About the conference
The Innovation Fair will take place on 23 October in Brussels, Belgium, and online. With the running theme title of “Enabling that step forward”, the Innovation Fair aims to showcase the vibrancy of the cooperation among European, African and Mediterranean innovation ecosystems, promoting innovative solutions with potential for market and societal uptake, vis-à-vis potential public and private funders and fostering networking, matchmaking and collaborations.
The Innovation Fair will be a significant stakeholder event in the context of the implementation of two major multilateral regional policy initiatives on Research and Innovation (R&I): the 10-year joint AU-EU Innovation Agenda (2023-2033) and the upcoming New Pact for the Mediterranean, along with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) R&I Roadmaps.
Indeed, the Innovation Fair wishes to address key needs and gaps identified by Research & Innovation stakeholders during several consultations part of the development and implementation of relevant policies.
The event will include pitches and exhibitions on innovative solutions by start-ups, SMEs, Business Support Organisations, Civil Society Organisations and collaborative R&I projects.
The Innovation Fair will run as a whole day event (9 am – 6 pm), and will consist of two key sessions: (a) 2 minute-pitches by innovators in the morning and (b) exhibitions of innovative solutions in the afternoon.
Specifically, for start-ups and SMEs, the event will include an “Open Innovation Challenge”, including specific business support and incubation prizes. Please follow the link here to submit an expression of interest to participate in the Open Innovation Challenge.
The event is expected to accommodate approximately 500 attendees on-site, with a comparable number of participants online. The Fair is specifically designed for R&I stakeholders (grassroots innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, representatives from Business Support Organisations, SMEs, corporations, Civil Society Organisations, etc.), R&I investors (public and private sector, as well as philanthropy), as well as Senior Officials who will be attending the EU-Med and EU-AU engagements of 22 and 24 October, respectively.
To register your interest in participating in the Innovation Fair, please fill out the pre-registration form. The official event invitation, with full registration confirmation including matchmaking opportunities, will follow by early September. Please note: pre-registration does not guarantee an invitation to the event.
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R&I Stakeholder Events in the margins of the Innovation Fair
Other key stakeholder events on the Africa-Europe and Europe-Mediterranean R&I cooperation will also take place around the Innovation Fair in Brussels, Belgium. These include:
LEAP-RE Stakeholder Forum, 21 October 2025: brought to you by the Long-Term Joint EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on Renewable Energy (LEAP-RE)
→ more information and registration here.AEIP annual event: Bridging Continents through Innovation: Africa-Europe Innovation Dialogues, 22 October 2025: brought to you by the Africa-Europe Innovation Platform, this event brings across African and European stakeholders from across the innovation value chains to foster connection and dialogue.
→ more information and registration here.
About The Youth Cafe
The African Youth Cafe (TAYC) is a Non Governmental Organization and a network registered under section 10 of the Non-Governmental Organizations Coordination Act (now Public Benefits Organizations Act ) having been duly registered since April 7, 2014. Its vision is to promote youth-led strategies for achieving transformative change, social fairness, innovative solutions, and sustainable development. The African Youth Cafe is Africa's largest and most diverse convening community of professionals harnessing youth-led potentials and transforming them into sustainable youth-enabled futures. For over a decade, The African Youth Cafe offices have executed more than 45 development cooperation programs backed by 14 distinct donors through service contracts, consultancies, and accountable grants. These initiatives directly engaged civil society organizations in 33 countries. They represent all 12 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and directly engaged civil society organizations and young people in 22 countries in Africa. It engages over 4,500 member organizations, 1,200 subject matter experts, and over 947,000 individuals aged 18 to 35 virtually from every country in Africa. Its broad membership enables TYC to fill the role of incubator and trusted center of excellence for best practices, tools, and standards for youth development. The African Youth Cafe has had operational reach across Africa, and the Nairobi HQ has supported regional focal points in West, East and Southern Africa. Contact: media@theyouthcafe.com and info@theyouthcafe.com.