The I3 Instrument Observatory Report 2025: Interregional Innovation Investments for EU Cohesion and Competitiveness, provides a comprehensive overview of the implementation of the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument. It presents an analysis of funded projects, assesses their current outputs and early outcomes, and identifies both achievements and challenges encountered during implementation.

The report is based on an extensive analysis of I3 project data, incorporating qualitative insights from input from I3 project coordinators, along with pertinent literature and secondary data. It demonstrates how the I3 Instrument is driven by businesses and clusters, supports innovation closer to market, and strengthens interregional cooperation — including active participation from less developed regions.

As a directly managed instrument under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the I3 Instrument operationalises Cohesion Policy objectives by supporting interregional innovation investments that strengthen EU competitiveness while reducing regional innovation disparities.
The analysis will be updated and expanded annually to track progress, capture emerging results, and deepen understanding of the Instrument’s contribution to EU cohesion and competitiveness.