Brussels, 09/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 9 July, the European Commission launched the first call for projects for research partnerships between the EU, the private sector and member states. This effectively means putting into practice the “innovation investment package”, which was presented a year ago exactly (see EUROPE 10885).
The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, asserted that the partnerships would aid recovery “with first calls for proposals for €1.1 billion to be matched by industry, within a package representing an overall €22 billion boost to growth and jobs creation over seven years”. On this occasion, the Commission organised an event in Brussels that brought together the CEOs of the main companies involved (Novozymes, Safran Group, STMicroelectronics, Intelligent Energy, UCB, ENAV and Siemens). Barroso said that such partnerships “will continue delivering results that no single country, company or even the European Union as such would achieve alone”.
The aim is to create seven public-private partnerships, which will focus on a number of areas including new treatments for diabetes and eye disease and a roll-out of dozens of hydrogen-powered road vehicles and rfuelling stations. These are: innovative medicines (IMI2); Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 (FCH2); Clean Sky 2 (CS2): to develop cleaner, quieter aircraft with significantly less CO2 emissions; Bio-based Industries (BBI): to use renewable natural resources and innovative technologies for greener everyday products; Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership (ECSEL); Shift2Rail: to develop better trains and railway infrastructure; SESAR 2020: to develop the new generation of European Air Traffic Management system that will enhance the performance of air transport
The EU will invest €1.13 million in the first calls for proposals and expects private companies to provide a similar amount. Research institutions and universities have also been invited to take part in the project. The project will represent a total investment of €19.5 billion in research and innovation over the next seven years. The EU's contribution to the budget will be €7.3 billion, which will help to unlock €12.2 billion in private sector investment and investment from member states. The figure of €22 billion mentioned by Barroso also includes the four public-private partnerships completing the “innovation investment package”. (JK)