Innovation doesn’t stop at borders and neither should the ecosystems that empower it. With this shared ambition, a cross-border consortium from Germany and the Netherlands is joining forces to shape a more connected and impactful start-up landscape in the EUREGIO region.The Interreg project SCALE – Start-Up Collaboration &amp; Acceleration in a Linked Ecosystem&nbsp;has been approved, with a total budget of €2.1 million for the next three years. Together, eleven partner organisations led by Novel-T and R-Factory from North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and the eastern Netherlands will combine their complementary strengths, expertise, and networks to create the best possible conditions for startups to grow, offering tailored support, seamless access to resources, and powerful cross-border opportunities. This collaborative approach ensures that founders benefit from a truly integrated ecosystem designed to accelerate innovation, scale impact, and unlock sustainable growth.The vision is clear: to empower founders along their entire journey from the first idea to international market entry while unlocking the full potential of cross-border collaboration between regional innovation ecosystems.“SCALE gives start-ups direct access to a larger cross-border ecosystem of investors, mentors and innovation partners. By bringing these strengths together, founders can accelerate their growth and seize international opportunities from the very beginning.” - Mike Verkouter, MT Novel-T<h2>Internationalisation First</h2>Strong startup ecosystems already exist on both sides of the border. Universities, innovation hubs, companies, and networks are actively driving entrepreneurship - yet too often within regional boundaries. As a result, many start-ups still face barriers when it comes to accessing international mentors, investors, and growth opportunities. SCALE is designed to change exactly that.&nbsp;<h2>Removing barriers for startups</h2>By connecting existing strengths into one shared German-Dutch development pipeline, the project creates new pathways for collaboration and growth. Founders will benefit from coordinated mentoring and matchmaking, thematic accelerator programmes, a dedicated cross-border desk as a central point of contact, and a range of community and exchange formats bringing together startups, academia, and investors.“With its strong base of Mittelstand and family-owned businesses, the EUREGIO is a sleeping giant in the tech ecosystem - making it incredibly valuable for startups. SCALE brings this potential to the surface: direct access to investors, markets, and industry partners, fewer barriers, and international scaling from day one.”- Simon Brakhage, CEO R-Factory.&nbsp;At its core, SCALE rethinks how startup ecosystems work together: not as separate entities, but as one connected space. The goal is to make internationalisation a natural starting point not a later step of every startup journey.This initiative is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg Germany-Netherlands programme, alongside contributions from the State of Lower Saxony, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel.<h2>Partner consortium&nbsp;</h2>In addition to the lead partners Novel-T and R-Factory, the project consortium includes the REACH - EUREGIO Start-up Center of the University of Münster and Münster University of Applied Sciences, TAFH Münster, Oost NL, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, ZWINC, Startlife, briskr and Saxion Centre for Entrepreneurship.&nbsp;(photo: Novel-T)&nbsp;

€2.1 million boost for the EUREGIO start-up ecosystem: SCALE project kicks off