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EIC and RIF Host Innovation Funding Info Day In Nicosia

EIC And RIF Host Info Day In Nicosia

The European Innovation Council (EIC) and the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) are spearheading an exclusive Info Day in Nicosia on February 18, 2026. This event is designed to offer a comprehensive overview of the EIC Work Programme, emphasizing the latest funding opportunities available to researchers and industry innovators alike.

Overview Of The Eic Work Programme

In a keynote plenary session, participants will receive a detailed briefing on the updated EIC Work Programme. The session will highlight both foundational elements and new developments, ensuring that stakeholders understand the full spectrum of available funding avenues.

Focused Sessions For Tailored Engagement

Following the plenary, the event will break out into two parallel sessions. One session focuses on the Pathfinder and Transition Calls, targeting researchers from academic institutions, research organizations, and companies. The other session is dedicated to the Accelerator and STEP Scale-Up Calls and introduces the Pre-Accelerator instrument, specifically designed for deep tech SMEs with advanced technologies. Attendees must select their preferred session during registration.

Interactive Discussions And Strategic Networking

This Info Day will feature direct dialogue with EIC representatives, inspiring success stories from EIC-funded projects, and a detailed exploration of the EIC Fund. An interactive Q&A session will further facilitate in-depth discussion, offering ample networking opportunities between academia and industry leaders.

Registration And Additional Details

The event will be held in English and is accessible free of charge to both academic and industry stakeholders. Detailed programme information, venue specifics, and registration procedures are available on the EIC registration website.

Meta’s Muse Is Outpacing ChatGPT In Early Mobile Adoption, New Data Suggests

Meta’s new AI app, Muse, may be emerging as one of the company’s strongest consumer launches to date. Fresh estimates from market intelligence firm Apptopia suggest the app has outperformed ChatGPT in early mobile traction, at least in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Apptopia, Muse recorded more downloads in its first 12 days on the market than ChatGPT did during the comparable period after its mobile debut. The comparison, limited to the U.S. and Canada, puts Muse’s iOS downloads at 1.8 million versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same initial window.

A Strong Early Start Across Platforms

In total, Muse has reached 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days, according to the firm. The app’s momentum also appears to be holding. After debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. App Store, Muse has since climbed to No. 1, surpassing ChatGPT, according to reporting from Business Insider. Appfigures had previously estimated that Muse crossed 1 million downloads shortly after launch.

That early rise matters because app-store performance in the first days after launch often signals whether a product can sustain consumer attention beyond initial curiosity. In Meta’s case, the data suggests Muse is not simply benefiting from novelty; it is gaining ground quickly enough to challenge the category leader.

Daily Users Show Similar Momentum

Apptopia’s estimates point to another favorable comparison for Meta: daily usage. In the U.S. alone, Muse is said to have 642,000 daily active users, well above the 231,000 ChatGPT had at the same stage of its mobile rollout.

To make the comparison fairer, Apptopia also narrowed the analysis to iOS only, since ChatGPT launched on iPhone before expanding more broadly. Even under that tighter lens, Muse still comes out ahead, with 359,000 daily active users on iOS compared with ChatGPT’s earlier figure.

Why Meta Has An Advantage

Third-party estimates are not the same as internal company data, and Apptopia cannot see Meta’s proprietary numbers. Still, even directional data suggests Muse may be on track to become a meaningful consumer product for Meta.

That possibility is strengthened by Meta’s distribution advantage. The company has already demonstrated how powerful its ecosystem can be with Threads, which surpassed 500 million users after heavy promotion across Instagram and Facebook. Muse is likely to receive a similar boost, especially because it can connect across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Apptopia does not track Meta’s internal promotion strategy, but its data indicates that more than 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, while 63% are Instagram users. That overlap underscores how effectively Meta can move users across its products when it chooses to prioritize a launch.

The Strategic Test For Meta

For Meta, the early signal from Muse is less about one app’s download count than about whether the company can turn its scale into durable AI adoption. The first test is attention. The harder one is retention.

If Muse can convert early downloads into habitual use, Meta may have found a new front door into its AI ambitions. If not, the app risks becoming another example of how easily mobile hype can spike before settling back down.

Meta, which was asked for comment, has not yet released public figures on Muse’s early adoption.

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