ECCIR coordinated the visit for Luigi Scarpa de Masellis, Senior Advisor, EU Delegation to Canada.

ECCIR was pleased to coordinate the Alberta visit of Luigi Scarpa de Masellis, Senior Advisor at the Delegation of the European Union to Canada, for a three-day program dedicated to strengthening connections between Alberta’s innovation ecosystem and Europe. The mission focused on promoting Horizon Europe and gathering insights from Alberta’s business and research community on their experiences, ambitions, and barriers to participation.

Besides strategic meetings in Edmonton, Calgary and Fort Saskatchewan, key highlights of the mission included roundtables in Edmonton and Calgary — the first initiatives of their kind in Alberta. These engagements brought together participants from universities, colleges, industry and government, and surfaced valuable insights on participation pathways, collaboration challenges, and opportunities for increased engagement. Discussions also showcased active Horizon Europe projects and highlighted the importance of applied innovation, industry partnerships and stronger Europe–Alberta linkages.

There was strong interest in expanding participation, supported by ideas such as enhanced coordination mechanisms, stronger partner matchmaking and the development of Canadian success stories to improve awareness and accessibility.

ECCIR looks forward to building on this momentum to continue strengthening Canada’s role within the Horizon Europe framework and supporting more effective participation from across Alberta’s innovation ecosystem.