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On June 24–25, 2025, partners of the INPROCAP project convened in Amsterdam for their third consortium meeting. Hosted by NOW-I at the National Institute for Subatomic Physics (NIKHEF), this key event marked an important milestone in the project. It provided a collaborative space for partners to review progress, exchange knowledge, and align strategies for the next phase of implementation. With a focus on innovation procurement in the Big Science sector, the meeting brought together expertise from across Europe to strengthen joint efforts and address upcoming challenges.

As part of its mission to foster innovation across Europe, the INPROCAP project is organising a series of regional events in geographical hubs. Each hub is designed to activate and engage the local ecosystem, ensuring that INPROCAP activities reach all relevant stakeholders—especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Each Industrial Liaison Officer (ILO) involved is familiar with their region’s innovation procurement landscape and is committed to involving the most promising start-ups and innovative SMEs in the Big Science Organisations (BSO) ecosystem. These regional initiatives aim to strengthen participation in innovation procurement processes and provide targeted support tailored to local strengths and challenges.

As Big Science Organizations (BSOs) increasingly depend on advanced technologies, procurement is evolving from a transactional role to a strategic driver of innovation. To explore how procurement can better support innovation, a survey conducted by INPROCAP partners in late 2024 and early 2025 gathered insights through structured interviews with BSO professionals. The findings highlight common challenges, effective practices, and opportunities to strengthen collaboration with suppliers—ultimately aiming to accelerate scientific progress through smarter procurement strategies.

The INPROCAP project was proudly represented at the one of the world’s foremost events dedicated to industrial and scientific collaboration in fusion energy, ITER Business Forum. Held in the vibrant city of Marseille, the event brought together global stakeholders committed to making fusion power a reality.

The INPROCAP project is launching a series of expert-led training programs to strengthen innovation procurement capabilities across Europe. These trainings are specially tailored for Industrial Liaison Officers (ILOs) and professionals from Big Science Organizations (BSOs) involved in public procurement processes.

The INPROCAP Community of Practice (CoP) is a dedicated platform that brings together key stakeholders in innovation procurement. Namely Industrial Liaison Officers (ILOs), Big science organizations (BSOs), small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Research and technology organizations (RTOs), and procurement experts. It serves as a space for knowledge exchange, networking, and capacity-building to strengthen collaboration between suppliers and buyers in the Big Science ecosystem.

The European XFEL hosted the INPROCAP project meeting on 9.-10. January 2025 in Hamburg. This crucial networking event provided an excellent platform for partners to share knowledge, review project progress, and address potential workflow challenges. The meeting began with a warm welcome from the project coordinator Esther Davidsen from the Danish Teknologisk Institut. In her

The Big Science Business Forum (BSBF) 2024 recently took place in the vibrant city of Trieste, Italy, gathering a diverse audience from across Europe’s science, technology, and business sectors. This congress, renowned for fostering connections between research infrastructures and industry, is dedicated to high technology and innovation. Moreover, it serves as the principal platform for aligning European

Are you ready to unleash your creativity and build something groundbreaking? Join us at the Big Science Business Forum 2024 (BSBF2024) in Trieste for the BUILD BIG SCIENCE IN LEGO COMPETITION on 2. and 3. October 2024. The INPROCAP team is looking forward to meeting you there! What is the Challenge? Big Science meets LEGO in