EU private-sector firms and member states presented their first calls for projects and partners that will receive €1.1bn in public funding from the EU’s €80bn Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
The €1.1bn will be matched by private-sector partners and will go into projects that will improve people’s lives, as well as boost international competitiveness of Europe’s industry.
Areas of interest include new treatments for diabetes and eye disease and a roll out of dozens of hydrogen-powered road vehicles and refuelling stations.
Seven public-private partnerships launched today will ultimately represent a total investment of €19.5bn into research and innovation over the next seven years, where the EU contribution of €7.3bn will unlock a €12.2bn investment from the private sector and the member states.
Together with four more public-private partnerships with member states, they form the Innovation Investment Package representing more than €22bn of investment into Europe’s future.
Bringing together Europe’s best brains
“Only if the best brains from academia, industry, SMEs, research institutes and other organisations come together can we successfully tackle the huge challenges that we are facing,” said José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.
“This is what public-private partnerships are about, the joining of forces to make the lives of Europeans better, create jobs and boost our competitiveness.
“We are committed to prioritising the impact of the European budget on the recovery, and these partnerships are doing just that, with first calls for proposals for €1.1bn to be matched by industry, within a package representing an overall €22bn boost to growth and jobs creation over seven years.
“They will continue delivering results that no single country, company or even the European Union as such would achieve alone,” Barroso said.
At a launch event in Brussels today, the private partners have been represented by Roch Doliveux, CEO of UCB; Henri Winand, CEO of Intelligent Energy; Jean-Paul Herteman, chairman and CEO of the Safran Group; Peder Holk Nielsen, CEO of Novozymes; Jean-Marc Chery, chief operating officer of STMicroelectronics; Jochen Eickholt, CEO of the Rail Systems division, Siemens AG, Infrastructure and Cities Sector; and Massimo Garbini, CEO of ENAV.
