setting offered a valuable opportunity to share project results, raise awareness of the solutions developed across the project, and connect with stakeholders from the Central and Eastern European region working on impact, innovation, and finance.
A space for impact and collaboration
The FI4INN programme in Vienna was designed around two days of exchange, visibility, and networking. On 18 May, partners gathered at Impact Days by the official opening of Impact Days 2026 and sessions focused on impact, social innovation, and venture development.
Throughout the day, FI4INN partners joined several key moments of the Impact Days programme, including “Holding Tensions, Creating Impact”, “Strengthening the Social Innovation Framework”, and “From Breakthroughs to Ventures”. These sessions offered opportunities to engage with wider discussions on impact-driven innovation and the role of collaboration in building more resilient ecosystems.
The day also included a project reflection meeting focused on dissemination opportunities and project follow-up, as well as dedicated networking moments. A FI4INN lounge provided additional visibility for the project and created a space for partners, investors, practitioners, and stakeholders to connect.
Bringing financial innovation into the discussion
A key moment of the conference was the Financial Innovation Round Table Discussion, which took place on 18 May with FI4INN representation. The session brought the project into a broader debate on innovative financial instruments and their role in supporting startups, SMEs, social enterprises, and regional innovation ecosystems.
The discussion explored how financial tools can be designed not only to mobilise investment, but also to respond to real ecosystem needs, support long-term impact, and strengthen cooperation between public and private actors.
This focus was closely aligned with the work carried out by FI4INN across Central Europe. Throughout the project, partners have explored how innovative financial instruments can become more accessible, effective, and better adapted to the needs of startups, SMEs, and ecosystem actors.
From project results to shared value
The second day, 19 May, offered further opportunities for networking and project exchange, including participation in the Salon Future Event on connecting startup ecosystems, and a project exchange meet-up.
Across both days, the Vienna conference helped connect FI4INN results with a wider community of actors committed to impact, sustainability, and systemic transformation. By bringing together project partners, impact investors, practitioners, and stakeholders from Central and Eastern Europe, the event created new opportunities for knowledge-sharing and exchange.
For FI4INN, this reflects one of the project’s core messages: financial innovation is not only about designing instruments. It is also about creating spaces where institutions, investors, practitioners, and ecosystem actors can learn from each other, build trust, and explore solutions that are practical, inclusive, and impact oriented.
As FI4INN moves towards its final phase, the Second Transnational Conference in Vienna marked another important step in ensuring that project results are shared, discussed, and connected to the communities that can carry them forward.