METI - Mouvement des Entreprises de Taille Intermédiaire’s Post

What will happen with the present EU-funds? It seems like there might be some huge changes... 🤔 😯 💰 💡 The European Commission is making moves to consolidate all research and innovation funds, including the European Research Council (ERC) and the European Innovation Council (EIC), into a new mega competitiveness fund under the new multiannual budget starting in 2028. This new European Competitiveness Fund would aim to streamline EU efforts to boost innovation, productivity, and economic growth by merging several research and innovation programmes. The proposed fund will follow a strong policy agenda with a single rulebook and governance. The proposal is based on a report by Mario Draghi, highlighting the need for increased investment in science and technology to address the EU's slowing productivity and economic growth. Negotiations between the Commission and member states are ongoing, with outcomes expected in the first half of 2025. Some stakeholders see this as an opportunity to rethink EU funding, while others are cautious about integrating research into a competitiveness fund. The new structure is seen as a chance to put science and technology at the centre of the EU's competitiveness agenda. However, it would require a significant budget. The Commission's research directorate is also evaluating the potential consequences of bundling everything under a competitiveness super-fund. What are your thoughts on this? #Competitivenessfund #Draghi #innovation #funding #megafund

European Commission expert group E03743 over and out? If so, we possibly left the best until last with today's very interesting final Industrial Forum plenary session. Some creative solutions emerged to address enduring and recent challenges (I won't list them here) and strengthen the EU's threatened #industrial #competitiveness. Key terms that I retained? - Policy predictability and stability - Connectivity within and beyond the EU - Scale and market deployment support to stimulate investment - Regulatory coherence, administrative simplification and procedural agility - ... Progress on the #SingleMarket was a recurring theme, aptly enough as we all await Enrico Letta's high-level report to the European Council later this week. A lot of share ideas and energy, which must be harnessed and developed by the EU institutions and national authorities if the #deindustrialisation of Europe is to be reversed and the mooted New European Competitiveness Deal to gain momentum. Thank you to the host, Kerstin Jorna and her DG GROW team, as well as to the many other colleagues from other European associations, including Christel Delberghe Dirk Vantyghem Koen Coppenholle Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl Sigrid de Vries Daniele Olivieri Philippe Adriaenssens Daniel Wennick Gerhard Huemer Sigrid Linher & Giles Dickson.

The Draghi report on EU competitiveness is out. There is lots to like, with many important suggestions which I have also pointed to in publications, particularly my recent policy brief on technological sovereignty (see link in commment) - Better integrated capital markets, more budget for European Investment Fund (EIF) and coordation with EIC, to foster venture capital - scaling up of start ups in Europe - more top level universities, with doubling of ERC Budget and the introduction of an "ERC for institutions", something which I have long been calling for (link in second comment) - more EU-level R&D spending - doubling of current horizon to 200bn euros, with a higher share going to the (potential) EU equivalent of ARPA - a reformed EIC - a more coordinated approach -modern industrial strategies involve a mix of innovation, trade and competition policies, coordinated on a case-by-case basis to allow for a specific response to a specific problem (what I have called "choosing the policy mix as a function of the distance to the frontier). - A higher share of spending through the EIC will in my view also allow for a more focused approach to tackle EU-level deficits, and why not put the EIC in the driving seat for the IPCEIs? - which the report suggests to expand as well https://lnkd.in/ef-weGDv

📢 **Ursula von der Leyen Re-elected as President of the European Commission and Presents Priorities!** 🇪🇺✨ On July 18, Ursula von der Leyen was re-elected by MEPs for a second term as President of the European Commission. She presented her commitments for the next five years to the European Parliament. Here's a summary of the priorities in her ambitious program: 🔹 **Investment:** - Development of a European savings and investment union. - Creation of a new European competitiveness fund. - Revision of the public procurement directive. 🔹 **Clean Industry Pact:** - Proposal of legislation to accelerate the decarbonization of industry. - Guiding investments towards infrastructure and industry. - Support for European markets for the development, production, and distribution of clean technologies. - Acceleration of planning, tendering, and authorization procedures. 🔹 **Housing:** - Plan for affordable housing. - Creation by the EIB of a pan-European investment platform for affordable and sustainable housing. 🔹 **Environment:** - European plan for climate change adaptation. - European water resilience strategy. 🔹 **Defense:** - Welcoming a Commissioner responsible for defense. - Presentation of a white paper on the future of European defense. - Encouragement of private investments in the defense sector. 🔹 **Focus on AI and Skills:** - Implementation of policies to promote the development and use of artificial intelligence. - Initiatives to improve European citizens' skills in various technological fields. 📅 **Next Steps in Institutional Renewal:** MEPs will divide themselves into parliamentary committees and choose their leaders (committee chairs). Then, the Council of the EU, in coordination with the President of the European Commission, will propose candidates to MEPs to form the next College of European Commissioners. #EuropeanCommission #UrsulavonderLeyen #Reelection #Investment #CleanIndustry #Housing #Environment #Defense #AI #Skills #Europe #EuropeanPolitics

