28DIGITAL

28DIGITAL operates a grant- and project-funded innovation platform model. As a non-profit association, it designs and delivers entrepreneurship education, venture incubation, and open innovation programmes that are largely financed through multi-year EU-level funding (formerly under the EIT KIC framework and now via Horizon Europe, TSI and related instruments) and other public innovation schemes. These programmes create value by helping researchers and early-stage founders validate ideas, build MVPs, and become investment-ready, while enabling corporates, regions and EU institutions to meet digital transformation and innovation objectives.

In parallel, it provides tailored innovation and ecosystem services—such as curated matching between start-ups and corporates, pilot and proof-of-concept design, and access to AI research assets—often within the context of EU-funded projects. It also manages or contributes to a venture support and equity portfolio, where a small subset of supported start-ups are backed in exchange for equity, creating a long-term, indirect financial return potential that complements its primarily grant-based funding model.

28DIGITAL is the independent successor to EIT Digital, structured as a Belgian non-profit association headquartered in Brussels. It operates as a European digital innovation and venture-building organisation, running structured programmes that help researchers, aspiring founders and early-stage deep-tech start-ups move from idea validation to market-ready ventures, and by connecting them to corporates, funding instruments and EU collaboration projects. It also operates and contributes to platforms that facilitate reuse of publicly funded AI research and cross-border innovation collaboration.

The organisation’s activities are primarily financed through EU and public innovation grants (e.g., EIT, Horizon Europe, Technical Support Instrument) and project-based funding, complemented by paid innovation services for corporates and selective venture-related equity participation. Its direct customers and stakeholders are EU institutions, national and regional innovation agencies, universities and research organisations, corporates seeking open innovation partnerships, and early-stage deep-tech start-ups participating in its programmes and portfolio activities.