Innovation, and in particular its new wave of deep-tech innovation, is the European reply to bring down greenhouse gas emissions, to make our economies more digital and to guarantee Europe’s food, energy and raw materials security.
The New European Innovation Agenda, adopted on 5 July 2022, aims to position Europe at the forefront of the new wave of deep tech innovation and start-ups. It will help Europe to develop new technologies to address the most pressing societal challenges, and to bring them on the market. Europe wants to be the place where the best talent work hand in hand with the best companies and where deep tech innovation thrives and creates breakthrough innovative solutions across the continent.
The New European Innovation Agenda will:
Press Release: Commission presents new European Innovation Agenda to spearhead the new innovation wave
The New European Innovation Agenda focuses on five flagships:
Building on the substantive work that have been done already to foster innovation in the EU, the New European Innovation Agenda aims to accelerate the development and scaling up of innovation across the Union through a coherent set of 25 actions.
A new European Innovation Agenda to spearhead the new innovation wave (Factsheet)
Staff working document
Throughout long consultations and co-creation processes with stakeholders, five broad action areas have emerged that are essential to boosting Europe’s innovation performance.
These five main areas are:
As a part of the stakeholder consultations process, in 2021, the Commission conducted a survey for innovation stakeholders to grasp their views on the challenges that Europe’s innovation ecosystem actors are facing, the opportunities foreseen ahead, and visions and ideas for future actions. The survey received a total of 239 responses from participants active in all 27 EU Member States, representing a wide range of innovation stakeholders, including: Universities and Research Organisations; individual Researchers, Innovators and Citizens of EU Member States; Small and Medium Enterprises, Businesses and Startups.
The Unicorns group brings together 32 Unicorns from 27 Member States. In April 2021, the group submitted the report “#NextInnovationEU”, A LEAN CANVAS FOR NEXT INNOVATION EU to Commissioner Gabriel, which outlines 8 proposals for actions in order to ensure Europe’s tech sovereignty, green transformation, deep tech leadership, and innovation cohesion.
The Innovation Ecosystem Leaders Group brings together leading startup ecosystem leaders from across 27 EU Member States. In May 2021, the group submitted its report ”Action Plan to Make Europe the new Global Powerhouse for Startups”, proposing a set of actions to support the development of startups and the increase of the number of unicorns in Europe over the next decade as well as to give a voice to the startup innovation ecosystem representatives in the EU-level innovation policy.
On 15 July 2021, the Women in Venture Capital group published an online report on women-led venture capital in Europe, titled “Invest in Women NOW“. The report features concrete recommendations for the European Commission and the European Investment Bank on how to increase female-led venture capital funds, and improve access to finance for women-led companies. The actions of the initiative aim to reach 30% of total Limited Partners/Fund of Funds capital available to be invested for female-led funds within 3 years, and to reach equal stakes by 2028.
The Coalition of the Willing is an independent umbrella group born out of the realisation that Europe needs a broad coalition of key European innovation stakeholders to ensure an efficient and effective implementation of the New European Innovation Agenda
With the Coalition of the Willing, innovative ecosystems, corporates, local authorities, and European Universities want to co-implement the Innovation Agenda while having clear and open communication lines with the European Commission, to improve processes where needed.
The Coalition of the Willing members are proposing concrete initiatives. As of December 2022, more than 30 initiatives, covering the five Innovation Agenda flagships, have been proposed.
The European Sounding Board on Innovation is an independent advisory vehicle stimulating further-development of strategic aspects of the European Innovation Agenda and discussions of emerging dossiers with high-level representatives from European academia and industry.
It is a transparent and impartial platform for an evidence-based, open and confident exchange amongst stakeholders from European industry, academia and the political sector. Its objective is to develop concrete recommendations and options for innovation activities and accompany their implementation, if needed, to ensure that Europe is leading the new wave of innovations.
Under Horizon Europe, the European Innovation Ecosystems projects will contribute to three flagships of the Agenda: scaling up deep-tech innovative companies; enabling innovation through experimentation spaces and innovative public procurement; and strengthening innovation ecosystems across the EU and addressing the innovation divide. See the factsheets for more information.
New European Innovation Agenda: the first EU-funded projects on the starting blocks
New European Innovation Agenda: the first EU-funded projects on the starting blocks
New European Innovation Agenda: the first EU-funded projects on the starting blocks
Projects under the European innovation ecosystems work programme in support of the new European innovation agenda
Research and innovation news alert: Commissioner Gabriel met yesterday Slovenian Minister Ivan Papic in Primorska to reassure him about Commission’s commitment to the Enhanced Dialogue with Slovenia on research and innovation policy
On 21 and 22 March 2023, Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and a high-level delegation of over 40 top corporates, rectors, mayors, regions’ president, and unicorns bring the European innovation ecosystem to the Silicon Valley
Mariya Gabriel, the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth will meet with 44 coordinators of the first European Innovation Ecosystems projects.
Improving coordination between innovation programmes. What the forum is, next steps, contact information
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