High-Tech Commercialization Among Goals of €70 Billion EU Research Programme

The UK launch of the European Union's new €70 billion Euro programme for research and innovation, the Horizon 2020 programme, is imminent. Among the programme's key goals is to tackle societal challenges by helping to bridge the gap between research and commercial organisations.

Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness. Running from 2014 to 2020 with an indicative €70 billion budget, the EU's new programme for research and innovation is part of the drive to create new growth and jobs in Europe.

Horizon 2020 aims to help innovative enterprises to develop their technological breakthroughs into viable products with real commercial potential. This market-driven approach will include creating partnerships with the private sector and Member States to bring together the resources needed.

Alongside traditional funding mechanisms that are modified and carried over from the previous Framework Programme, FP7, there will be a new SME instrument alongside other ways to encourage commercialisation of research. The new proposed SME instrument replaces the old 'Research for SME' mechanism and is open to highly innovative SMEs showing a strong ambition to develop, grow and internationalise, regardless of whether they are high-tech or not.

The 'Industrial Leadership' pillar will be of interest to companies wishing to engage with the incorporation of nanotechnologies. Funds will be made available to convert basic research into products of the future, and will include the scalability of production (industrialisation or pilot line development).

The programme has several objectives and six 'Key Enabling Technologies' of which nanotechnology is one. The other five include; photonics, micro and nano-electronics, advanced materials, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing. There has also been a recognition that in Europe, enhancing access to risk finance for investing in research and innovation, is important as well as increasing innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises. Various new initiatives are currently being formulated to implement this. Research and development around the risk agenda for nanomaterials is thought to be included in the new work programmes as there is very much a European element to this.

Europe is the largest economy in the world and home to some of the world's most competitive and innovative countries, including Switzerland, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries. It is important for the world economy and humankind to keep the innovation locomotive under steam, and spread the success to the Southern regions in both the EU and the world. The proposed support for research and innovation under Horizon 2020 will:

• Strengthen the EU's position in science which will provide a boost to top-level research in Europe,

• Strengthen European leadership in innovation through the 'Industrial Leadership' pillar. This includes major investment in key technologies, greater access to capital and support for SMEs.
• Address major concerns shared by all Europeans such as climate change, developing sustainable transport and mobility, making renewable energy more affordable, ensuring food safety and security, or coping with the challenge of an ageing population.