FAQ

The ECLIPSE Navigator is a practical support framework designed to:

• strengthen public authorities’ capacity to design and manage innovation procurement processes;

• help startups and innovative suppliers understand procurement requirements and engage more effectively;

• improve alignment between procurement processes, innovation ecosystems and, where relevant, investment dynamics.

It supports the implementation of the ECLIPSE Participatory Model, which recognises that private investment, including venture capital, can act as a multiplier of public investment, but only under specific conditions where scalability, deployment potential and credible market pathways exist.

The ECLIPSE Navigator brings together several complementary elements:

Guidance for public procurers
Practical tools and templates to support:

• innovation challenge definition and procurement design;

• Open Market Consultations and early ecosystem engagement;

• startup-friendly tender structures;

• deployment-oriented evaluation approaches.

Support for startups and innovators
Resources to help companies:

• understand PCP and PPI frameworks;

• prepare competitive proposals and manage procurement procedures;

• assess their readiness for validation, deployment and scaling.

Structured evaluation and risk awareness

The Navigator integrates the Success Readiness Level Scoring (SRLS) methodology, supporting a multi-dimensional assessment of technological, business and market readiness. The SRLS is designed to enhance understanding of risk and progression, rather than acting as a rigid selection filter.

A bridge to innovation ecosystems
The Navigator operates in coordination with digital platforms and communities, supporting:

• awareness building and visibility of procurement opportunities;

• matchmaking and targeted interactions;

• transition from early engagement to operational collaboration.

The Navigator supports stakeholders across key phases of the innovation procurement lifecycle:

• Pre-procurement, to define challenges, assess feasibility and activate ecosystems;

• PCP execution, to support solution development, validation and structured progression;

• Transition to deployment, where solutions demonstrate potential for replication, scaling and further adoption.

Its use is flexible and context-dependent, allowing public authorities to adapt the tools and depth of support to the nature of the innovation challenge and the maturity of the solutions involved.

The ECLIPSE Navigator does not aim to maximise investor participation or impose a single growth model. Its purpose is to increase the impact of innovation procurement by:

• improving continuity between development, validation and deployment;

• strengthening the quality and readiness of solutions emerging from PCP;

• creating clearer signals and pathways for scaling, where applicable;

• supporting a more coherent and replicable approach to innovation procurement across Europe.