ERT Recommendations for FP10 & the new European Competitiveness Fund

This ERT Expert Paper addresses a simple but pressing question: with world class innovation at its fingertips, why isn’t Europe turning more of it into global industrial success?

The European Competitiveness Fund and the upcoming FP10 (with a hoped for budget of€200-220 billion) present a compelling opportunity to build a better bridge between innovation and industrial success. The recommendations outlined in this paper begin with a focus on where Europe can truly lead: life sciences, biotechnology, advanced materials, clean electrification, industrial AI, quantum, cybersecurity. Doubling down on these deep tech strengths can turbo-charge Europe’s competitiveness for the future.

ERT sets out practical steps to boost impact: stronger governance with industry involvement, policies that crowd in – not crowd out – private investment, better pathways for start ups to scale with industry partners, and a renewed push for Europe to regain influence in global standard setting.

Beyond funding, the paper outlines wider reforms to create a truly innovation friendly environment: simplified regulation, EU wide regulatory sandboxes, faster access to data and computing infrastructure, deeper capital markets, and procurement tools that accelerate deployment of new technologies. This is a concise blueprint for a technology led growth model that can restore Europe’s competitiveness.

Read the full document to see how Europe can move faster – from research to market, from innovation to scale, from ambition to leadership.