As AAUP and others who represent academia have touched on, the increased direct funding from the Horizons project remains to be seen and would be hoped for, of course, but what is (again) not mentioned from an academic perspective the primary end benefit derives from working together with some of the world's best individuals and being part of a global knowledge generation activity. That activity can indirectly benefit Australia in ways that far outstrip any possible monetary gain (which typically needs to be bettered by the non-European partners in practice so like international student income it's not as obvious as is made out - one would suspect that may be a substantive factor in shaping the Australian government's decision given the lack of focus on other important attributes. One has to wonder should public? university management be so engaged in clearly very expensive, politically charged public relations generating public consumption at a tailored level and to do that in increasingly non-representative blocs?). AAUP has rightly expressed concern with the messaging on behalf of academics given they are not consulted, a significant transparency challenge in a democracy and in an otherwise public institution. AAUP, PUA and others encourage the EU ambassador to reach out and engage. Again, from the community perspective, involvement in the Horizons project is necessary because the impact through the fundamental sciences and humanities can produce far more profound longer-term societal gain including economic and political outcomes that reinforce, rather than erode, the so far short-lived contemporary democratic experiment. Not being engaged threatens to turn Australia into a banana island economy ensconced in ignorance by the continued isolation and tyranny of distance.

Horizon Europe – the world largest research fund at A$150 billion – has been back in the news with Canada being the latest non-EU country to sign up and recent discussion around Australia choosing not to last year. One of our three recommendations in The Group of Eight submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Understanding & Utilisation of Benefits Under Free Trade Agreements was that the Senate Committee recommends that the Government seek to engage with the European Union on Horizon Europe as a matter of urgency. In May we had a chat with the EU’s Ambassador to Australia, H.E. Gabriele Visentin for our Debate@Go8 podcast series. Horizon Europe was one of the hot topics of that discussion. In this clip from the episode, Go8 CE Vicki Thomson says that Australia is “dragging the chain” on Horizon Europe and the extra research funding it would provide to Australia. Watch the full Debate@Go8 episode with the EU Ambassador to Australia here: https://lnkd.in/d3X3pKNG Read the Go8 Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Understanding & Utilisation of Benefits Under Free Trade Agreements here: https://lnkd.in/gec9HwSn Matthew Brown European External Action Service Ed Husic MP Steve Georganas Scott Buchholz MP U15 Canada #HorizonEurope #researchcollaboration

From the Draghi report yesterday: "In this setting, we will need a genuine EU “foreign economic policy” to retain our freedom – a so-called statecraft. The EU will need to coordinate preferential trade agreements and direct investment with resource-rich nations, build up stockpiles in selected critical areas, and create industrial partnerships to secure the supply chain of key technologies. Only together can we create the necessary market leverage to do all this." As a start, Brussels should perhaps consider how it implements measures like the EUDR, which has managed to annoy the largest economies in Southeast Asia and South America (Indonesia and Brazil) both of which are 'resource rich.' And they're also among the EU's largest FTAs under negotiation. https://lnkd.in/gsH3hseq

With the new European Commission starting, it is a critical moment for Europe. Can we step up to drive growth, innovation, and investment where it’s needed most?   In my latest blog, I talk about what’s at stake, the changes we need, and how we can close the gap to make Europe stronger and better connected.  

Reimagining Europe’s Economic Future: A Call for Strategic Action! The recent European Commission report on “The Future of European Competitiveness” underscores a pivotal moment for Europe. As EU growth lags behind China and the US, it’s clear that historical conditions are shifting. The Draghi report highlights the need for Europe to rethink its growth model amidst fading geopolitical advantages. Key Challenges: Innovation Deficit: Europe’s widening innovation gap threatens global competitiveness. Accelerating tech development and fostering new growth engines is crucial. Energy and Decarbonization: Balancing lower energy costs with a transition to a carbon-neutral economy is essential. Decarbonization must be integrated into core industrial strategies. Geopolitical Instability: Europe’s dependence on external powers has become a vulnerability. A revamped foreign economic policy is needed to protect European interests. Strategic Imperatives: Unified Industrial Strategy: A cohesive pan-European approach is necessary to close the innovation gap and enhance technological competitiveness. Competitiveness Mindset Shift: Europe should lead in high-value, knowledge-driven industries rather than relying on cost-cutting measures. Single Market Deepening: Strengthening the single market with aligned policies and increased investment in public goods is critical for future success. Europe’s path forward demands modernization of its economic foundations. The urgency is clear: Europe needs more integration, not less! #Europe #Competitiveness #Innovation #Energy #Decarbonization #GeopoliticalStability #IndustrialStrategy #SingleMarket #EconomicGrowth https://lnkd.in/dADAGFSm