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March 9, 2026
A new collaboration opportunity under the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) Business Acceleration Services aims to strengthen global innovation procurement. Public buyers outside the European Union seeking cutting-edge solutions can now connect directly with over 6,000 innovative start-ups, covering key sectors such as the green transition, health and advanced digital technologies.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) is backing Europe’s most innovative and disruptive deep tech startups and SMEs, through the SPIN4EIC project. Supported by ICLEI Europe, the initiative is dedicated to enhancing innovators’ ability to access procurement markets both in Europe and worldwide through training, matchmaking, and free hands-on assistance. As part of its work in SPIN4EIC, ICLEI is supporting EIC-backed innovators to access global procurement opportunities. Collaboration with the global network allows the identification of possible tender opportunities to procure innovative solutions worldwide.
The initiative has already demonstrated impact through collaborations with global partners, including:
EIC-backed AquaB Nanobubble Innovations Ltd, a deep-tech company that delivers electrostriction-based nanobubble solutions for oil and water treatment, recently signed a landmark commercial agreement with Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s largest energy companies. Read the full Success Story!
Public buyers interested in sharing tender notices and/or information on relevant platforms where tender opportunities are published, and in connecting directly with innovative start-ups to address their needs, are invited to contact the ICLEI Europe procurement team (procurement@iclei.org) for an introductory meeting.
To learn more about SPIN4EIC check out the following channels: EIC Innovation Procurement Programme LinkedIn group, Buyers group on Public Buyers Community, SPIN4EIC website, and Newsletter.
Learn more at ICLEI sustainable procurement platform webpage.
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March 2, 2026
This good practice highlights that developing and incorporating gender-related criteria into ecolabels and certification schemes can strengthen efforts to promote equal pay, non-discrimination, fair treatment, and equitable opportunities for career advancement across supply chains. In the context of public procurement, integrating such criteria — including through the use of ecolabels and certifications — provides a practical pathway for governments to support suppliers that adopt gender-inclusive practices and to align purchasing decisions with national and international commitments to gender equality. Relevant examples include FSC, OEKO-TEX STeP, Fairtrade, ChileCompra, Colombia Compra Eficiente, Brazil’s Public Procurement and Contracting Law, and Mexico’s Public Sector Procurement Law.
This series of good practices reflects experiences on ecolabelling, sustainable public procurement, or the joint use of ecolabelling and sustainable public procurement that have demonstrated positive impacts on fostering sustainable consumption and production — for this reason, they are called "good practices.” These good practices aim to promote global exchange by providing information and examples of various approaches that entities from different countries and contexts can apply to strengthen the use of ecolabels and sustainable public procurement. They were developed as an outcome of the Working Group on Ecolabelling from the Consumer Information Programme, under the One Planet network, and the EcoAdvance project, jointly implemented by the German Cooperation for Development (GIZ), the United Nations for Environmental Protection (UNEP), and the Oeko Institute, funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), and the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
Learn more at One Planet Network knowledge webpage.
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