FI4INN participated as an official partner in the CO:ACT Conference 2025, contributing to the “Finance the Future” track with an interactive session dedicated to innovative financial instruments for regional development.
Held in Innsbruck, the conference brought together policymakers, innovation agencies, investors, entrepreneurs and regional development practitioners to discuss how finance can better support sustainable and inclusive innovation ecosystems. Within this framework, FI4INN organised the co-creation session “Financing Change: New Tools for Regional Transformation”, presenting its pilot experiences and practical methodologies for designing more effective financial instruments.
Instead of relying on a traditional conference format, the session encouraged participants to actively exchange experiences and explore how FI4INN’s approaches could be adapted to different regional contexts, particularly those facing the challenges of inner peripheries. Discussions focused on improving stakeholder cooperation, strengthening ecosystem connectivity and promoting financial solutions capable of responding to local innovation needs.
The event also provided an opportunity to increase the visibility of the FI4INN project within an international audience while establishing new connections with organisations working on regional transformation, entrepreneurship and impact-driven innovation. Participants highlighted the importance of simplifying access to finance, increasing awareness of alternative funding models and strengthening collaboration between public authorities, investors and business support organisations.
By contributing to one of Central Europe’s leading innovation conferences, FI4INN reinforced its commitment to transferring project knowledge beyond the partnership and supporting more resilient innovation ecosystems across the region.